Performance of conventional drinking water treatment following dispersant remediation of an oil spill in surface water.

Physical remediation such as the use of booms has been applied for most oil-spill cleanup activities in surface water. The application of dispersants has been controversial primarily due to the unknown impacts on drinking water sources. This study investigated changes in surface water quality following dispersant application to crude oil spills and the subsequent impact on the efficiency of ballasted flocculation, a physicochemical treatment process applied in many drinking water treatment plants (DWTP).