American Water, the nation’s largest publicly traded water and wastewater utility company, has been awarded a research grant from the Water Research Foundation to partner with the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California and University of Alberta to determine the occurrence of nitrosamines in drinking water systems in North America. 

The total value of the project is $711,902, with $400,000 funded by the Water Research Foundation and $311,902 in-kind contribution from the project team. American Water will directly receive $137,200 to pay for research costs. 

The project will examine drinking water plants in the U.S. and Canada to clarify the impact of various conventional and advanced treatment processes in minimizing the formation of nitrosamines, which are known carcinogenic compounds. Certain nitrosamines are byproducts of the disinfectant chloramines — a common disinfectant in the U.S. drinking water industry, which is used as an alternative to chlorine to control the formation of regulated halogenated byproducts. This research will allow the team to determine key factors that lead to nitrosamine formation in treated drinking waters using chloramines and identify cost-effective controls. 

“The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is considering inclusion of nitrosamines in future drinking water regulations,” says Dr. Zia Bukhari, American Water senior environmental scientist. “Should this happen, the information from this project will be very beneficial for drinking water utilities as they fine tune their treatment processes to meet such regulations.” 

The project team consists of Metropolitan Water District’s Stuart Krasner as the principal investigator, with Bukhari and Dr. XingFang Li of University of Alberta serving as co-principal investigators. 

About Water Research Foundation
Founded in 1966, the Water Research Foundation (WaterRF) is an international, 501(c)3 nonprofit organization that sponsors research to enable water utilities, public health agencies and other professionals to provide safe and affordable water to the public. With more than 1,000 subscribers who provide water to 80 percent of the U.S. population, WaterRF has funded and managed more than 1,000 projects. For more information, visit www.WaterRF.org. 

About Metropolitan Water District of Southern California
The Metropolitan Water District of Southern California is a consortium of 26 cities and water districts that provides drinking water to nearly 19 million people in parts of Los Angeles, Orange, San Diego, Riverside, San Bernardino and Ventura counties. For more information, visit www.mwdh2o.com. 

About American Water
Founded in 1886, American Water is the largest publicly traded U.S. water and wastewater utility company. With headquarters in Voorhees, N.J., the company employs approximately 6,700 dedicated professionals who provide drinking water, wastewater and other related services to an estimated 14 million people in more than 30 states and parts of Canada. For more information, visit www.amwater.com.