Water intake protection system

Introduction

One of the very first steps in any drinking and clean Water Treatment Plant (WTP) is the abstraction of water from a water source. Typical water sources used for these applications include boreholes, springs, rivers, reservoirs, lakes and the sea. Each water source presents a specific set of challenges and characteristics yet they may all be subject to anthropogenic pollution events, such as oil and chemical spills from roads, industry, household and even from malicious acts of polluting.

In this document we will discuss how these pollution events can affect a WTP, how an early warning system can be used to protect the WTP from damage caused by pollution and how the Multisensor Systems’ MS1200 Total VOC monitor has been used in hundreds of WTP around the world to protect assets and ensure high standards of compliance in drinking water quality without costly disruption.

Sources of water pollution

There are many potential sources for water pollution. Some typical examples include:

• Illegal Disposal of Waste
• Road and Rail Accidents
• Damage to Pipelines
• Commercial and Pleasure Craft and Shipping
• Stored Fuel Oil in Commercial and Domestic Applications
• Chemical Spills from Industry
• Historic Groundwater Contamination
• Military Installations
• Malicious Acts and Terrorism