This research proposes an optimal flushing operation technique in an effort to prevent secondary water pollutions and accidents in aged pipes, and to improve the cleaning effect of unidirectional flushing. Water flow directions were analyzed using EPANET 2.0, while flushing and air scouring experiments in forward and reverse directions were performed in the field. In 42 experiments, average residual chlorine concentration and turbidity were improved after cleaning compared to before cleaning. It was found that even when the same cleaning method was used, further improvement of cleaning effect was possible by applying air injection and reverse direction cleaning techniques. By means of one-way ANOVA(Analysis of variance), it was also possible to statistically verify the need of actively utilizing air injection and reverse direction cleaning. Based on correlation between turbidity and TSS, the total amount of suspended solids removal was estimated for 874 flushing operations and 194 air scouring operations. The result showed that air scouring used more discharge water than flushing by an average of 4.9 m3 yet with larger amounts of suspended solids removal by an average of 145.9 g. The result of analysis on turbidity values from 887 flushing operations showed low cleaning effect of unidirectional flushing for the pipes with diameters over 300 mm. In addition, the turbidity values measured during cleaning showed an increasing tendency as pipe age increased. The methodology and results of this research are expected to contribute to the efficient maintenance and improvement of water quality in water distribution networks. Follow-up research involving the measurement of water quality at regular time intervals during cleaning would allow a more accurate comparison of discharge water quality characteristics and cleaning effects between different cleaning methods. To this end, it is considered necessary to develop a standardized manual that can be used in the field and to provide relevant trainings.

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.