Because of their size and resulting inability to achieve economies of scale, small public water systems are hard-pressed to provide consumers with drinking water that meets all state and federal guidelines but is available at a reasonable price. These systems often lack the financial resources to change or adapt treatment processes in response to regulations or to contend with unexpected increases in operation and maintenance costs. The results of the benchmark investigation will allow small systems to develop plans to ensure adequate financial resources will be available to implement solutions to future problems. The information developed will allow comparisons to be made with the status of other small systems. This project will require the extensive surveying of both surface and groundwater supplies, with representative samples from every state of the Midwest to produce a statistically viable study.