AWWA JAW69708

Increasingly stringent drinking water regulations are leading the drive toward more efficient treatment technologies. These new treatment techniques alter the quality (chemistry) of water, resulting in complex interactions between water and distribution infrastructure that may exacerbate pipe deterioration. In this research, experts from various disciplines in the drinking water industry participated in a survey and workshop to identify the most pressing research needs for reducing the effects of changing water chemistry on distribution infrastructure. The resulting list of research priorities offers a roadmap for conducting future research. Different utilities have different research needs based on the specific applicability of regulations and use of different treatment processes and infrastructure materials. The authors propose an innovative framework -- a hierarchical relationship model -- by which utilities can evaluate the consequences that planned changes in treatment processes may have on their existing infrastructure. The same water can have different effects on different material, and these conflicting effects can also be evaluated using the method. Includes 18 references, tables, figures.