Challenge
Organizational structures, scientific methods and regulatory frameworks concerning drinking water quality are designed for long term decision making and not for immediate response in case of an incident. Therefore, several tools have been developed to identify the water quality in the event of an incident. However, there are several factors which influence the performance of these tools and there was no EU standard approach available which sets out parameters for an overall assessment.
Focus of work
Focus of the Thematic Group was water security in terms of responding to deliberate chemical and/or biological acts of contamination of drinking water (as per the definition of security). The purpose of this thematic group was to identify the requirements for harmonization activities for water security response related to chemical and biological threats to drinking water, through real-time water quality monitoring systems, early warning systems and related laboratory confirmatory analyses. The work concentrated on three dimensions in particular:
- The use of innovative techniques (probes, sensors, etc.) and enabling technologies for online measurement of water quality and monitoring of performance requirements in drinking water distribution networks.
- Rapid identification and quantification of ‘unknown’ chemical and biological contaminations in drinking water (i.e. following an incident) which help event detection as well as to prevent or mitigate damage in water supply systems.
- To develop European-level guidance to enable water utilities to prepare relevant elements of Water Security Plan, devoted to improving the control of water security.
For further details, please contact the ENCER OFFICE
Main deliverables
The reports produced by this thematic group are available in the knowledge hub.