https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6715-5312
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Abstract
In newly commissioned drinking-water polyethylene (PE) pipes, biofilm develops on the inner pipe surface. The microbial community composition from colonization to the establishment of mature biofilms is less known, including the effect on the distributed water quality. Biofilm development was followed through 1.5 years in PE-pipe side streams at two locations of a full-scale, non-chlorinated drinking-water distribution system (leaving a waterworks versus 5–6 km from a waterworks) along with inlet and outlet water quality. Mature biofilms were established after ∼8–9 months, dominated by Proteobacteria, Actinobacteria and Saccharibacteria (61–93% relative abundance), with a higher diversity (OTUs/Shannon Index/16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing) in pipes in the far end of the distribution system. Comamonadaceae, and specifically Aquabacterium (>30% of reads), dominated young (∼1.5-month-old) biofilms. Young biofilms were linked to increased microbiological counts in drinking water (HPC/ATP/qPCR), while the establishment of mature biofilms led to a drop in HPC and benefited the water quality, highlighting the importance of optimizing commissioning procedures for rapidly achieving mature and stable biofilms.
GRAPHICAL ABSTRACT
Acknowledgements
The authors would like to thank the dedicated field and laboratory staff at Aarhus Water, Grundfos and VIA University College for their assistance with the project.
Data availability statement
Data available on request from the authors.
Disclosure statement
The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper.