Arkansas Department of Health & Human Services
Division of Health
Center for Local Public Health - Environmental Health Branch - Engineering Section

Some contaminants in drinking water occur because the chemicals naturally occur in rocks and soils and are dissolved into the water. Other contaminants occur in drinking water only because of the acts of man putting the chemicals into the environment in such a manner that they come in contact with our drinking water sources. And, still other contaminants are created by the reaction of water treatment chemicals with naturally occurring compounds in our water sources.