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Team 6

Team Members

Faculty Advisor

Julia Braithwaite
Lily Johnson
Suki Zheng
Cody Voorhies

Dr. Alexander Agrios

Sponsor

Wright-Pierce

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Optimization of Water Quality in Drinking Water Distribution System

The Waterford Utilities Commission (WUC) in Waterford, Connecticut, uses a consecutive Public Water System (PWS) that is facing water quality issues such as disinfection byproducts (DBPs) levels exceeding regulatory limits and insufficient chlorine residual concentrations, which can pose a risk to human health. Free chlorine can decay over time due to biological or chemical reactions in the distribution system, which is exacerbated by high water age between the chlorine treatment and the water exiting the distribution system at the customer’s tap. Using a hydraulic model of the mid-pressure service zone, we designed and modeled our selected alternatives as part of an updated distribution system with improved water quality. First, we developed a hydraulic model of the impacted service zone to locate areas with high water age as a basis for potential causes of water quality issues. Then, we evaluated and designed two solutions: a water main flushing program and an active mixing system with THM removal for the storage tank. Flushing allows water to be expelled from the system, reducing the overall age of the water in the system temporarily, as well as removing sediment, scaling, and biofilm buildup that depletes chlorine residuals. An active mixing system reduces the likelihood of "dead zones" in the storage tank, pockets of water that decrease chlorine residuals and encourage microbial organism growth. Active mixing also keeps the water moving and allows THMs to be exposed to the atmosphere and volatilize.