Objectives To investigate the current status of health knowledge, attitudes and beliefs of residents on drinking water in Taoyuan community and Xinjiannanlu community of Taiyuan city, and to provide theoretical guidance for reasonable selection of qualified drinking water.

Methods A questionnaire survey on the usage, knowledge and awareness of drinking water was conducted in 300 households randomly sampled from two communities of Taiyuan city.

Results Tap water has been the main source of drinking water for Taiyuan residents, reaching 63.2%. Water dispensers and water purifiers were commonly used.The most prominent problem in Taiyuan was the high incrustation induced by highly temporary hardness of drinking water. The knowledge on purified water, and the awareness of each indicator was less than 20% in Taiyuan residents. The understanding of chlorine disinfection by-products, heavy metals and the total water hardness were less. Television was one of the main sources of knowledge on drinking water, accounting for 63.5%. In 14.7% of residents expressing satisfaction with the quality of drinking water.

Conclusions Highly temporary hardness of tap water has been the most prominent problem of two communities in Taiyuan city. The awareness of healthy drinking water was generally not popular, and the degree of satisfaction with the provided drinking water was low. Strengthening water-related knowledge in Taiyuan residents is very important.