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SMALL DRINKING WATER SYSTEMS RESEARCH
Citation:
HAUGHT, R., CHRISTOPHER IMPELLITTERI, AND C. L. PATTERSON. SMALL DRINKING WATER SYSTEMS RESEARCH. Presented at ORD/OW Seminar Series, Washington, DC, October 11, 2006.
Impact/Purpose:
To inform the public.
Description:
There are 159,796 Community Water Systems (CWSs) in the United States. Ninety-three percent of CWSs are considered very small to medium-sized systems that serve roughly 19% of the CWS population. In contrast, large to very large systems comprise just 7% of CWSs, but serve 81% of the population. For very small and small systems (serving 25-3,300), roughly 134,000 public water systems serve only 9% of the total population that is served by public water systems. Small drinking water systems face many technical, managerial, and financial challenges. Many are located in remote areas and serve economically disadvantaged populations. Small systems do not benefit from economies-of-scale; therefore regulations which may lead to increased treatment tend to have higher economic impacts on small systems. Small systems research addresses a multitude of source water types, treatment options, and operator skill levels. Because of the wide variety of small system needs, the National Risk Management Research Laboratory (NRMRL) emphasizes research on many different types of water treatment, from low-cost to advanced technologies. Current Water Supply and Water Resources Division (WSWRD) research projects include studies on low-cost, reliable technologies for filtration, disinfection, arsenic adsorption, advanced oxidation processes, and point-of-entry/point-of-use treatment systems.