Element

Description

Source water

assessments

Source water assessments must be part of routine system assessments. They have to implicate a comprehension of NOM sources in the watershed/aquifer, the circumstances that conduct to alterations in the level and/or quality of NOM (such as precipitation/snowmelt events, algal blooms, drought, fire),

and the parameters that improve the reactivity of NOM to produce DBPs (like reaction variables, water age, and inorganic compounds like ammonia, bromide, iodide, and sulfur). Surface and subsurface sources must be analyzed in terms of NOM and inorganic compounds. The frequency of source water characterization monitoring is a function of the variability of the source; further, highly variable sources must be observed more frequently.

Treatment and

operational monitoring

The level and/or type of NOM could possess a crucial impact on the selection, design, and operation of DWTPs. Indeed, DWTPs must be aware of 1) the origin, occurrence, and fluctuations in NOM; 2) interactions between NOM and other water constituents (like enhanced reactivity because of bromide); 3) interactions with chemical products introduced during treatment (such as NOM forms a disinfectant and coagulant demand that must be overcome to treat microbiologically safe drinking water); 4) interactions between NOM and unit processes (like NOM fouls adsorbents and membranes) and; 5) its influences on distribution system water quality (such as DBPs and biological stability).

Distribution system

Biodegradable organic matter (BOM) promotes biofilm development in the distribution system. Biofilms could furnish habitat for the survival of microorganisms that may have passed through DWTPs or entered the distribution system directly via an integrity breach. The most significant factors for dominating the vegetation of bacteria in distribution systems are maintenance of a disinfectant residual, limitation of BOM, and corrosion control. Keeping the physical/hydraulic integrity of the distribution system and decreasing negative- or low-pressure events are other fundamental components of a source-to-tap or water safety plan’s approach.

Suggested parameters and frequencies

Table 2 summarizes proposed factors, sampling locations, and frequencies that could constitute the foundation of a thorough monitoring program. A large number of the mentioned factors (such as disinfectant residual, DBPs) are previously being monitored in most treatment plants as part of a source-to-tap approach to treating safe drinking water. Additional variables are comparatively plain to apply (like UV absorbance) and furnish fast findings. Proposed water quality aims are summarized in Table 3. These are proposed as guidance only founded on the literature review.