Effects of temperature and biodegradable organic matter on control of biofilms by free chlorine in a model drinking water distribution system

This study used annular reactors (AR) to investigate, under controlled laboratory conditions, the effects of temperature and biodegradable organic matter (BOM) on the free chlorine residual needed to control biofilm accumulation, as measured by heterotrophic plate count (HPC) bacteria. Biofilm was grown on PVC coupons, initially in the absence of chlorine, at 6, 12, and 18 degrees C, in the presence and absence of a BOM supplement (250 microg C/L) added as acetate. During the early stages of chlorine addition, when no measurable free chlorine residual was present, a reduction in biofilm HPC numbers was observed. Subsequently, once sufficient chlorine was added to establish a residual, the biofilm HPC numbers expressed as log CFU/cm2 fell exponentially with the increase in free chlorine residual. Temperature appeared to have an important effect on both the chlorine demand of the system and the free chlorine residual required to control the biofilm HPC numbers to the detection limit (3.2 Log CFU/cm2). For the water supplemented with BOM, a strong linear correlation was found between the temperature and the free chlorine residual required to control the biofilm. At 6 degrees C, the presence of a BOM supplement appeared to substantially increase the level of free chlorine residual required to control the biofilm. The results of these laboratory experiments provide qualitative indications of effects that could be expected in full-scale systems, rather than to make quantitative predictions.