Microbial Dynamics in Drinking Water Systems
Summary
Microbial dynamics in drinking water systems encompass the composition, diversity and temporal and spatial variation of microbial communities as water travels from source through treatment to consumer taps. Key habitats include bulk water, pipe surfaces and loose deposits, with biofilms playing a central role in mediating nutrient cycling, disinfectant consumption and pathogen persistence. Treatment steps such as coagulation, filtration and chlorination markedly reduce total microbial load but select for disinfectant-tolerant taxa. Residual disinfectants dissipate over distance and time, permitting regrowth of heterotrophic bacteria and opportunistic pathogens such as Legionella pneumophila, Mycobacterium avium and Pseudomonas aeruginosa in premise plumbing. Environmental drivers—nutrient availability, temperature, hydraulic regime and pipe material—interact to shape community succession, leading to seasonal and event-driven shifts in abundance and function. Advances in high-throughput sequencing, flow cytometry and occupancy-abundance modelling have revealed complex interspecies networks, the emergence of novel genotypes and the influence of source water quality on downstream microbiomes. Understanding these dynamics is critical for maintaining biological stability, optimising disinfection strategies and mitigating public-health risks, particularly in the context of ageing infrastructure, tightening regulatory standards and climate-induced variability.
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Microbial Dynamics in Drinking Water Systems publication trend
The graph below shows the total number of articles in microbial dynamics in drinking water systems across all publications each year (not limited to Nature Index journals).
Technical terms
Biofilm: A structured community of microorganisms attached to pipe surfaces and enclosed in an extracellular polymeric matrix.
Disinfectant residual: The concentration of biocidal agent maintained in the water distribution network to suppress microbial regrowth.
Monochloramine: A secondary disinfectant formed from chlorine and ammonia, used to extend residual efficacy and reduce by-product formation.
α-Proteobacteria/γ-Proteobacteria: Major bacterial classes within the phylum Proteobacteria, differing in metabolic capacities and tolerance to disinfectants.
References
- Tap water microbiome shifts in secondary water supply for high-rise buildings. Environmental Science and Ecotechnology (2024).
- Succession of bacterial biofilm communities following removal of chloramine from a full-scale drinking water distribution system. npj Clean Water (2023).
- Epidemiology and Ecology of Opportunistic Premise Plumbing Pathogens: Legionella pneumophila, Mycobacterium avium, and Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Environmental Health Perspectives (2015).
- Spatial-Temporal Survey and Occupancy-Abundance Modeling To Predict Bacterial Community Dynamics in the Drinking Water Microbiome. mBio (2014).
- The feasibility of automated online flow cytometry for in-situ monitoring of microbial dynamics in aquatic ecosystems. Frontiers in Microbiology (2014).
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