Characterizing Biofilm Development in Nonchlorinated Danish Water Systems

Key Takeaways Pipe materials such as polyethylene (PE) release organic compounds, affecting microbial communities in pipe biofilm and the distributed water quality. The number of heterotrophs were found to increase in the distributed water in the initial weeks after installing new PE pipes in a nonchlorinated system, linked to the dominance by Aquabacterium in young biofilms. Mature biofilms were seen after eight to nine months with more diverse and stable microbial communities, leading to reduced microbial counts in the drinking water. Optimizing PE pipe–commissioning procedures for quickly achieving mature and stable biofilms may benefit water quality and therefore consumers.