When it comes to potable mains drinking water the most important threat for humans are pathogens that exist in the water. They can enter the system as we consume the water and can cause a variety of diseases, most of which can be life threatening.
A lot of drinking water is treated with chlorine at source by the water providers to ensure that it remains safe for drinking. However, once it leaves the water treatment plant no further disinfectant is added and as such the distribution network needs to be kept clear and bacteria free in order for the water to reach the end person safely.
Any new water pipe, fixes or refurbishment pipe work related to the existing mains supply network must be clean and contaminant free to ensure cleanliness of the current network. If contaminated water line is added to the current network it has the possibility to contaminate the complete system, possibly leading to sickness in a whole bunch of people.
As such all new pipe work needs to be disinfected prior to use. The principle of this process is to introduce chlorine into drinking water, the most common chlorine releasing component being sodium hypochlorite. When this is added to water chlorine is released and this chlorine is a strong oxidant that can speedily destroy all living cells. The process employed for new water line is called chlorination and utilises this chlorine at 50 ppm in place for a minimum of 1 hour to destroy all unsafe bacteria. The system is after that flushed through with clean water and sealed to decrease the chance of further ingress of micro organisms and dirt.
Any company carrying out work such as a new mains chlorination should possess the relevant health and safety training and all operatives should hold the Blue Water Hygiene Card. This is a training program developed for workers working on potable drinking water supplies to make sure they are acquainted with the problems of contamination and the risks involved.
All work carried out should supply a chlorination certificate from the provider carrying out the job and this must include such information as date, pipe dimensions and volume, chlorine level, contact time and last chlorine level immediately after flushing. Bacterial analysis of the drinking water inside of the chlorinated pipe work should also be carried out to make sure that no bacterial contamination of the water pipe remains.
After the chlorination process has been performed and the bacterial analysis has arrived back clean the new water line may be connected on to the existing mains network.
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Get other information on chlorination certificates to determine if you need a chlorination certificate for your water network.
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