Journal of Ecological Engineering Received: 2019.11.

30
Revised: 2019.12.23
Volume 21, Issue 2, February 2020, pages 261–266 Accepted: 2020.01.10
Available online: 2020.01.25
https://doi.org/10.12911/22998993/117533

Computer Modeling of Water Supply and Sewerage Networks

as a Tool in an Integrated Water and Wastewater Management
System in Municipal Enterprises

Wojciech Kruszyński1*, Jacek Dawidowicz1

1
Bialystok University of Technology, Faculty of Civil and Environmental Engineering, ul. Wiejska 45a, 15-351,
Białystok, Poland
* Corresponding author’s e-mail: [email protected]

ABSTRACT
The purpose of the study was to present the principles of creating and implementing an integrated water and waste-
water management system based on hydrodynamic modeling of water distribution and sewage disposal systems
in small and medium-sized municipal enterprises. The computer modeling of water and sewerage networks is an
efficient tool for finding the causes of increased costs of operation of these plants. The simulations carried out in
modeling programs enable to quickly find the optimal variant to solve the problem of exploitation or economi-
cally effective direction of their modernization. Geospatial data (GIS) is being increasingly often being used to
optimally manage the municipial water and sewage infrastructure. This gives an additional analytical tool for
planning, designing, obtaining operational data, etc. The integration of hydraulic models of the water supply and
living and economic networks into one coherent management system is possible, owing to which, a holistic assess-
ment of the functioning of the water and sewage management system in the city is possible. The decision support
systems based on the spatial information system (GIS) associated with various specialized software, are becoming
the standard of modern management of a water and sewage company. To date, only about 40% of enterprises in
this industry in Poland have used systems of this type. In addition, most of the GIS-based management systems
used in practice are limited to an inventory of existing network resources and integration of many databases in one
coherent IT system. Only in a few cases, the systems of this type contain modules modeling the network opera-
tion under dynamic conditions, which results primarily from the additional implementation costs related to the
construction of sufficiently reliable models of the water supply and / or sewerage network. Implementation of the
proposed solution includes: construction of a water supply network simulation system, construction of a domestic
and economic sewage system simulation system, devising scenarios for system operation under the conditions of
city development and climate change, multi-criteria assessment of the economic effectiveness of systems opera-
tion taking into account social and environmental criteria, development of an integrated management system the
system, taking into account the guidelines for increasing the effectiveness of its operation and work safety.

Keywords: computer modeling of water supply and sewerage networks, GIS

INTRODUCTION which a holistic assessment of the functioning of

the water and sewage management system in the
Geospatial data (GIS) is being increasingly city is possible. [Cieżak et al., 2017, Czapczuk et
often used to optimally manage the municipial al., 2017]. The decision support systems based on
water and sewage infrastructure. This gives an the spatial information system (GIS) associated
additional analytical tool for planning, designing, with various specialized software, are becoming
obtaining operational data, etc. Integration of hy- the standard of modern management of a water
draulic models of the water supply and sanitary and sewage company. However, the research
network into one coherent management system conducted by the entities offering commercial
based on GIS is particularly important, owing to solutions in this area shows that only about 40%

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of companies in this industry use the systems of method and a way to improve the quality of the
this type, while the vast majority are interested water supplied by the water supply network. Us-
in their implementation or development in the ing dedicated software, one can model, among
near future. In addition, most of the GIS-based others the changes in water age throughout the
management systems used in practice are limited distribution system. Fresh water flows into the
to an inventory of the existing network resources network from tanks or a source. The age of the
and integration of many databases into one coher- water in the pipes is a parameter that determines
ent IT system. Only in a few cases the systems of the freshness of the water and affects its quality.
this type contain the modules modeling the net- The model takes into account the time in which
work operation under dynamic conditions, which water stays in a given section from the moment
results primarily from the additional implemen- it enters the intake and mixes it with the water
tation costs related to the construction of suffi- already existing in the network [Kulbik, 2018].
ciently reliable models of the water supply and / Modeling and hydraulic simulations of the
or sewerage network. sewerage network under dynamic conditions us-
Long-term stagnation in the transfer of mod- ing the available software will allow obtaining
ern technologies and technical solutions has now the information on the forecast parameters of the
led to an increased interest of municipal enter- network in any conditions, giving the opportunity
prises in the field of implementing the IT tools to better understand the complex set of factors de-
supporting water and sewage management [Kul- termining the effectiveness of the entire system
bik, 2018]. This is mainly due to the need to re- [Studziński, 2014].
duce the operating costs, improve the operation of Currently, comprehensive management sys-
the existing networks, and increase the efficiency tems are available on the market, dedicated to the
of enterprise management. enterprises from the water and sewage industry,
The dynamic network model is a highly ef- built on the basis of GIS systems and containing
ficient tool supporting observation and its opera- the modules for computer modeling of water and
tion, allowing for making justified decisions re- sewerage networks. These are solutions of such
garding the operation, modernization and expan- companies as: Bentley Systems (USA), MIKE
sion of the entire water supply and sewage system Powered by DHI (Denmark), Stanet (Germany).
of a city or commune. The precision of the mod- These companies have representative offices in
el’s operation largely depends on the accuracy of Poland and deal with the implementation of com-
the entered data contained in the digital geodetic prehensive platforms for integrated enterprise
sleepers. The data is entered with the selected management, also using mathematical modeling
software into the GIS data and for modeling. It of the work of the water supply and sewage dis-
can also be done in one integrated environment posal network. However, these solutions require
[Boulos Gao et al., 2009, Kulbik, 2018]. the purchase of expensive licenses and expensive
Conducting computer simulations of the service packages performed by external compa-
water supply network is designed to help find a nies. The costs of such implementations often

Fig. 1. Application schema used by the implemented system, centralized in the database [giswater.org]

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Fig. 2. The use of GIS to map the water distribution system (main conduits) in the city of Białystok.
The figure shows the main nodes of the network along with the division into their water consumption
areas developed using voronoi diagram [thanks to MSc. Monika Kolendo]

exceed the budgetary capabilities of small water Contemporary geoinformation systems for
supply companies. The reduction of costs associ- the water and wastewater infrastructure are com-
ated with the purchase of licenses and support for plex platforms integrated with tools for monitor-
implemented solutions can be achieved through ing and mathematical modeling. They also work
the use of Open Source software and the use of with other IT systems, such as: supervisory and
the experience of the scientific and research staff. information gathering systems – SCADA (Su-
The freeware modeling and GIS software is suc- pervisory Control And Data Acquisition), work
cessfully used for this purpose. These environ- management systems – WMS (Work Manage-
ments can be combined using the existing plat- ment Systems) or archival documentation support
forms or by building one’s own software. systems – EDMS (Electronic Document Manage-
The most important tasks of GIS in the opera- ment Systems).
tion of water supply and sewage systems are: The entire enterprise IT system is usually
•• network inventory, built on a modular, integrated GIS platform. The
•• centralizing information and data in one da- selection of individual system elements and tools
tabase that allows simplifying the control and included in its composition should be preceded
verification of information and topological by a thorough analysis of profitability, i.e. deter-
features of network objects, mination of the ratio of potential benefits arising
•• easy and quick access to data and their easy from the implementation of such a system to the
exchange inside the company, expenditure incurred.
•• improving the process of removing failures, The payback period for the implementation of
•• enabling current and continuous control of the GIS IT system is reduced as the size of the
hydraulic and quality parameters related water supply and sewage system in use increases.
to the functioning of the network through Before starting modeling, it is necessary to de-
registration, cide on the choice of software and how to imple-
•• archiving and graphic representation of mea- ment it – a company, an external institution, or
surements collected via an industrial automa- your own human resources (training specialists to
tion system, make and operate the model) [Gwozdziej-Mazur
•• the ability to create simulations of network et al., 2018].
operation for the modernization and develop- The network manager has the ability to
ment needs through the use of analytical spa- quickly perform many simulations of any type,
tial models, for example in terms of optimizing management
•• significant improvement of customer service. methods, optimizing the maintenance and repair

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plan, and to determine the appropriate operating to reduce the percentage of average water age
regimes [Trębicka, 2017]. in the pipes. In the tested water supply networks
Water supply network operators are increas- in the 72 hour simulation, the water age fell by
ingly aware of the need for constant supervision 4.82% compared to the existing state, while in the
over the quality of water in the distribution sys- 240 hour simulation, the water age decreased by
tem. As proven by numerous experiments, even 10.72% [Gwoździej-Mazur et al., 2018]. In real
if the water is treated in accordance with the implementations, it is assumed to find a solution
applicable standards, there may be situations while maintaining the standards allowing for a
that after reaching the user, its parameters will higher percentage reduction of water age. How-
deteriorate and it will not meet the requirements ever, this requires full implementation of the re-
in terms of the taste, smell, color and content of search system in the selected enterprise. The anal-
active biological pollutants [Gwoździej-Mazur ysis of the speed distribution made on the existing
et al., 2018]. state models of all tested water supply networks
Water supply networks, especially in small showed that in most pipes, its values are ​​ lower
and medium-sized municipalities, are often than the recommended level of 0.5 m/s. Insuffi-
branched systems with small water divisions. In cient water velocity in the pipes causes deposits to
such networks, the problem of secondary water build up on the bottom of the pipelines and reduce
pollution often arises as a result of the water be- the permeability of the conduit, which causes an
ing in the pipes for too long, while the household increase in the water pressure and flow velocity in
and economic networks start sewage kneading a given section. At some point, an increase in the
processes. Such enterprises often lack an inte- flow velocity causes the accumulated sludge to
grated water and wastewater management sys- be carried away and contaminate the water trans-
tem based on digital sleepers and monitoring ported to the final consumer. At longer sections
systems for selected parameters. and low flow rates, there is also the phenomenon
of water stagnation in the lines, which may result
in the risk of secondary bacterial growth. Hence,
RESULTS the recommendations that the water speed should
be in the range of 0.5–1.3 m/s.
As a result of simulations carried out in the The implementation of the integrated sys-
existing models, it was found that it is possible tem should allow water to regulate the pressure

Fig. 3. Modeling the age of water in the water supply network in the selected commune X – the existing state

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in order to maintain its value at each point in the supply of accidental waters, both rainwater and
pressure range with an accuracy of +/- 10%, re- groundwater. The share of these waters in the
duce areas at speeds below 0.2 m/s by at least sanitary sewage system is often significant. The
20% and reduce the average the age of water sup- calibrated hydraulic model reveals the critical lo-
plied in the areas with the longest water age by at cations of the existing sewage system, facilitating
least 20% and a reduction of water loss by 12%. making the investment decisions.
In sewerage networks, the implementation of the
developed solutions will reduce the rainwater in-
flow to the wastewater treatment plant and reduce CONCLUSIONS
the parts of the network operating under pressure
during rainy weather by at least 10%. A functional solution increasing the quality
Currently, a lot of water and sewerage net- of services in the water and sewage sector based
works are made in rural communes, and investors on the results of hydrodynamic modeling in con-
often do not have adequate knowledge about the junction with the monitoring network and GIS
possibilities and benefits of hydraulic modeling. database allows:
Creating a sanitary sewage system model is more •• in the water supply network: improving the
labor-intensive than a water supply network mod- water quality by choosing the optimal operat-
el for the same area. However, the workload is ing parameters that reduce age and increase
compensated by the fact that the model made and the average water flow rate in the pipes;
calibrated is an irreplaceable tool for assessing •• in the sewerage network: reducing the amount
the hydraulic conditions. Modeling can be used of infiltration and accidental waters as well as
already at the stage of conceptual solutions when minimizing the risk of odor nuisance in the
creating functional and utility programs, and sewage network
when performing construction projects, it can re- •• savings resulting from abandoning improper
place the traditional calculation methods in some investments – checking their validity by simu-
cases. In analyzing existing, often leaky sewerage lations in the program. Planning “outages” on
networks, an additional advantage is the possibil- networks involving rinsing, renovations or in-
ity of employing a mathematical approach to the vestments in a way that does not compromise

Fig. 4. Simulation results of changes in pipe connections to reduce the age of water
in the model of the selected commune X

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Fig. 5. Example of computer modeling of flow velocity in the sewerage network of the city of Supraśl in the
SWMM program. The analysis of the results of modeling the impact of changes in pipe roughness on wastewater
flow velocity (Y axis – flow velocity, m/s, X axis – conduit number) [Rewiński, 2018]

the standards of water supply or sewage dis- 2. Cieżak W., Cieżak J, Kotowski A., Kaźmierczak B,
posal to residents during their lifetime Kutyłowska M. D., Nowakowska M. W., Wartalska
•• reducing the operating costs and network loss- K. E., Wójtowicz P. 2017, (in Polish) Modelowanie
matematyczne systemów wodociągowych i kanali-
es by reducing the source efficiency during the
zacyjnych ze względu na bezpieczeństwo działania.
smallest partitions Raporty Wydziału Inżynierii Środowiska Politech-
•• reduction of the operating costs by controlling niki Wrocławskiej, Ser. SPR nr 22, p. 24.
the operation of the pumping station (proven 3. Czapczuk A., Dawidowicz J., Piekarski J. 2017,
simulations in the model) in such a way as to Application of Multilayer Perceptron for the Cal-
reduce the energy consumption, while main- culation of Pressure Losses in Water Supply Lines,
taining the standards of water supply and sew- Rocznik Ochrona Środowiska, 19, 540–556
age disposal to residents. 4. Gwoździej-Mazur J., Świętochowski K.,
•• gives full knowledge in real time about the Kaźmierczak B. 2018, Analysis of water losses and
parameters, i.e. the quantity and quality of failure frequency in an urban-rural water supply sys-
water supplied anywhere in the water sup- tem, Ekonomia i Środowisko, 2, 76–86.
ply network or sewage flows in the domestic 5. Gwozdziej-Mazur J., Świętochowski K. 2018,
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supply and sewerage systems under dynamic
6. Kulbik, M. 2018, (in Polish) Przykłady realizacji i
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nowych w czynnych systemach wodociągowych,
Acknowledgements Polskie Zrzeszenie Inżynierów i Techników Sani-
tarnych Oddział Wielkopolski, 218–219.
The research was carried out as part of the 7. Rewiński J. 2018, (in Polish) Komputerowe mod-
work No. WZ/WBiIŚ/02/2019 and financed from elowanie kanalizacji dla wybranej miejscowości,
funds for the Ministry of Science and Higher Bialystok Technical University, Master’s thesis,
Education. supervisor Kruszyński W., Białystok
8. Studziński J. 2014. Some algorithms supporting the
water network management by use of simulation of
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