Two thirds of the drinking water in the Netherlands originates from groundwater and is treated and distributed without a chemical disinfectant. One third originates from surface water from which microorganisms and contaminants are removed by multiple barriers. Surface water is distributed with a low disinfectant residual which rapidly disappears during distribution. In order to prevent microbial recontamination and regrowth in the water supply, companies rely on a series of measures during treatment and in distribution systems. Prevention of regrowth is limited by distributing biologically stable drinking water in clean systems constructed of biologically stable materials. This paper summarizes the approach that is taken in the Netherlands to achieve biological stability and describes the tools which have been developed to assess the concentrations of nutrients in drinking water.