The New Britain Water Department put on-line a new water treatment plant in April 2004
that uses different disinfectant, coagulant, and filter media than the conventional
treatment that it was replacing. Even though the new water treatment plant will produce
higher finished water quality, there is a concern that the change in water chemistry may
cause problems in the distribution system that has pipes ranging from 10 to 150 years old.
Potential problems that might arise are bacteria regrowth in the distribution system and
release of iron and manganese from the walls of the water mains. To be able to quickly
detect problems, the Water Department initiated a distribution system sampling program
2 1/2 years before the new treatment plant went on-line. This has provided the water
department a baseline for comparing changes in water quality. For example, one location
has had elevated turbidity and color measurements, but this was not inconsistent with the
baseline data collected before the new plant went on-line. What potentially is more
concerning is that the rate of chlorine decay in the distribution system has increased at
locations close to the water treatment plant. By having baseline water quality data
throughout the distribution system, this issue was identified and can be quickly addressed
before any potential problems occur. Includes tables, figures.
| Edition : | Vol. - No. |
| File Size : | 1
file
, 660 KB |
| Note : | This product is unavailable in Ukraine, Russia, Belarus |
| Number of Pages : | 11 |
| Published : | 11/15/2004 |
