Red water in drinking water systems is a primary
target of consumer water quality complaints, yet no
existing model of iron release in distribution systems
has adequately addressed the complexities of iron
sources and release mechanisms, influences of various
physicochemical and biological factors, pipe age and
material, and the mix of corrosion products released.
In this research, experiments designed to investigate
the flux constant were conducted on hybrid and single-material
pipelines. Red water in the distribution system
was found to be a function of water chemistry and
hydraulic conditions and not controlled by corrosion
and dissolution processes.
The mathematical and pilot-scale zero-order flux
model introduced here can be used to calculate and predict
iron concentration under any given pipe system,
water chemistry, and hydraulic condition. It also can help
utilities identify areas of a distribution system that are
likely to be problematic as well as those conditions that
are conducive to the production of red water. Includes 25 references, tables, figures.