A less expensive and nonlabor intensive public water supply facility is an attractive marketable product. In this research a small compact slow sand filter configuration for treating drinking water from springs or other surface water supplies is investigated. The project objectives are: (1) determine effect of sand size and configuration; (2) determine potential effectiveness of filters in removing viruses; (3) determine the effect of filtration rate on treatment; and (4) determine the treatment effectiveness by using turbidity, total coliform, standard plate count, Giardia cysts, and some viruses as the indicating parameters.