In the United States drinking water comes from a few different places. Many cities get their drinking water from special lakes called reservoirs. Other cities get their water from rivers. For example, the drinking water for New Orleans comes from the Mississippi River. In some areas, people get their water from the mountains. The water from mountain snow is delicious and clean. In other areas people dig deep holes in the ground for water. These holes are called wells. Outside of cities, most people get their water way