Abstract
A one-year sampling program covering twenty-five small municipal systems was carried out in two Canadian regions to improve our understanding of the variability of water quality in small systems from water source to the end of the distribution system (DS). The database obtained was used to develop a global portrait of physical, chemical and microbiological water quality parameters. More precisely, the temporal and the spatial variability of these parameters were investigated. We observed that the levels of natural organic matter (NOM) were variable during different seasons, with maxima in the fall for both provinces. In the regions under study, the highest trihalomethane (THM) and haloacetic acid (HAA) levels were achieved in warmer seasons (summer, fall), as observed in previous studies involving large systems. Observed THM and HAA levels were three times higher in systems in the province of Newfoundland & Labrador than in the province of Quebec. Taste and odor indicators were detected during the summer and fall, and higher Abstract
Monitoring for changes in drinking water quality using online sensors has focused on improving the water delivered to consumers. However, recent research has focused on using sensors as one facet of a holistic contamination warning system or simply monitoring for unusual changes that could indicate contamination. This chapter focuses on the following areas: (1) Results on the change of online water quality parameters to contamination in drinking water. Total organic carbon and free/total chlorine (in chlorinated/chloraminated water, respectively) are often presented as the most effective online-monitoring parameters, so the benefits and gaps of these parameters are discussed; (2) The role that event detection software and algorithms play in analyzing online water quality data for unusual changes; (3) The challenge of high operational and maintenance costs for online sensors within a water distribution network; and (4) The future of online water quality monitoring.