Booster Disinfection for Response to Contamination in a Drinking Water Distribution System

Abstract

Booster disinfection has been shown to be an effective means of maintaining more stable chlorine residuals in a water distribution system. It has been suggested that booster disinfection could also be a viable means of protecting a population against contamination. We simulated random contamination events in a model water distribution system with an optimized sensor network. A disinfection boost was simulated to begin the instant the contamination reached a sensor, and a range of decay coefficients were applied to the contaminant to simulate reaction with the disinfectant. Cumulative distribution curves of the volume of consumed contaminated water for various response levels were prepared to analyze how each response affected the vulnerability of the system. This analysis illustrated that a boost-response system could be effective in significantly reducing the volume of consumed contaminated water, but only in very specific circumstances. Most importantly, the booster must be located at a node with high reachability. Further, if the disinfectant cannot rapidly inactivate the contaminant, the effectiveness of a boost-response system is much reduced.