Introduction Water is a natural resource of fundamental importance. This is because it supports all forms of life and creates jobs and wealth in the water sector, tourism, recreation and fisheries (Ntengwe, 2005). Without water, life as it exists on our planet, is impossible (Akpabio,2012). Potable or drinking water is defined as having acceptable quality in terms of its physical, chemical and bacteriological parameters, so that it can be safely used for drinking and cooking (WHO, 2004). The Nigerian government has long considered the provision of water supply and sanitation services to be in the domain of the Federal, State and Local Government through the Water Board Authorities. The Federal Government is in charge of water resources management; the state government has the primary responsibility for urban water supply; and local governments together with communities are responsible for rural water supply (WHO/UN-Water, 2015). However, the public sector has not been successful in meeting more than a small part of the demand for water of residential and commercial users (Afolabi et al., 2012). This is due to population increase (Makwe, 2013), deterioration of the necessary infrastructure and poor management of the system. Many water supply systems show extensive deterioration and poor utilization of the existing capacities, due to under-maintenance and lack of funds for operation (Yusuf, 2007)