Early Warning System Design for Contamination Event Detection Incorporating Surrogate Water Quality Indicators in Water Distribution Systems

Nathan Sankary, Avi Ostfeld

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceedingConference contributionpeer-review

Abstract

A water distribution system is designed to deliver sufficient quantities of high quality water to consumers. The quality of water delivered in a WDS is difficult to maintain and monitor, as water quality can degrade within a water distribution system's pipes. A network of online monitoring stations designed to sample water quality in real-time, and to be strategically placed in a water distribution system has proven an effective method to monitor water quality and provide early warning of a contaminant intrusion. A difficult task for an online monitoring station is to distinguish natural variability in water quality from variability caused by the presence of a contaminant in the water. Prior studies have shown how common water quality indicators (free chlorine, pH, conductivity, total organic carbon) respond to contaminants, and methods to ease the task of recognizing true contaminant presence. This work proposes an objective function incorporating the uncertainty in a monitoring station's detection employed in the framework of a genetic algorithm to place sensors at locations which minimize the expected consequence of a contamination event, and where water quality data are most indicative of true contamination events. Early warning systems composed of fixed water quality stations and inline mobile water quality sensors are designed in a multi-objective framework for a sample water distribution system.

Original languageEnglish
Title of host publicationWorld Environmental and Water Resources Congress 2017
Subtitle of host publicationHydraulics and Waterways and Water Distribution Systems Analysis - Selected Papers from the World Environmental and Water Resources Congress 2017
EditorsBrian Van Weele, Christopher N. Dunn
Pages480-490
Number of pages11
ISBN (Electronic)9780784480625
DOIs
StatePublished - 2017
Event17th World Environmental and Water Resources Congress 2017 - Sacramento, United States
Duration: 21 May 201725 May 2017

Publication series

NameWorld Environmental and Water Resources Congress 2017: Hydraulics and Waterways and Water Distribution Systems Analysis - Selected Papers from the World Environmental and Water Resources Congress 2017

Conference

Conference17th World Environmental and Water Resources Congress 2017
Country/TerritoryUnited States
CitySacramento
Period21/05/1725/05/17

All Science Journal Classification (ASJC) codes

  • General Environmental Science

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