Full Description

Many utilities maintain hydraulic and water quality models for operational and planningpurposes; however continuous, real-time modeling of a system to inform response actionsduring a crisis is not viable, especially for large, complex networks. To date, there has beenno guidance developed to help determine where best to collect samples in response to asystem-wide contamination threat. In response, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agencyand the Greater Cincinnati Water Works collaborated to develop a Contaminant TransportField Guide which can assist utility emergency response personnel in creating a samplingplan during the initial stages of such a threat. This work is based on a simplifiedrepresentation of a distribution system that was evaluated using the utility's existinghydraulic model to predict contamination transport. This was accomplished by dividing thedistribution system into defined pressure, or "pito" zones, tracking the spread ofcontamination from zone to zone under different demand conditions over several timeintervals, and then presenting the impacts in the form of a matrix. Further, each zone wasthen investigated to identify sampling locations that were representative of the water enteringand, where applicable, leaving that zone. The evaluation and presentation of the model inthis fashion has several notable impacts for consequence management. This paper details thedevelopment, uses and benefits of this innovative Field Guide, and the model-based matrix itis built from. Includes figures.

Product Details

Edition: Vol. - No. Published: 04/01/2008 Number of Pages: 11File Size: 1 file , 810 KB