Demographic effects on the drinking water

Migration of the population in some areas of Germany does not only have direct consequences for the people, but the water supply also suffers from this. Due to the decreasing consumption, the water remains longer in the pipeline systems, which partly even results in stagnation. For the underground infrastructure, these disturbances have considerable consequences. Several DVGW research projects investigate the bacteriological processes in the pipelines, the formation of rust water and the consequences for the drinking water quality in the regions concerned.

Minimizing the contamination of waters

Both the surface water and the groundwater in Germany are contaminated by pesticides as a result of farming activities. So as to guarantee the drinking water quality, approval procedures have to be carefully reviewed and must be adapted to the requirements of the water supply. Several ongoing DVGW surveys deal with the practical application of approval procedures and the assessment of the effects of farming on soil, air and water.

Viruses in raw waters

Due to the generally recognized codes of practice, the Drinking Water Ordinance and measures such as resource protection and the professional construction and operation of domestic installations, epidemics caused by contaminations of the drinking water are in Germany virtually impossible. However, bodies of flowing water and to a minor degree also bodies of stagnant water are potentially contaminated with viruses. So as to reliably rule out any danger, the DVGW promotes research into water contamination by viruses and bacteria. One project for instance dealt with the behavior of enteropathogenic viruses in the water circuit and their behavior during drinking water treatment.

Activated charcoal binds contaminants

An effective method for drinking water treatment is the adsorption of contaminants on activated charcoal. The fact that this material also adsorbs organic trace elements very well and can be used on a large scale results in many possible applications. Researchers at the DVGW Technology Center Water in Karlsruhe investigated the large-scale optimization of a filter method using activated charcoal and determined that it is well suited for eliminating contaminations in the waterworks. Softening with membranes The membrane technology can also be used for drinking water treatment. Membrane methods such as nanofiltration and reverse osmosis are so far rather used for esalination of seawater and are relatively elaborate from a technical point of view. As minerals are particularly effectively removed from the water with the aid of the membrane technology, the result is very »soft« water. To what extent the combined drinking water treatment and softening by means of membrane technology can be used in the water supply was investigated by one of the research projects of the DVGW.