Drinking Water Treatment Plants in Turkey and Determination of Revision Needs

Abstract

Drinking water quality is regulated by Regulation Concerning Water Intended for Human Consumption by Ministry of Health in Turkey. As in the process of becoming a member state of EU, Turkish regulation is compatible with EU Drinking Water Directive. This study revealed that there are 489 drinking water treatment plants, 397 of which are under operation. Within this work, identity cards for these active plants were prepared. Process selection of these plants were specified. A GIS-based program called ISBIS is developed and all data collected within this work is uploaded to the database. Site-visits to 193 selected plants were conducted and site-visit reports focusing on operational and structural issues at these plants are issued. As a result of this work, it appeared that 37 drinking water treatment plants out of 193 site-visited need to be reconstructed. Also, it was observed that most of the drinking water treatment plants are not capable of removing micropollutants, and will need major revisions.