Monday, November 4, 2013

The Future for Cleaner Drinking Water Systems


By Luis Duron          

The importance for developing new techniques to innovate the quality and safety of drinking water is essential all over the world. The Water Safety Plan (WSP) techniques have being implemented worldwide, but with little systematic evidence to support the effectiveness of the WPS techniques. A recent study was done in Iceland to determine the effectiveness of these WPS techniques. The results showed a significant decrease in the microbiological growth in the water supply system with HPC (heterotrophic plate counts) being not more than 10 CFU (colony-forming unit) per ml in samples following WSP implementation (Gunnarsdottir et al 2012). This recent study has proven the use of WPS techniques improving the quality and safety of drinking water systems, while, increasing the health and welfare of individuals in Iceland.


Boxplot from Gunnarsdottir et al. 2012 illustrates the HPC before and after WSP implementation at five water utilities sampling site.

Gunnarsdottir MJ, Gardarsson SM, Elliot M, Sigmundsdottir G, Bartram J. (2012). Benefits of Water Safety Plans: Microbiology, Compliance, and Public Health. Environmental Science & Technology 46: 7782-7789.

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