State or local health officials can interpret water analysis results. Some labora- tories may also provide this service. Home water treatment should be considered only a temporary solution. The best solutions to a contaminated drinking water problem are to stop the practices causing the contamination or change water sources. Distillation Distillation relies on evaporation to purify water.
Contaminated water is heated to form steam.
Inorganic compounds and large non-volatile organic molecules do not evaporate with the water and are left behind. The steam then cools and condenses to form purified water. The boiling process also kills microorganisms such as bacteria and some viruses. Distillation removes oxygen and some trace metals from water. For this reason some people claim distilled water tastes flat.