Framework for Modeling Lead in Premise Plumbing Systems Using EPANET
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Volume 146, Issue 12
Abstract
The lead contamination of drinking water in homes and buildings remains an important public health concern. In order to assess strategies to measure and reduce exposure to lead from drinking water, models are needed that incorporate the multiple factors affecting lead concentrations in premise plumbing systems (PPS). In this study, the use of EPANET, a commonly used hydraulic and water quality model for water distribution systems, was assessed for its ability to predict lead concentrations in PPS. The model was calibrated and validated against data collected from multiple experiments in the EPA’s Home Plumbing Simulator that contained a lead service line and other lead sources. The EPANET’s first-order saturation kinetics model was used to simulate the dissolution of lead in the lead service line. A version of EPANET was developed to include one-dimensional mass dispersion. Modeling results were compared to experimental data, and recommendations were made to improve the EPANET-based modeling framework for predicting lead concentrations in PPS.
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Data Availability Statement
Data associated with this work is available from https://catalog.data.gov/dataset/epa-sciencehub. Please contact the corresponding author for any additional model or data needs.
Acknowledgments
The authors acknowledge John Minor, Lew Rossman, Christy Muhlen, Daniel Williams, Christopher Parrett, Levi Haupert, Kelly Cahalan, Casey Formal, Matthew Staudinger, Maily Pham, and Eugenia Riddick for their efforts in operating the HPS, collecting and analyzing data, and/or general discussion that supported this effort.
Disclaimer
The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) through its Office of Research and Development funded the research described in this study. It has been subjected to the Agency’s review and has been approved for publication. Note that approval does not signify that the contents necessarily reflect the views of the Agency. Any mention of trade names, products, or services does not imply an endorsement by the US Government or EPA. The EPA does not endorse any commercial products, services, or enterprises. The contractors’ role did not include establishing Agency policy.
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Published In
Journal of Water Resources Planning and Management
Volume 146 • Issue 12 • December 2020
Copyright
© 2020 Published by American Society of Civil Engineers.
History
Received: Feb 3, 2020
Accepted: Jul 2, 2020
Published online: Sep 30, 2020
Published in print: Dec 1, 2020
Discussion open until: Feb 28, 2021
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