Pathogens in Your Pipelines: Best Practices in Water Storage and Pipe Disinfection

• Overview
• Credits

Operators of potable water distribution systems continually face the challenge of delivering safe drinking water to their customers. Emerging pathogens such as Legionella, Pseudomonas and Mycobacteria are not regulated drinking water contaminants, but cause significant illness. In fact, Legionella is now the single most common disease agent associated with outbreaks involving drinking water. This reference set will aid operators in establishing programs to protect against pathogens in your pipelines. The information provided will help the persons responsible for water distribution systems understand more about potential pathogens in potable water and the most effective methods to control their growth. Water system operators, whether providing service to a municipality or within a secondary system such as a campus or building, need to exercise reasonable care in operating the distribution system to provide safe drinking water to their customers. This reference set will provide important information on why old disinfection methods fail and why new methods are needed to target emerging waterborne pathogens.

Learning Objectives
•You will be able to identify new methods needed to target emerging waterborne pathogens.
•You will be able to discuss new programs that can protect against pathogens in your pipelines.
•You will be able to explain effective methods to control the growth of pathogens in potable water.
•You will be able to describe the different modes of system disinfection.

Authors

Frank P. Sidari III, P.E., BCEE, Malcolm Pirnie, Inc.
Janet E. Stout, Ph.D., Special Pathogens Laboratory

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