Course: BFM 203 Water Treatment and Control

Lecture

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Water Quality Changes

Water quality deteriorates within the distribution system because the system is not inert to the water within it. The primary responsibility of the water treatment plant is to produce safe, palatable drinking water, but it must also condition the water to minimize its deterioration within the distribution system.

The following items are just some of the potential causes of water quality degradation.

- Cross connections
- Corrosion
- Biological growth
- Temperature
- Flow
- Time in system
- Age of facilities
- Operation
- Dead end mains
- Tank construction

A flushing program will alleviate many of these problems and will maintain a sufficient disinfectant residual in all parts of the system.