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Biological instability in a chlorinated drinking water distribution network.
Alina Nescerecka1, Janis Rubulis2, Marius Vital3
1Department of Water Engineering and Technology, Riga Technical University, Riga, Latvia; Department of Environmental Microbiology, Eawag, Swiss Federal Institute for Aquatic Science and Technology, Dübendorf, Switzerland.
Plos One
|May 7, 2014
Summary
Biological instability in Riga's drinking water distribution system was confirmed by high intact cell concentrations. This indicates bacterial growth due to loss of chlorine disinfectant, challenging water quality maintenance.
Area of Science:
- Environmental Science
- Microbiology
- Water Treatment Engineering
Background:
- Maintaining microbiological quality, or biological stability, in drinking water distribution systems is crucial.
- Chlorine residuals are commonly used to ensure biological stability.
- Full-scale drinking water distribution systems present complex challenges for maintaining water quality.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the biological stability of chlorinated drinking water in Riga's distribution system.
- To evaluate the effectiveness of chlorine residuals in maintaining water quality throughout the network.
- To compare different methods for assessing cell viability and water stability.
Main Methods:
- Utilized flow cytometry (FCM) for intact cell concentration measurements.
- Assessed intracellular and extracellular adenosine tri-phosphate (ATP) levels.
- Performed heterotrophic plate counts and residual chlorine measurements at 49 sampling points.
Main Results:
- FCM intact cell concentrations in the network ranged from 5x10^3 to 4.66x10^5 cells/mL.
- 50% of network samples exceeded 1.06x10^5 cells/mL, significantly higher than treatment plant effluent levels (<= 2.1x10^4 cells/mL).
- Demonstrated biological instability attributed to disinfectant loss and subsequent bacterial proliferation.
Conclusions:
- The study confirms significant biological instability within Riga's drinking water distribution system.
- Cultivation-independent methods like FCM show promise for assessing chlorinated water quality.
- The complexity of distribution systems complicates the identification of causes for biological instability.
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