Water Science & Technology: Water Supply Vol 1 No 4 pp 237–245 © IWA Publishing 2001
Suspended particles in the drinking water of two distribution systems
V. Gauthier*, B. Barbeau**, R. Millette***, J.-C. Block**** and M. Prévost*****
*Ecole Polytechnique de Montreal, NSERC Industrial Chair on Drinking Water, Civil Geological and Mining Engineering, CP 6079, Succ. centre-ville, Montreal (Quebec), Canada, H3C 3A7
**Ecole Polytechnique de Montreal, NSERC Industrial Chair on Drinking Water, Civil Geological and Mining Engineering, CP 6079, Succ. centre-ville, Montreal (Quebec), Canada, H3C 3A7
***City of Montreal, Atwater Treatment Plant, 3161 rue Joseph, Verdun (Québec), Canada, H4G 1H8
****Laboratoire Santé Environnement - LCPE, UMR Université - CNRS 7564, Faculté de Pharmacie - Pôle de l'eau, 15, avenue du Charmois, F-54500 Vandoeuvre, France
*****Ecole Polytechnique de Montreal, NSERC Industrial Chair on Drinking Water, Civil Geological and Mining Engineering, CP 6079, Succ. centre-ville, Montreal (Quebec), Canada, H3C 3A7
ABSTRACT
The concentrations of suspended particles were measured in the drinking water of two distribution systems, and the nature of these particles documented. The concentrations of particulate matter were invariably found to be small (maximum 350  g/L). They are globally in the very low range in comparison with dissolved matter concentrations, which are measured in several hundreds of mg/L. Except during special water quality events, such as turnover of the raw water resource, results show that organic matter represents the most important fraction of suspended solids (from 40 to 76%) in treated and distributed water. Examination of the nature of the particles made it possible to develop several hypotheses about the type of particles penetrating Montreal's distribution system during the turnover period (algae skeleton, clays). These particles were found to have been transported throughout the distribution systems quite easily, and this could result in the accumulation of deposits if their surface charge were ever even slightly destabilised, or if the particles were to penetrate the laminar flow areas that are fairly typical of remote locations in distribution systems.
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