MODULE 2

PUBLIC WATER SUPPLY:

SOURCES AND PURIFICATION
PROCESS

What are the General Sources of

Public Water Supply?
The 2 General Sources of Public Water Supply are:
1. Surface Waters: Streams, Rivers & Lakes
a. Upland Surface Water
b. Lowland Surface Water

2. Ground Water
DANILO V. RAVINA, NAMPAP - CEBU

Upland Surface Waters:

DANILO V. RAVINA, NAMPAP - CEBU

Water Divides & Watersheds:

DANILO V. RAVINA, NAMPAP - CEBU

Metro Cebu Watersheds:

The 3 Watersheds identified as
major water sources for Metro
Cebu:
1. Kotkot Watershed
2. Lusaran Watershed
3. Mananga Watershed

DANILO V. RAVINA, NAMPAP - CEBU

Metro Cebu Ground Water Source:

Metro Cebu Water Supply & Demand

Projections (2000 2015)

MCWD supplies only 40% of Metro Cebus population.

What is the Purification Process for

Surface Water Supply Source?

Surface water basic treatment process employed by

commercial water provider, including the Metro Cebu
Water District (MCWD) treats the water using the
conventional method comprising of the following:
1. Storage
2. Aeration
3. Coagulation / Flocculation
4. Sedimentation
5. Filtration

Surface Water Supply and Treatment System

The Buhisan Dam at Kalunasan, Cebu City

Runoff or surface
water is first
stored in the
Dam.
Suspended
matters tend to
sink to the
bottom. In the
course of time,
diseaseproducing
organisms tend
to die out. Thus
the storing of
water improves
its quality.

MCWD Tisa Filtration Plant at Labangon,

Cebu City
Aeration:
Water is
sprayed into the
air or cascaded
in order to
release trapped
gases & absorb
additional
oxygen for
better taste. It
also removes
iron
compounds.

Sample of a Spray Aerator

Section / Elevation of Spray Aerator for the removal of Iron and

Manganese

Coagulation and Flocculation:

Coagulation is the
chemical process in
which the coagulant
reacts with the
sediment to make it
capable of combining
into larger particles.
Alum is the common
coagulant used.
Flocculation is the
physical process in
which the sediment
particles collide with
each other and stick
together.

Sedimentation:
This is the process
by which
suspended solids
are removed from
the water by gravity
settling and
deposition. The
objective of this
process is to
remove most of the
suspended solids
and thus reducing
the loads on the
filters.

Contents in the Sedimentation

Tanks

Filtration:
Water is passed
through a bed of
fine sand in which
the suspended
matters that did
not settle during
sedimentation are
trapped and held
in place by the
force of gravity or
by the direction of
flow.

What are the types of Filters?

The types of filters are:
1. Slow Sand Filter consists of large tanks
with a filter bed of 600mm to 1000mm of fine
sand over 300mm of gravel, with suitable
drainage pipes to conduct water after passing
through the filter under its own weight.
2. Rapid Sand Filter
a. Rapid Gravity Filter
b. Rapid Pressure Filter

Sample Plan of a Slow Sand Filter &

Filtered Water Storage Tank
The organic matter
which accumulates
on the surface of the
sand forms a jelly-like
film which does stops
the passage of
organisms. Cleaning
of the filter bed is
done through
scraping off a thin
layer of sand together
with the surface film.
There must be at
least 2 filters in any
filtration system.

Sections of a Slow Sand Filter and

Filtered Water Storage Tank

Section of a Rapid Gravity Filter

When the filter
requires cleaning, it is
emptied down to the
level of the waste
channel. The sand is
agitated from below
by means of
compressed air
delivered through the
same pipes which
previously collected
the filtered water. The
cleaning is completed
in a few minutes and
the filter is ready for
use again
immediately.

Section of a Rapid Pressure Filter

This is generally used for
the purification of water
used in swimming pools.
The cleaning process
consists of reversing the
flow of water through the
filter and allowing the
washings to flow through
the washout valve. While
the flow of water is
reversed, the sand is
agitated from below by
mechanical stirrers or by
compressed air injected
from below the filter bed.

Chlorination:
Chlorination is the
method of introducing
a controlled amount
of chlorine gas or
chlorine salts to the
water in order to
attain a desired
degree of disinfection.
Chlorine kills any
disease producing
organisms in the
water.

Groundwater Supply and Treatment

System

Equipment used in Chlorination

Pot Chlorinator Used in disinfecting wells

Floating Bowl Chlorinator

References:

Cebu for Sustainable Water Resource.

Metro Cebu Water District.
Nebel, B.J. and Wright, R.T.: Environmental Science
4th Edition, Prentice Hall, New Jersey, 1993
National Water Resources Council. Rural Water Supply
Design Manual, Volume 1, NWRC, Quezon City, 1980
Doyle, K.M.: Plumbing and Gas Fitting, Volume 1,
Government Printing Office, Mulgrave St., Wellington,
1990