Comprehensive Control of Water Quality Deterioration in Building Water Supply Systems: A Review on Configuration, Purification and Regulation

The overall goal of urban water supply is to ensure the water quality from source to tap. As the “last mile”, the building water supply system (BWSS) is the crucial part in ensuring tap water safety, and its deteriorating water quality has attracted increasing attention. In this work, we provide a comprehensive overview of the pollution, configuration, purification and regulation of BWSSs, with a focus on ensuring water quality safety. Periodic water usage in buildings is a unique feature that leads to intermittent water stagnation and reduced residual chlorine. Biological pollution has become a key focus of existing studies due to its acute effects on human health, compared to the chronic effects of chemical pollution. For new systems, water quality risks can be reduced at the source by optimizing pipe materials and reasonable layout. It is recommended to introduce secondary disinfection technologies, as they are important for ensuring biosecurity. Moreover, supervision and maintenance are the basis for long-term efficient operation of BWSSs. This review constructs a framework for controlling water quality deterioration based on the wholse process, which is instructive for the design, operation, maintenance and management of BWSSs, and provides relatively clear research directions for improving water quality.