The American Water Works Association Research Foundation will sponsor a two-year study at its Belleville, Ill., laboratory to develop operating procedures for decontaminating water infrastructure. The guide's purpose is to improve water utilities' response to contamination events.

Partnered in this study is American Water, a water and wastewater services company, and O'Brien & Gere, an engineering/environmental consulting firm. They, along with chemists, microbiologists and other water quality professionals, will measure adsorption of various contaminants to different types of water pipe to evaluate procedures for contaminant removal.