1. Introduction
Currently, a considerable number of water purification plants in Japan are due for renewal within the
next ten years. Also, when comparing the current water resource quality with that at the time of plant
construction, the ratio of dam water (discharge/storage) to surface water relatively increased, and water
quality has worsened due to development in the surrounding region. Furthermore, as is the case with
cryptosporidium, there is a problem with pathogenic microorganisms that are resistant to chlorine
disinfection. Meanwhile, in order to respond to consumer needs for safe and palatable water,
contamination counter-measures against odor-causing compounds, including 2-MIB and geosmin, are
vital to the water utilities.
The Japan Water Research Center (hereinafter JWRC) has employed the following kinds of methods
in water technology research and development for about the past 20 years. Using Grant-in-Aid for
Scientific Research from the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare, and research contributions from
private companies as funds, the JWRC has carried out large-scale research projects through cooperation of
private companies, water utilities and scholars. In these industry-utility-academia research and
development projects, the research objective was to develop a technology that could actually be used in
practice. A good example of the success of this research is membrane filtration technology. The
researched and developed membrane filtration technology was put into practical use, and is now in use at
many water purification plants around the country. The aforementioned industry-utility-academia research
system is unique to Japan, and it is thought to be a method well suited to Japanese society.