Which risk increased when Roman aqueducts sourced water containing dissolved gypsum (calcium sulfate)?

💡 Explanation

When water contains dissolved gypsum, mineral scaling occurs because calcium sulfate precipitates overtime, adhering to the aqueduct walls which reduces the cross-sectional area, increasing flow resistance and decreasing the flow rate. Therefore reduced flow results, rather than friction losses, weakening, or pipe corrosion which involve other ionic species or electrochemical proceses.

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