An intake protection zone (IPZ) is an area of land and water around a municipal intake pipe that contributes source water to a drinking water system. An IPZ shows where surface water is coming from to supply a municipal intake at a water treatment plant, and how fast it is travelling toward the intake pipe.
The size and shape of each zone in an IPZ represents either a set distance around the intake pipe, or the length of time it would take water and contaminants to reach the intake: