Network modeling to demonstrate efficacy of improved water quality monitoring

Water quality is a prime concern in the US and the world. In particular, the disinfection and security of water have become important for everyday health and terrorist risk reduction. To mitigate the effects of compromised water quality it is apparent that the quality and frequency of water quality data collection are of primary importance. In order to demonstrate the need for improved water quality data collection, a network solver (EPANET) has been used to model the response of the system to an inappropriate addition of chlorine at the water treatment plant. Simulations have been performed on a real municipal water distribution system (Baraga, MI) of approximately 100 nodes and a population of 9,000 and contaminant plume behavior simulated at select network locations. Concentration levels at selected nodes around the network were examined for time of exposure to unacceptable chlorine levels. It was found that having improved monitoring could reduce response time and human exposure to contamination by approximately 95%.