The Roles of Sensor Placement in Water Quality Monitoring in a Water Distribution System

Globally, the quest to meet water demand and the continuous depletion of quality water have increased. Human existence and its sustenance are subject to the availability of water, particularly potable water. However, the possibility of attacks on the water systems, which are some of the critical infrastructures, has attracted interest of researchers. In recent times, adequate monitoring and safeguarding of the water distribution systems, are of utmost importance, in order to suitably distribute potable water to the society. However, the complexity of water distribution networks permits human and renders them vulnerable to both accidental and intentional attacks. These attacks often compromise the water quality and have often resulted in contaminated water, which may eventually be consumed by the society. The consumption of contaminated water has gross public health implication as well as socio-economic consequences. While it is scientifically possible to monitor the quality of water and detect contaminants, with the deployment of water quality monitoring sensors, this has not come without challenges, which often are related to limited available resources; this is besides the technical issues, sometimes encountered. Consequently, this chapter presents the roles of sensor placement for water quality monitoring purposes, in water network/distribution systems. The prospects and associated challenges are presented as well as future trends.