Drinking Water Quality Problems and Solutions

This textbook provides a comprehensive review of the problems associated with the supply of drinking water in the developed world. Since the first edition of this book was published, water companies and regulators have been presented with numerous new challenges - global warming has seriously affected water supplies and water quality; advances in chemical and microbial analysis have revealed many new contaminants in water that were previously undetectable; and recent terrorist attacks have demonstrated how vulnerable water supplies are to contamination or disruption. This new edition includes an overview of the current and emerging problems, with potential solutions. It has been completely updated, and includes the WHO Revised Drinking Water Guidelines. An ideal textbook for courses in environmental science, hydrology, environmental health and environmental engineering; it also provides an authoritative reference for practitioners and professionals in the water supply industry.

Preface; Glossary; Part I. Introduction to Water Supply: 1. The water business; 2. Drinking water standards and risk; 3. A quick guide to the problems; Part II. Problems with the Resource: 4. Sources of water; 5. Nitrate and nitrite; 6. Pesticides and organic micro-pollutants; 7. Endocrine disrupting compounds and PPCPs; 8. Odour and taste; 9. Metals; 10. Hardness and total dissolved solids; 11. Algae and algal toxins; 12. Radon and radioactivity; 13. Pathogens; Part III. Problems Arising from Water Treatment: 14. Water treatment; 15. Aluminium and acrylamide; 16. Odour and taste; 17. Fluoridation; 18. Disinfection by-products; 19. Monitoring and removal of pathogens; Part IV. Problems Arising in the Distribution System: 20. The distribution network; 21. Aesthetic quality; 22. Asbestos; 23. Coal tar linings and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons; 24. Animals on tap; 25. Pathogens in the distribution system; Part V. Problems in Household Plumbing: 26. Household plumbing systems; 27. Corrosion and metal contamination from pipework and fittings; 28. Micro-organisms, fibres and taste; Part VI. The Water We Drink: 29. Alternatives to tap water; 30. Water security in the twenty-first century; 31. Final analysis; Appendices; Index.

This textbook provides a review of problems associated with the supply of drinking water in the developed world. This new edition discusses changes to perceptions and regulations of water, listing problems and offering potential solutions. Ideal as both a textbook for environmental sciences and a reference for water industry professionals.

Nick Gray is a Professor at the Centre for the Environment at Trinity College, Dublin. He was worked in the area of water technology for 30 years, and is internationally known as a lecturer and author in water quality and pollution control. His research specializes in the operational problems associated with supplying drinking water and treating wastewaters.