随着微生物/消毒副产品（M/DBP）规则和强化地表水处理规则（ESWTR）的颁布，以及与三卤甲烷（THM）和孕妇相关的新健康问题，公用事业公司将继续努力生产更纯净的饮用水。然而，如果公用事业公司继续通过从未考虑水质的陈旧和被忽视的分配系统交付产品，其客户就不太可能看到这种更复杂、成本更高的处理方法的好处。随着法规变得更加严格，客户的期望继续增长，公用事业公司必须关注其分配系统中的水质控制。有必要:减少多余的储存和滞留时间；清除堆积的碎屑和生物膜； 尽量减少交叉连接、回流和其他系统渗透的机会，从而损害水的完整性；加强整个配水系统的水质监测工作；并且，作为处理厂的延伸，开始运行分配系统。清除分配系统中累积的碎屑和生物膜的最有效工具是精心设计和控制的单向冲洗程序，以及实施统一的操作规程。虽然这两个项目的全面实施可能需要长达三年的时间，但其好处包括积极控制配水系统中的水质，并使公用事业客户有更大的机会看到在处理厂进行的改进带来的好处。

With the promulgation of the Microbial/Disinfection By-products (M/DBP) Rule and the Enhanced Surface Water Treatment Rule (ESWTR) and the new health concerns associated with trihalomethanes (THMs) and pregnant women, utilities will continue their efforts to produce an ever more pure drinking water. However, their customers are unlikely to see the benefits of this more sophisticated and costly treatment if the utilities continue to deliver their product through old and neglected distribution systems that were never designed with water quality in mind. As the regulations become more stringent and customers' expectations continue to grow, it becomes imperative that utilities focus on water quality control in their distribution systems. There is a need to: reduce excess storage and detention time; to remove the accumulated debris and biofilms; to minimize the opportunities for cross connections and backflows and other system penetrations that compromise the integrity of the water; to enhance the water quality monitoring efforts throughout the distribution system; and, to begin operating the distribution system as an extension of the treatment plant. The most powerful tools available to remove accumulated debris and biofilms from distribution systems are a well engineered and controlled Unidirectional Flushing Program, and implementation of a uniform Code of Practice. Although full implementation of both programs can take up to three years, the benefits include positive control of the water quality in the distribution system and a greater chance that the utility customers will see the benefit of the improvements that have been done at the treatment plant.