Assessing and Managing Health Risks in Centralized Drinking Water Distribution Networks: From Theoretical Models to Practical Implementations

Doctoral thesis, 2024

Is tap water making us sick?

In 2010, the United Nations General Assembly recognized access to safe drinking water as a universal human right. This means water should be free from microorganisms that may cause harm to humans, hence being considered microbially safe. In industrialized nations, safe drinking water is commonly transported from a treatment plant to the consumers through a system of pipes and other components known as the distribution network.

The distribution network may be susceptible to events that may contaminate the water on its way to consumers. These events may be detected in time to take preventive measures; however, many may remain undetected and contribute to the endemic burden of disease.

In this thesis, different methods to assess how the distribution network may be vulnerable to different contamination events and their consequences to human health were explored. The viability of using multiple sources of readily and not-so-readily available data was also tested.

This work aims to provide easy-to-use methods for water suppliers to assess the safety of the water they deliver through their distribution networks, thus aiding them in their mission to uphold this fundamental right.