Influence of water main conditions on microbiome in premise plumbing. Simulated water heaters

Premise plumbing receives water from the main distribution system with varying physiochemical and biological properties. In order to determine if management effort is best allocated by the water utility in water treatment and distribution, or by property owners in the configuration and maintenance of the premise plumbing, high-throughput sequencing was employed to compare microbial communities from the upstream distribution mains (simulated distribution systems) and downstream premise plumbing (simulated water heaters).