Occurrence of trihalomethane in relation to treatment technologies and water quality under tropical conditions

Abstract

Distribution of most prevalent disinfection by-products, trihalomethanes (THMs) in relation to treatment technology and common water quality parameters (turbidity, conductivity, color, pH, and residual chlorine) was examined for two water supply schemes (WSS) in Sri Lanka (locations: Greater Kandy-WSS (GKWSS) (80.56–80.66 °E, 7.28–7.38 °N) and Kandy South-WSS (KSWSS) (80.49–80.63 °E, 7.21–7.30 °N). In both treatment plants, only CHCl3 and CHCl2Br were detected in appreciable concentrations and total THMs (TTHMs) values were well below the WHO limits (80 μg/L). TTHMs variations ranged from 0 to 16 μg/L and 0 to 54 μg/L in GKWSS and KSWSS, respectively. Highest TTHM value (54 μg/L) was found in KSWSS which employs pulsation treatment technology. Correlations between CHCl3 and CHCl2Br in both water schemes are noteworthy, but THM levels relate to most of the water quality parameters ambiguously. However, a distinct relationship is observed between THM levels and degree of chlorination, resident time, pipeline corrosion, and temperature. THM formation increased towards the boundaries of most of the sub-water supply schemes (SWSS).