Behaviour of Haloacetic Acids in Drinking Water Distribution Systems

To guarantee the safety of drinking water quality after chlorination, the formation, distribution and factors influencing the concentrations of haloacetic acids (HAAs) in a water distribution system (WDS) were investigated both on a full-scale WDS (FWDS) and pilot-scale WDS (PWDS) within a city in northern China. The results of both investigations showed that trichloroacetic acid (TCAA) and dichloroacetic acid (DCAA) were the dominating types of HAAs. In the FWDS, variations in the HAA content showed negative correlations with total residual chlorine, pH and non-purgeable organic carbon (NPOC) and positive correlations with temperature and UV254. In the PWDS, the concentration of HAAs after rechlorination followed the rule of ‘first rise and then fall’; therefore, locating an appropriate rechlorination point and lowering the single chlorine dosage could be used as effective measures to control the HAA content in WDSs.