Interaction of water quality, flow conditions, and the presence of lead and biofilm was examined in simulated partial lead service line replacement. Recirculating pipe loops were connected to individual 90-L reservoirs, and biofilm was collected from polycarbonate coupons. Three corrosion inhibitors, including sodium orthophosphate (OP) (1 mg-P/L), zinc orthophosphate (ZOP) (1 mg-P/L), or sodium silicate (10 mg/L), were used to treat Pb-Cu pipe loops. Controls included an “inhibitor-free,” “galvanic free,” and “lead-free” with Pb-Cu, Pb-PVC, and PVC-PVC coupled pipe loops, respectively. Adenosine triphosphate (ATP) was used to measure energy production of living cells and as a proxy to assess biofilm growth. The two highest (significant) ATP counts were found in the OP (under stagnant conditions) and ZOP (under flow-through conditions). Sodium silicates generally produced lower ATP counts compared to the phosphate-based inhibitors in the flow-through condition, although these differences were not statistically significant. Significant positive correlation between presence of lead and biofilm (ATP) and presence of copper and biofilm (ATP) were observed, although this observation does not imply a linear relationship. Biofilm was observed to act as a significant reservoir for lead with values ranging from 0.06 to 0.81 μg Pb/cm2 before chlorination to 0.04 to 0.21 μg Pb/cm2 postchlorination. This work highlights the potential for biofilm to act as a reservoir and subsequently as a source of lead release, and underscores the value of including biofilm evaluation when selecting corrosion inhibitors.
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