A study was conducted in a rural area of northeastern Imo State to examine the effect of distance and season on the use of boreholes, provided at a borehole-to-population ratio of 1 to 440. The type of water source used by households varied according to season. In the water-scarce dry season, 98% of households used borehole water: 64% as their sole source, a further 26% as their main source, and 8% as a secondary source. The use of borehole water as the main source was little influenced by distance until the household-to-borehole distance reached approximately 2 km. The situation was different in the wet season when the availability of water sources was much greater. In this season, rainwater was the main water source for 64% of households. Borehole water was the main source for only 31% of households. In the rainy season, the use of borehole water as the main source showed a significant decrease with increasing household-to-borehole distance. The provision of one borehole for 400-500 people was associated with a high rate of use as the main water source only in the dry season. However, the use of boreholes as either a main or alternative source was high in both seasons and it is possible that those households that used boreholes as an alternative source used the water for drinking.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)