Water quality decay in distribution systems – problems, causes, and new modeling tools

Drinking water quality can undergo dramatic changes in distribution systems. Because of this, many new regulations focus on monitoring water quality within the distribution system, causing utilities to face new challenges in maintaining high quality delivered to the consumer's tap. To help meet these challenges, several groups worldwide have developed computer-modeling tools so that utilities can evaluate and manage water quality in their distribution systems. This paper reviews the water-quality problems that typically occur in distribution systems, the causes of these problems, and the modeling tools that are becoming available to help solve these problems.

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