In the internal of water pipe, various particles have been slowly deposited over a long period. The sediments was re-suspended by fluctuation of water flow and caused turbidity in tap water. This study was evaluated water quality change, particle behavior etc. by air scouring and swabbing pig for water pipe cleaning.
Deposits discharged through the cleaning mainly were cement mortar, bitumen paintings and rust pieces, and fragments of perforation, stones and gravels. Deposits were more removed through swabbing pig cleaning rather than air scouring cleaning on the whole. However, air scouring cleaning were not influenced by the constraint conditions such as a change in the diameter or the presence of the valve in water mains compare to swabbing pig cleaning. So, it was thought that air scouring cleaning might be more favorable to water distribution network cleaning in the future. After the cleaning, water quality including residual chlorine and turbidity also was improved because of the removal of a significant amount of the deposits. Therefore, if the cleaning is continuously and regularly implemented in water mains, it is expected that it will help to recover the reliability and to preserve the health of water quality.