A full-scale reproduction of an aircraft drinking water system was conditioned using municipal tap water with a mixture of free chlorine and chloramines, and subsequently contaminated with coliforms. Disinfection was undertaken using chlorine dioxide, ozone and a mixed oxidant solution followed by flushing until no disinfectant residual remained. Results showed that coliforms were not persistent on the aircraft plumbing surfaces, and coliforms were not detected after disinfection and flushing with any disinfectant. The one exception was the aerator installed in the lavatory faucet, which was coliform positive after disinfection with ozone and mixed oxidants. These data suggest that the faucet aerators could be a source of coliform contamination that may result in coliform positive samples. Further experiments conducted on disinfection of aerators with glycolic acid and quaternary ammonia (both commonly used by the airlines) showed no detectable coliforms on coliform contaminated aerators after 30 minutes of soaking in the disinfectants.

Source water quality can significantly impact the efficacy of water treatment unit processes and the formation of chlorinated and brominated trihalomethanes (THMs). Current water treatment plant performance models may not accurately capture how source water quality variations, such as organic matter variability, can impact treatment unit processes. To investigate these impacts, a field study was conducted wherein water samples were collected along the treatment train for 72 hours during a storm event. Systematic sampling and detailed analyses of water quality parameters, including non-purgeable organic carbon (NPOC), UV absorbance, and THM concentrations, as well as chlorine spiking experiments, reveal how the THM formation potential changes in response to treatment unit processes. Results show that the NPOC remaining after treatment has an increased reactivity towards forming THMs, and that brominated THMs form more readily than chlorinated counterparts in a competitive reaction. Thus both the reactivity and quantity of THM precursors must be considered to maintain compliance with drinking water standards, a finding that should be incorporated into the development of model-assisted treatment operation and optimization. Advanced granular activated carbon (GAC) treatment beyond conventional coagulation-flocculation-sedimentation processes may also be necessary to remove the surge loading of THM-formation precursors during a storm event.

Enteric virus environmental surveillance via a highly sensitive method is critical, as many enteric viruses have low infectious doses and can persist in the environment for extended periods. This study determined the potential of the novel bag-mediated filtration system (BMFS) to recover human enteric viruses and pepper mild mottle virus (PMMoV) from wastewater and wastewater-impacted surface waters, examined PMMoV use as a fecal contamination indicator in Kenya, and identified potential BMFS process controls. From April 2015 to April 2016, BMFS samples were collected from seven sites in Kenya ( = 59). Enteroviruses and PMMoV were detected in 100% of samples, and human adenovirus, human astrovirus, hepatitis A virus, norovirus GI, norovirus GII, sapovirus, and human rotavirus were detected in the majority of samples. The consistent detection of enteroviruses and PMMoV suggests that these viruses could be used as indicators in similarly fecally contaminated sites and BMFS process controls. As contamination of surface water sources remains a global issue, enteric virus environmental surveillance is necessary. This study demonstrates an effective way to sample large volumes of wastewater and wastewater-impacted surface waters for the detection of multiple enteric viruses simultaneously.

Development of greener water treatment technologies is important for the production of safe drinking water and water security applications, such as decontamination. Chlorine assisted disinfection is common and economical, but can generate disinfection byproducts (DBPs) that may be of health concern. DBPs are formed due to the reaction of chlorine with naturally occurring organic and inorganic substances in water. Currently, various innovative technologies are being developed as alternative approaches for preventing DBPs during water treatment. In this study, we evaluated the effectiveness of a novel combination of high efficiency flow filtration and UV disinfection treatment system for the removal of (B. ) spores in water. The filtration system consists of a charged membrane filter (CMF) that not only helps to remove suspended particles but also reduces the impact of other impurities including bio organisms. In order to get most performance details, the CMF was evaluated at clean, half-life, and end of life (EOL) conditions along with 100% UV transmittance (UVT). In addition, the effectiveness of the UV system was evaluated as a stand alone system at 100% and 70% EOL intensity. The study was conducted at the US EPA's Test and Evaluation (T&E) Facility in Cincinnati, OH, using B. , a surrogate for B. anthracis spores. This non-chemical environmentally-friendly CMF/UV combination system and the stand alone UV unit showed greater than 6.0 log removal of B. globigii during the tests.

Pipe flow mixing with various solute concentrations and flow rates at pipe junctions is investigated. The degree of mixing affects contaminant spread in a water distribution system, and many studies have focused on mixing at the cross junctions; however, only a few have focused on double-Tee junctions of unequal pipe diameters. To investigate the solute mixing at such junctions, a series of experiments was conducted in a turbulent regime (Re = 12,500-50,000) with different Reynolds number ratios and connecting pipe lengths. Dimensionless outlet concentrations were found to depend on mixing mechanism at the impinging interface of junctions, where junctions with a larger pipe diameter ratio were associated with more complete mixing. Further, the inlet Reynolds number ratio affected mixing more strongly than the outlet Reynolds number ratio. Finally, the dimensionless connecting pipe length in a double-Tee played an important and complicated role in the flow mixing. The results were used to develop two-dimensional isopleth maps for the calculation of normalized north outlet concentrations.

Algae contamination of surface water and drinking water supplies is a significant problem particularly in rural areas. A decentralized inexpensive technology that would effectively remove algae from water would be beneficial. Electrocoagulation (EC) combined with electroflotation (EF) as a single process (ECF) is a promising algae harvesting technique with no moving parts that may be powered using a modest array of photovoltaic panels if a low power system can be developed. Here, an ECF system was constructed to study the energy required to remove algae from a simulated drinking water supply. Results from 18 ECF experiments indicated a >95% improvement of water clarity measured by optical density (OD) could be achieved with as little energy as 1.25 kWh m. The key was to find the ideal combination of gas bubbles produced by EF (G) and coagulant from the EC relative to the concentration of suspended solids (S). The ideal gas to solids (G/S) ratio for the ECF system ranged from 0.09 to 0.17. In solutions containing chloride (Cl) ions ECF produced chlorine gas which is known to contribute to disinfection. Results suggest that ECF can efficiently remove algae and simultaneously contribute to disinfecting contaminated drinking water supplies.