Water purification and water supply system decontamination apparatus

An optical fiber for sanitizing a water supply system, comprising:

• a light-diffusing optical fiber that includes:
• (a) a length,
• (b) a core region comprising fused silica having a plurality of scattering sites, and
• (c) a cladding over the core region that comprises a polymer coating,
• wherein the fiber is configured to propagate ultraviolet light rays along the length, and scatter the ultraviolet light rays in substantially radial directions out of the core region of the fiber at the plurality of scattering sites.

A water sanitizing system, comprising:

• a water supply system having a water supply conduit with a conduit length;
• a light-diffusing optical fiber in the conduit that substantially spans the conduit length;
• and
• an ultraviolet light source configured to inject ultraviolet light rays into the optical fiber,
• wherein the light-diffusing optical fiber includes:
• (a) a first end and a second end, the ends defining a fiber length,
• (b) a core region comprising fused silica having a plurality of scattering sites, and
• (c) a cladding over the core region, the cladding having an outer photocatalyst region doped with a metal oxide,
• and further wherein the fiber is configured to propagate the ultraviolet light rays from the first end toward the second end of the fiber, and scatter the ultraviolet light rays in substantially radial directions out of the core region of the fiber at the plurality of scattering sites, and through the photocatalyst region.

A water sanitizing system, comprising:

• a water supply system having a water supply conduit with a conduit length;
• a light-diffusing optical fiber in the conduit that substantially spans the conduit length;
• and
• an ultraviolet light source configured to inject ultraviolet light rays into the optical fiber,
• wherein the light-diffusing optical fiber includes:
• (a) a first end and a second end, the ends defining a fiber length,
• (b) a core region comprising fused silica having a plurality of scattering sites, and
• (c) a cladding over the core region that comprises a polymer coating, and
• further wherein the fiber is configured to propagate the ultraviolet light rays from the first end toward the second end of the fiber along the fiber length, and scatter the ultraviolet light rays in substantially radial directions out of the core region of the fiber at the plurality of scattering sites.