Risk communication of hazardous processes associated with drinking water quality - a mental models approach to customer perception, part 1 - a methodology

1999 ◽  
Vol 39 (10-11) ◽  
pp. 183-188 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. J. Owen ◽  
J. S. Colbourne ◽  
C. R. I. Clayton ◽  
C. Fife-Schaw
Keyword(s):  
Water Quality ◽  
Drinking Water ◽  
Risk Communication ◽  
Mental Models ◽  
Expert Knowledge ◽  
Drinking Water Quality ◽  
Water Industry ◽  
Customer Perception ◽  
Quality Perceptions ◽  
Water Companies

This paper describes a new method of measuring drinking water quality perceptions. Expert knowledge was captured and developed into a model which characterises the potentially hazardous processes inherent in the supply of drinking water. The methodology is based on the psychological framework of “mental modelling” and compares differences in knowledge between water industry experts and lay people. Qualitative studies revealed striking differences between the two groups. These findings are being used to evaluate and improve communications between water companies and their customers about the risks associated with drinking water.

The benefits of drinking water quality regulation – England and Wales

2006 ◽  
Vol 54 (11-12) ◽  
pp. 387-393 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. May
Keyword(s):  
Water Quality ◽  
Drinking Water ◽  
Major Change ◽  
National Standards ◽  
Drinking Water Quality ◽  
Regulatory Regime ◽  
Water Industry ◽  
England And Wales ◽  
The Government ◽  
Set Up

This paper aims to demonstrate that the regulation of drinking water quality in England and Wales has been successful in securing the improvements to drinking water quality resulting in better performance against EU and national standards. The water industry in England and Wales went through a major change in 1989 when suppliers were privatised and the government set up a robust regulatory regime. The regime was necessary as the industry was, as a result of privatisation, a monopoly with customers having no choice of supplier, unlike what was later available with other utilities such as gas or electricity. The regime would protect the interests of the consumer, the environment and public health through the quality of the product. The Drinking Water Inspectorate (DWI), as established in 1990, had to ensure the implementation of the European Drinking Water Directive (DWD) that had been transposed into national legislation. The aim of the DWD is to ensure that all EU Member States provide drinking water of a prescribed quality. In England and Wales, a body was required to oversee the performance of the industry against those standards, reporting to the Government and the European Commission. Through acts and legislation, the set up of the industry, the duties of the suppliers and regulators and the powers available to the regulators were established. The improvements to drinking water quality since privatisation were achieved by massive investment of the privatised water industry overseen by an independent regulator with clear duties and the powers to inspect, enforce and prosecute. The DWI's achievements show that to improve quality performance with the ability to report in detail how the improvements were made with extensive data evidence, a special regulator is required. The DWI advises policy departments and Ministers and when there are serious concerns regarding a threat to human health through drinking water, the highest level of regulatory power is the creation of new legislation, for example, the Cryptosporidium regulations that are unique to the UK. The DWI is more than what is traditionally thought of as a regulator because it has a single remit — drinking water quality — and its style of regulation has been key to improved drinking water quality in England and Wales.

Water quality management in the food and beverage industry by hybrid automation using the example of breweries

2013 ◽  
Vol 13 (2) ◽  
pp. 427-434 ◽  
Author(s):  
V. Blomenhofer ◽  
F. Groß ◽  
J. Procelewska ◽  
A. Delgado ◽  
T. Becher
Keyword(s):  
Water Quality ◽  
Drinking Water ◽  
Quality Management ◽  
Expert Knowledge ◽  
Measurement Techniques ◽  
Water Quality Management ◽  
Drinking Water Quality ◽  
Beverage Industry ◽  
Food And Beverage Industry ◽  
Food And Beverage

Water of drinking water quality is one of the most important resources in the food and beverage industry, e.g. for breweries. In this ‘Water Quality Management’ project, a new strategy of partial process water stream treatment is presented. Based on our own investigations, a water saving potential of 10–20% of the entire water consumption is possible with regard to displacement and rinsing water. The separation of different water qualities in real time, via the water switch, is achieved by several measurement techniques and the exploration of the desired information by multivariate data analysis. In combination with the water switch, the generation of drinking water quality regarding sterility is assured by a ceramic ultra-filtration membrane. Aside from basic on and inline measurement parameters in breweries, e.g. pH-value, temperature, electrical conductivity and turbidity, modern measurement techniques, e.g. infrared sensor, which can measure several parameters, such as Brix and organic acids, are utilized. The combination of the rule-based fuzzy-logic system and expert knowledge is called a hybrid methodology. In the current study, the experimental design (DoE) techniques were applied to reduce the number of required experiments. The experimental results were then explored by the well-known projection method, i.e. principal component analysis (PCA).

EVALUATION ON THE RURAL DRINKING WATER QUALITY IN A CENTRALIZED SUPPLIED AREA OF CHINA

2016 ◽  
Vol 15 (2) ◽  
pp. 435-442 ◽  
Author(s):  
Wendong Wang ◽  
Shan Song ◽  
Zixia Qiao ◽  
Qin Yang ◽  
Mengmeng Wang ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Water Quality ◽  
Drinking Water ◽  
Drinking Water Quality

Drinking-Water Quality and Intestinal Infectious Diseases in a Colombian Department, 2010-2016

2020 ◽  
pp. 21-29
Author(s):  
Dora Cardona Rivas ◽  
Militza Yulain Cardona Guzmán ◽  
Olga Lucía Ocampo López
Keyword(s):  
Water Quality ◽  
Drinking Water ◽  
Infectious Diseases ◽  
Disease Burden ◽  
Social Protection ◽  
Drinking Water Quality ◽  
World Health ◽  
The Social ◽  
Etiological Agents ◽  
Health Organization

Objective: To characterize the burden of intestinal infectious diseases attributable to drinking-water quality in 27 municipalities in the central region of Colombia. Materials and methods: A time-trend ecological study. The drinking-water quality of the National Institute of Health and the Institute of Hydrology, Meteorology and Environmental Studies was identified. The disease burden was calculated based on the mortality registered in the National Department of Statistics and the records of morbidity attended by the Social Protection Integrated Information System. The etiological agents reported in morbidity records and the observation of environmental conditions in the municipalities of the study were included. The disease burden was determined according to the methodology recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO).

Methodological Approaches to Organization of Drinking Water Quality Monitoring Programs

2020 ◽  
pp. 4-8
Author(s):  
Yu.A. Novikova ◽  
I.O. Myasnikov ◽  
A.A. Kovshov ◽  
N.A. Tikhonova ◽  
N.S. Bashketova
Keyword(s):  
Water Quality ◽  
Drinking Water ◽  
Water Supply ◽  
Cold Water ◽  
Water Quality Monitoring ◽  
Drinking Water Quality ◽  
Quality Monitoring ◽  
Water Supply Systems ◽  
Monitoring Programs ◽  
Supply Systems

Summary. Introduction: Drinking water is one of the most important environmental factors sustaining life and determining human health. The goal of the Russian Federal Clean Water Project is to improve drinking water quality through upgrading of water treatment and supply systems using advanced technologies, including those developed by the military-industrial complex. The most informative and reliable sources of information for assessing drinking water quality are the results of systematic laboratory testing obtained within the framework of socio-hygienic monitoring (SGM) and production control carried out by water supply organizations. The objective of our study was to formulate approaches to organizing quality monitoring programs for centralized cold water supply systems. Materials and methods: We reviewed programs and results of drinking water quality laboratory tests performed by Rospotrebnadzor bodies and institutions within the framework of SGM in 2017–2018. Results: We established that drinking water quality monitoring in the constituent entities of the Russian Federation differs significantly in the number of monitoring points (566 in the Krasnoyarsk Krai vs 10 in Sevastopol) and measured indicators, especially sanitary and chemical ones (53 inorganic and organic substances in the Kemerovo Region vs one indicator in the Amur Region). Discussion: For a more complete and objective assessment of drinking water quality in centralized cold water supply systems, monitoring points should be organized at all stages of water supply with account for the coverage of the maximum number of people supplied with water from a particular network. Thus, the number of points in the distribution network should depend, inter alia, on the size of population served. In urban settlements with up to 10,000 inhabitants, for example, at least 4 points should be organized while in the cities with more than 3,000,000 inhabitants at least 80 points are necessary. We developed minimum mandatory lists of indicators and approaches to selecting priority indices to be monitored at all stages of drinking water supply.

Pollution retention capabilities of roadside soils

1999 ◽  
Vol 39 (2) ◽  
pp. 201-208 ◽  
Author(s):  
C. Dierkes ◽  
W. F. Geiger
Keyword(s):  
Heavy Metals ◽  
Water Quality ◽  
Drinking Water ◽  
Groundwater Recharge ◽  
Drinking Water Quality ◽  
Traffic Density ◽  
Roadside Soils ◽  
Highway Runoff ◽  
Lead And Cadmium ◽  
Lead Zinc

Runoff from highways contains significant loads of heavy metals and hydrocarbons. According to German regulations, it should be infiltrated over embankments to support groundwater-recharge. To investigate the decontaminating effect of greened embankments, soil-monoliths from highways with high traffic densities were taken. Soils were analyzed to characterize the contamination in relation to distance and depth for lead, zinc, copper, cadmium, PAH and MOTH. Lysimeters were charged in the field and laboratory with highway runoff to study the effluents under defined conditions. Concentrations of pollutants in roadside soils depend on the age of embankments and traffic density. Highest concentrations were found in the upper 5 cm of the soil and within a distance of up to two metres from the street. Concentrations of most pollutants decreased rapidly with depth and distance. Lead and cadmium could not be detected in lysimeter effluent. Zinc and copper were found in concentrations that did not exceed drinking water quality limits.

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