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Drinking Water Quality: Monitoring, Assessment and Management

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A special issue of Water (ISSN 2073-4441). This special issue belongs to the section "Urban Water Management".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 October 2026 | Viewed by 4539

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Dr. Stavroula Tsitsifli

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Guest Editor

Department of Environmental Engineering, Polytechnic School, International Hellenic University, Thessaloniki, Greece
Interests: water resources; drinking water; water quality; ict and digital tools

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The provision of safe drinking water of good quality, one of the UN’s sustainable goals, directly affects human health, sustainable development, and social wealth. Drinking water quality is facing several challenges, particularly climate change, urbanization, human activities—including industrial and agricultural—and the occurrence of emerging contaminants and micro-plastics. To confront these increasing problems, innovative solutions in the monitoring, evaluation, and management of drinking water are needed to protect public health and the resilience of water supply systems.

This Special Issue provides a platform for academics, researchers, practitioners, and policy-makers to share state-of-the-art and innovative findings and practices to improve our ability to safeguard drinking water quality. Original research articles, reviews, and case studies highlighting technological innovations, inter-disciplinary approaches, and real-world implementation in diverse contexts are encouraged and welcome.

Topics of interest include, but are not limited to, the following:

Innovative technologies for water quality monitoring (sensors, biosensors, IoT, AI-based systems);
Smart and real-time monitoring technologies;
Detection and control of emerging contaminants (PFAS, pharmaceuticals, microplastics, endocrine disruptors);
Pathogen monitoring and microbial risk assessment;
Application of big data, machine learning, and remote sensing in water quality management;
Urban water supply and distribution system integrity (leakage, corrosion, biofilms);
Water safety planning and risk-based management approaches;
Integrated water resource management and source water protection;
Water reuse and advanced treatment for drinking water production;
Socio-economic and policy dimensions of safe drinking water access;
Case studies of successful water safety plans and regulatory frameworks;
Climate resilience and adaptation strategies in drinking water systems.

Dr. Stavroula Tsitsifli
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Water is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

drinking water quality
water monitoring technologies
smart sensors and real-time monitoring
emerging contaminants
microbial risk assessment
water treatment and purification
water safety planning
water source protection
climate change and water resources
public health and water management
integrated water resource management
water governance and policy
sustainable water supply water resilience

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Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

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15 pages, 558 KB

Open AccessCommunication

Water Quality Dynamics in the Mohokare Local Municipality: A Focus on the Rouxville Rural Community

by Karabo Joseph Maqeba, Leana Esterhuizen, Julian Nwodo and Irene Mokgadi

Water 2026, 18(6), 719; https://doi.org/10.3390/w18060719 - 19 Mar 2026

Viewed by 389

Abstract

The study evaluated the drinking water quality of Rouxville (RX) in Mohokare Local Municipality in the Free State, using chemical, physical, and microbiological parameters in comparison with South African National Standard 241 (SANS 241:2015). Drinking water samples were collected monthly from five sample sites, including the water treatment plant (WTP) and four end-user points, over a period of three years (2021–2023). Microbiological parameters revealed persistent non-compliance, with total coliforms and Escherichia coli (E. coli) frequently exceeding recommended limits by SANS 241 at multiple sites. The highest total coliform concentration of 201 CFU was recorded at the Rouxville Water Treatment Plant during the third year (2023) of sampling, while E. coli reached a maximum of 11 CFU at an end-user point, indicating the presence of possible pathogens in the water system. Colour exceeded the recommended limit (15 Pt-Co mg/L) at all sampling sites, with the highest value of 133 Pt-Co mg/L recorded at Rolelethunya Library. Chemical parameters mostly complied with SANS 241 limits, elevated values of total alkalinity and aluminium were observed at certain sites, particularly during the third year (2023) of sampling. The Canadian Council of Ministers of the Environment Water Quality Index (CCME-WQI) was also used to determine the overall water quality of the sample sites. The findings revealed that several sample sites had non-compliant parameters. The CCME-WQI revealed that the drinking water quality of Rouxville was either in the marginal or fair category, indicating that the water quality may be occasionally or frequently threatened, posing public health risks. These findings highlight the urgent need to ensure regular maintenance of WTP and ensuring continuous microbial monitoring. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Drinking Water Quality: Monitoring, Assessment and Management)

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16 pages, 3642 KB

Open AccessArticle

Biofilm Bacterial Communities in an Aging Chlorinated Drinking Water Distribution Line in Sri Lanka: Exploratory Findings and Research Needs

by Wasana Gunawardana, Rasindu Galagoda, Norihisa Matsuura, Nipun Rathnayake, Rydhnieya Vijeyakumaran, Chandika D. Gamage, Ruwani S. Kalupahana, Yawei Wang and Rohan Weerasooriya

Water 2026, 18(3), 325; https://doi.org/10.3390/w18030325 - 28 Jan 2026

Viewed by 611

Abstract

This study reports the incidental collection and exploratory analysis of a biofilm sample obtained from a water distribution pipeline in the Central Province of Sri Lanka, which had been in continuous service for approximately 50 years. Access to the pipe interior was achieved during a repair operation, providing a rare opportunity to directly sample an aged pipeline under the typical operating conditions of a tropical, developing country. An exploratory research design was adopted to examine the bacterial community composition and was explicitly framed as hypothesis-generating rather than testing predefined hypotheses. Bacterial community composition was analyzed using high-throughput MiSeq sequencing. At the genus level, the community was strongly enriched with Clostridium sensu stricto lineages, notably type 1 (relative abundance of 9.19%), type 12 (8.58%), and type 9 (3.09%). Several other genera, Nitrospira (4.94%), Bacillus (4.60%), Methyloligobacillus (3.75%), Hyphomicrobium (2.14%), and Haliangium (1.82%), occurred at moderate abundances, raising their potential consequences on biological and chemical water quality issues. Given the exploratory nature of the study, these findings represent site-specific biofilm characteristics in an aging drinking water distribution line in Sri Lanka. Although limited to a single biofilm sample, this study provides empirical observations from a rarely accessible environment and identifies knowledge gaps to guide future comprehensive investigations into biofilm dynamics, microbial ecology, and infrastructure management in tropical water distribution systems. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Drinking Water Quality: Monitoring, Assessment and Management)

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29 pages, 2207 KB

Open AccessReview

Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances in Potential Drinking Water Sources Globally: Distributions, Monitoring Trends, and Risk Assessment

by Yangyuan Zhou, Yu Chang, Dawei Zhang and Weiying Li

Water 2025, 17(22), 3280; https://doi.org/10.3390/w17223280 - 17 Nov 2025

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 3013

Abstract

Due to widespread industrial applications and increased discharges, concentrations of polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in potential drinking water sources have risen significantly, putting more people at risk of PFAS exposure. This study aimed to systematically clarify the occurrence characteristics (concentrations, detection frequencies, and temporal trends) of PFAS in global potential drinking water sources over the past decade, assess their oral exposure risks, and identify key PFAS species with high detection frequencies, high contamination levels, or high toxicity risks, thereby providing scientific support for the development of targeted control technologies and management strategies. This study systematically searched and reviewed the relevant literature published between 2014 and 2024 on PFAS levels in global potential drinking water sources, extracting data on PFAS concentrations, detection information, and sampling characteristics. Using the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Reference Dose (RfD) for oral exposure as the Acceptable Daily Intake (ADI), we evaluated the exposure risks of eight specific PFAS via the Risk Quotient for Specific Contaminants (RQ_RSC) model and analyzed the annual detection trends of the top thirty PFAS with the highest detection frequencies. Regarding total PFAS contamination, China, Brazil, Germany, South Africa, and the Danube River Basin exhibited particularly high levels, with China being the most severely contaminated. Risk assessment indicated that 45.6% of global potential drinking water sources were at high risk (RQ_RSC > 1), while 48.4% were at low risk (RQ_RSC < 0.2). Among the evaluated PFAS, PFOA, PFOS, PFDA, and GenX were associated with higher toxicity exposure risks. For the identified key concern PFAS, it is necessary to simplify detection techniques, promote targeted large-scale safe treatment technologies, and explore intelligent monitoring tools to reduce regulatory lag, thereby effectively monitoring, preventing, and controlling PFAS contamination. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Drinking Water Quality: Monitoring, Assessment and Management)

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