Title:
Evaluating vulnerable locations in the city of Atlanta, GA drinking water distribution system for microbial intrusion and regrowth using an automated monitoring and sampling device
Evaluating vulnerable locations in the city of Atlanta, GA drinking water distribution system for microbial intrusion and regrowth using an automated monitoring and sampling device
Author(s)
Vereen, Ethell
Levy, Karen
Panwhar, Samina
Kirby, Amy
Streby, Ashleigh
Moe, Christine
Levy, Karen
Panwhar, Samina
Kirby, Amy
Streby, Ashleigh
Moe, Christine
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Abstract
The integrity of the drinking water distribution
system (DS) is considered the final, and one of the
most important barriers for providing safe drinking water.
The City of Atlanta (COA) drinking water DS is typical of
many large cities in the U.S.; there are older sections, water
loss via leaks, and maintenance challenges associated
with aging infrastructure. Our previous studies in metro
Atlanta indicated modestly increased risks of emergency
department visit for gastrointestinal illness associated with
longer water residence times (estimated by a hydraulic
model) and with source water turbidity. We report on preliminary
results of an ongoing study in which we determine
the vulnerability to microbial risk for the COA’s
drinking water DS using our previous work on longer water
residence times, as well as available data on pipe
breaks and pressure loss events to assess potential contaminant
intrusion and microbial regrowth in the COA DS
using an Automated Monitoring & Sampling (AMS) device.
The AMS continuously monitors physical and chemical
measurements of DS water quality, and collects routine
large volume water samples (90L) for microbiological
analyses. All samples are concentrated by ultrafiltration
and tested for indicators of intrusion (E. coli and Clostridium
perfringens), indicators of regrowth (Total coliforms,
heterotrophic plate count bacteria, Pseudomonas aeruginosa
and Aeromonas hydrophila), and coliphages (MS2 and
somatic) as models of enteric viruses. Our preliminary
results indicate sporadic positive detection of low concentrations
of total coliforms, E. coli, C. perfringens, A. hydrophila,
P. aeruginosa, and HPC, in routine large-volume
samples.
Sponsor
Sponsored by: Georgia Environmental Protection Division; U.S. Department of Agriculture, Natural Resources Conservation Service; Georgia Institute of Technology, Georgia Water Resources Institute; The University of Georgia, Water Resources Faculty.
Date Issued
2013-04
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Text
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Proceedings