Water filtration processes vary greatly depending on the size and application
. The municipalities. The small household systems that are most commonly used are basic cartridge filters that have different filtering capabilities. You can purchase different cartridges based on the contaminants your water source has in it. In order to choose the proper cartridges however, you need to know what the contamination is. This is best done by having a water sample tested by a professional. As you move up in systems, you will find household reverse osmosis systems. These are much more complex than the basic cartridge filters. These systems require more maintenance to keep operating efficiently. Next consider the systems used by private companies that specialize in bottling and distributing bottled water. If you read the fine print on the labels you will find the water source listed and the filtration system used. This information came about from fraud lawsuits where companies were advertising spring water with healthy minerals only to find out it was municipal tap water that was bottled with the addition of minerals for the spring taste. Not all bottle water companies were doing this, some that advertised the spring water source and was actually so. Next these companies much list the type of filtration system used. Some use reverse osmosis while others will use cartridge filtration systems. The more complex systems are used by municipal water companies. These systems are quite large and complex, some will used dangerous chemicals to ensure the treated water is safe for human consumption.