1974年的《安全饮用水法》（SDWA）及其1986年的修正案（SDWAA）直到最近才将重点放在经处理的饮用水上。大量证据表明，当水流经配水系统时，它会接触到各种因素，这些因素会导致处理厂和用水点之间的水质恶化。实时在线监测配水系统内的各种水质参数，有可能为公用事业公司提供有价值的信息，以便在将水提供给用户之前处理和了解水质。 美国环境保护署（US Environmental Protection Agency）设计并制造了一个配电系统模拟器，以更好地评估影响配电系统水质的因素。其中一些因素包括输送水的化学和生物质量、处理厂和分配系统的有效性和效率、系统的年龄、类型（材料）、分配和输送网络的设计和维护。然而，人们对水在流经输送网络时在体积相中发生的反应知之甚少。

The Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA) of 1974 and its Amendments (SDWAA) in 1986 have until recently focused on treated drinking water. Substantial evidence has demonstrated that when water moves through a distribution system it comes in contact with various factors which can cause the water quality to deteriorate between the treatment plant and the point of consumption. Real time inline monitoring of various water quality parameters within a distribution system has the potential to provide utilities valuable information for treating and knowing the quality of the water before it is provided to the consumer. The US Environmental Protection Agency has designed and fabricated a distribution system simulator to better evaluate factors which influence water quality in distribution systems. Some of these factors include the chemical and biological quality of the delivered water, the effectiveness and efficiency of the treatment plant and the distribution system, age of the system, type (material), design, and maintenance of the distribution and delivery network. However, very little is known and understood about the reactions that take place in the bulk phase of the water as it flows through the delivery network.