Feasibility of an environmentally friendly method of contaminant flushing in water distribution systems using containment ponds

Abstract

Water distribution system flushing is one way to get rid of contamination. In conventional flushing, all the contaminated water is discharged to the environment, thereby harming it. A new method is proposed here as an alternative solution, in which a containment pond lined with impermeable material will be constructed in a suitable place within the municipality. Network modelling was performed to investigate the feasibility of the new method. It was found that (1) the proposed flushing method can successfully reduce environmental impacts compared to hydrant flushing only, (2) a containment pond cannot clear the system periphery away from the containment pond, (3) the best location of a containment pond is not always at the furthest location from the source reservoir, and (4) for some systems, some pond locations might be better from an economic perspective, while other locations will be better environmentally. HIGHLIGHTS Containment ponds for water system flushing can successfully reduce environmental impacts by up to 100%.; A pond cannot clear an entire system with numerous dead ends.; The best location of a pond is not always at the furthest location from the source reservoir.; A pond location tradeoff between cost and environment can exists for some systems.;

Keywords

• contamination
• environmental impact
• infrastructure
• public health
• water supply