Water supply

CIE 442 ENVIRONMENTAL ENGINEERING

LECTURE EIGHT
LECTURER: ENG. GOODSON MASHEKA

1
Water Supply -Definition

 It is a process or activity by which SAFE and adequate water is

provided for some use, e.g., to a home, factory, or business
referred as consumers.
 It comprises of water sources, water lifting devices (intakes,
pumps), conveyance systems (pipes, canals),storage, treatment and
distribution.

2
Sources of water

 Rainwater
 From roof, rock outcrops, ground catchments
 Surface water
 Streams, rivers, lakes
 Groundwater
 Wells, boreholes, springs, sand abstraction

3
Surface water
 Surface water is generally exposed to natural and manmade pollution
Water quality problems
Turbidity
Colour
Faecal pollution (microorganisms)
Chemical spills
Agricultural and industrial wastes (pesticides, and other trace organics)
 Requires extensive treatment
- conventional to advanced
4
Surface water
 Characteristics
 Advantage : easily detectable, easy to abstract, easy to measure,
 Disadvantage : treatment required, pumping often needed, prone to evaporation,
competes for land use.
 Abstraction considerations (intakes)
 Sites of stagnant water to be avoided
 Bilharzia risks, >100m from shore for lakes
 Strainers to prevent uptake of leaves & debris
 Regular backwashing needed,
 Delivery mains need self cleansing velocities (>0.7m/s)
5
Groundwater Sources

 Groundwater - a major source of drinking water in rural areas (developing

countries)
 Groundwater quality problems
Iron and Manganese - taste, colour, stain
Fluoride, Arsenic - health consequences
Methane, Ammonium - smell,
Often requires simple treatment (Example only disinfection if no
contamination)

6
Dental Fluorosis

7
Skeletal Fluorosis

8
Groundwater Sources
 Advantage
 In-situ + generally good quality
 Available over longer periods than surface water
 Not in competition for land with other land uses
 Disadvantage
 Once polluted recovery is often impossible
 Need sophisticated methods to determine location
 Divining, geophysical techniques,
 Available quantities uncertain
 Subsurface conditions unknown
 Pumping required for abstraction

9
Groundwater vs. Surface Water
Groundwater Surface water
constant composition variable composition
high mineral content low mineral content

low turbidity high turbidity

low color colored

low or no dissolved oxygen dissolved oxygen present
high hardness low hardness

high Fe, Mn taste and odor

High microbial contamination

10
Sources of water- Selection of water source

Selection guided by cost and pollution risk

Example of selection criteria
Other factors
Priority Treatment Pumping
Community acceptance & involvement 1 No No
Sustainability of supply 2 No Yes
 Demand = Supply 3 Yes No

Environmental demands met?

Conflict avoided?

11
Components of water supply

12
Components of water supply
 Water supply involves
 Water abstraction from source
 Treatment and storage
 Transport and distribution

13
Abstraction and transport
 Surface water can be abstraction from source

 By direct intake

 Through bank filtration

14
Abstraction and transport

 Ground water can be abstraction from source by drilling Borehole

Boreholes

15
Water conveyance
May be classified as:

Water transport

 Water distribution

16
Water distribution systems
Consists network of smaller pipes supplying treated water to consumers.

Several categories are included:

Trunk mains - conveys treated water from treatment plant to distribution area

Secondary mains - form basic skeleton of the distribution system

Distribution mains - convey water from secondary mains towards various

consumer areas

Service pipes - brings water to consumers points

17
Objectives of transport and distribution

Convey adequate water flow at desired pressure

Maintain the desired water quality

18
Water distribution network configuration

Branched tree type Grid (loop) network

19
Branched network
Advantages
 simple layout
 simple hydraulics
 lower investment
 easy to design

Disadvantages
 low reliability
 risk of contamination
 poor water quality at the ends
 limited for extensions

20
Grid (Loop) network
Advantages
more reliable
lower risk of water quality problems
consumers less affected by maintenance
easier for extension

Disadvantages
complex layout
complex hydraulics
 complex design
complex operation
more expensive

21
Types of distribution schemes

Gravity which makes use of the topography of the area

Direct pumping without storage

Combined- it combines direct pumping with balancing reservoir

22
Storage
The location of storage facilities are often at:

The water abstraction point (Raw water reservoir)

The end of treatment plants (Clear water reservoir)

Other places in the distribution system (Balancing reservoirs)

23
 Purposes of storage

Meet constant supply with variable

demand.

 Provide emergency supply.

 Maintain stable pressures (if

sufficiently elevated).

24
 Construction of storage facilities

Underground

At ground level

Elevated (water towers)

Underground reservoirs are suitable:

 Where safety and aesthetics are of importance

To maintain desired temperature in tropical climate

25
Individual storage

Are used when:

 Pressure in distribution network is low

 Flow in the distribution network is

intermittent

26