corrosion and scaling potential in drinking water distribution of babol, northern iran based on the scaling and corrosion indices

background & aims of the study: corrosion and scaling play undesirable effects on transmission and distribution system of drinking water. the aim of this study was to assess the corrosion and scaling potential of drinking water resources in babol city, iran. materials and methods: totally, 54 water samples were collected from 27 wells in spring and autumn. calcium hardness, ph, total alkalinity, total dissolved solids, and temperature were measured, using standard methods. the langelier, rayzner, puckhorius, larson and aggressive indices were calculated and data were analyzed by spss 19. to compare the mean values of each index, the results were analyzed using t-test. results: the range of temperature, ph, tds, total alkalinity and calcium hardness were 16-24°c; 6.8-7.89; 445-1331 mg/l; 322.9-396 mg/l and 250.50-490 mg/l, respectively. the mean of langelier and ryznar indices in drinking water samples in spring and autumn was 0.14, 0.15; 7.28 and 7.35, respectively. the mean of puckhorius and larson indices in these seasons was 11.9, 11.95 and 0.95 and 0.93, respectively. the mean of aggressive index was 6.17 and 6.27, respectively. overall, 82.2%, 100%, 94.6%, 100% and 85.7% of water samples were corrosive based on the langelier, ryznar, puckhorius, larson and aggressive indices, respectively. conclusion: according to these results, drinking water of babol city has corrosion potential. therefore, the water quality should be controlled based on ph, alkalinity and hardness parameters, along with the use of corrosion resisting materials and pipes in drinking water distribution systems.