Under the Safe Drinking Act, it is the duty of the water purveyor to deliver potable water of proper quantity only as far as the:

Under the Safe Drinking Act, it is the duty of the water purveyor to deliver potable water of proper quantity only as far as the:

• A. Entry point of the distribution system
• B. Customer's curb box and service connection
• C. Consumer's tap inside of the home
• D. Furthest water main blow-off or sampling point

Answer: (C)

The key idea is that the water purveyor’s obligation to deliver potable water of proper quantity ends at the point where the water actually reaches the consumer’s use, which is the tap inside the home. Once water passes into the consumer’s interior plumbing, the homeowner is responsible for any further distribution and usage, including how much water is drawn and any losses in the private plumbing. If we think about the boundaries, the entry point of the distribution system or the curb box and service connection are upstream boundaries; the utility is responsible up to those outer boundaries but not beyond into the interior plumbing. The furthest water main blow-off or sampling point is a testing/maintenance point, not the point of actual use by the consumer. So the tap inside the home is the practical boundary where the purveyor’s duty to deliver correct quantity ends.

The key idea is that the water purveyor’s obligation to deliver potable water of proper quantity ends at the point where the water actually reaches the consumer’s use, which is the tap inside the home. Once water passes into the consumer’s interior plumbing, the homeowner is responsible for any further distribution and usage, including how much water is drawn and any losses in the private plumbing.

If we think about the boundaries, the entry point of the distribution system or the curb box and service connection are upstream boundaries; the utility is responsible up to those outer boundaries but not beyond into the interior plumbing. The furthest water main blow-off or sampling point is a testing/maintenance point, not the point of actual use by the consumer. So the tap inside the home is the practical boundary where the purveyor’s duty to deliver correct quantity ends.