Report No DWI0042

EFFECTS OF STORAGE ON MUTAGENIC ACTIVITY OF WATER SAMPLES PRD 1490-M

DWI0042

Jul l987

SUMMARY

A limited study was conducted to investigate whether bankside storage of water prior to treatment had any beneficial effects with respect to the mutagenic activity of water since it is possible that the concentration of precursor compounds in the raw water may decrease on storage, thus reducing the potential of the water to form mutagens on chlorination.

After short-term storage (7 days) there was no apparent change in the mutagenic activity of the water either before or after chlorination. There was some evidence that long-term storage (60 days) may reduce the potential of the water to form mutagens on chlorination, although further studies would be needed to substantiate this observation. The construction of large, raw-water reservoirs, however, would not be a feasible treatment option at the majority of water works.

Copies of this report may be available as an Acrobat pdf download under the 'Find Completed Research' heading on the DWI website.