Investigating and Characterizing Water Quality Degradation Risks in Canadian Water Distribution Systems

人们日益认识到，饮用水分配系统是动态生物反应器，可促进对人体健康有害的金属的积累/释放。卡尔加里市已经确定了与金属积累和释放有关的新问题，如混凝剂携带、pH值变化、死角金属释放以及许多地方的水龄延长。女王大学饮用水质量小组和卡尔加里市正在合作制定一个风险评估和缓解框架，以协助加拿大各城市评估水质风险并优化运营和维护战略，以保护水处理系统的质量。该框架将1)确定驱动金属积累和水质风险的因素，ii)检查导致金属积累/释放的机制，iii)优化单向冲洗操作以防止水质问题，以及iv)开发数据驱动的机器学习工具来预测水质风险并协助加拿大市政当局规划其系统运营和维护策略。8名HQP（4名博士和4名博士）将按照EDI的原则，在高质量的培训环境中接受培训，以促进HQP的发展，成为能够开发新方法来解决实际研究问题的独立研究人员，从而使水务行业受益。该研究将通过(1)描述铝水槽在污染物积累中的作用，提高我们对其形成和管理的理解，(2)开发一个风险预测框架，帮助加拿大市政当局规划和优化运营和维护干预措施，以保护饮用水质量，从而使加拿大水工业受益。

There is growing recognition that drinking water distribution systems (DWDS) are dynamic bioreactors that can facilitate the accumulation/release of metals that can have deleterious effects on human health. The City of Calgary has identified emerging problems linked to metal accumulation and release such as coagulant carry-over, pH variability, metal release in dead-ends and a protracted water age at many locations. The Drinking Water Quality Group at Queen's University and the City of Calgary are partnering to develop a risk assessment and mitigation framework to assist Canadian municipalities to assess water quality risk and optimize operation and maintenance strategies to protect DWDS quality. This framework will 1) identify factors that drive metal accumulation and water quality risks, ii) examine mechanisms that lead to the accumulation/release of metals, iii) optimize unidirectional flushing operations to prevent water quality problems, and iv) develop a data-driven machine-learning tool to predict water quality risks and assist Canadian municipalities in planning their system operations and maintenance strategies. Eight HQP (4 PhDs and 4 UGs) will be trained in a high-quality training environment in accordance with the principles of EDI that promotes the development of HQP to be strong, independent researchers capable of developing novel approaches to solve practical research problems that benefit the water industry. The research will benefit the Canadian water industry by (1) delineating the role of aluminum sinks in contaminant accumulation and improving our understanding of their formation and management, (2) developing a risk prediction framework that will assist Canadian municipalities in planning and optimizing operation and maintenance interventions to protect drinking water quality.