与美国公用事业公司不同，荷兰的供水公司通常在不使用消毒剂残留物的情况下分配饮用水，认为在分配过程中保持饮用水中的消毒剂残留物会产生更多问题，而不是解决问题。消毒副产品的增加和消费者对味道和气味的投诉只是与使用消毒剂残留物有关的两个问题。由于指示细菌比微生物病原体更容易灭活，因此保持消毒剂残留可能会产生错误的安全感。 荷兰的供水商认为，饮用水质量可以在没有消毒剂残留的情况下保持，他们将多屏障水处理工艺与良好的工程实践相结合，以防止再污染，在分配系统中使用生物稳定材料，并通过评估生物膜的形成来监测生物稳定性。包括51个参考文献、图表。

In contrast to US utilities, water supply companies in the Netherlands routinely distribute drinking water without using a disinfectant residual, arguing that maintaining a disinfectant residual in drinking water during distribution creates more problems than it solves. Increased disinfection byproducts and consumer complaints about taste and odor are only two of the concerns associated with use of a disinfectant residual. Maintaining a disinfectant residual can foster a false feeling of safety because indicator bacteria are more easily inactivated than microbial pathogens. Contending that drinking water quality can be maintained without a disinfectant residual, water suppliers in the Netherlands combine multiple-barrier water treatment processes with good engineering practices to prevent recontamination, use biostable materials in the distribution system, and monitor biostability through assessment of biofilm formation. Includes 51 references, figures.