WATER SUPPLY Engineering - Introduction

CHAPTER 2
Sources of Water Supply
 Outline
WATER SUPPLY Engineering - Introduction

Introduction
Chapter 1. Quantity of Water
Chapter 2. Water Supply Sources
Chapter 3.1 Water collection
Chapter 3.2 Water Distribution
Chapter 4. Pumps for Lifting Water
Chapter 5. Construction of Water Sources
Chapter 6. Planning Water Supply System Design
Chapter 7. Hygiene and Sanitation
Chapter 8 Low Cost Sanitation Options
 Sources of Water Supply
WATER SUPPLY Engineering - Introduction

 Where does your drinking water come from?

 How would you rate the quality of your drinking water

source?

 What concerns do you have about your drinking water

supply?
 Sources of Water Supply
WATER SUPPLY Engineering - Introduction

Source of drinking water is untreated water from:

 Surface sources: including rain, rivers, lakes, streams,
ponds, reservoirs, and springs

 Ground water sources: underground aquifers that are

usually pumped to the surface through wells.

 A combination of the two.

The source of water supply commonly determines the nature

of collection, purification, transmission and distribution works.
 Sources of Water Supply
WATER SUPPLY Engineering - Introduction

1. Surface Water Sources:

 Natural input to any surface water system is precipitation
within its watershed.
 The total quantity of water in that system at any given time is
dependent on many factors. These factors include storage
capacity, the permeability of the soil beneath these storage
bodies, the runoff characteristics of the land in the
watershed, the timing of the precipitation and local
evaporation rates.
 Human activities can have a large and sometimes devastating
impact on these factors.
 Humans often increase storage capacity by constructing
reservoirs and decrease it by draining wetlands.
 Sources of Water Supply
WATER SUPPLY Engineering - Introduction

1. Surface Water Sources - Rain:

 Rain is the principal source of all water sources.
 Rainwater contains large amounts of impurities, the quantity
of which is maximum in the first rains and minimum in the
last rains of the season.
 The quality of rainwater falling on the open land (undisturbed
environment) or fields is better than that falling on the cities
or towns.
 Rainwater is soft water but flat to the taste and corrosive in
nature.
 Rain is rarely an immediate source of municipal water
supplies.
 Roofs are mostly obvious choices as catchments for rainwater
harvesting and tanks located near or close to homes increase
the convenience of this system.
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WATER SUPPLY Engineering - Introduction

The hydrologic Cycle

 Sources of Water Supply
WATER SUPPLY Engineering - Introduction

1. Surface Water Sources - Rain:

 Advantages of Rain water collection system:
o The quality of rainwater is high,
o Local materials and craftsmanship can be used in rain
water system construction,
o No energy costs are needed to run the system,
o Ease of maintenance by the owner or user,
o Convenience and acceptability of water, and
o Valuable time is saved in collecting water.
 Sources of Water Supply
WATER SUPPLY Engineering - Introduction

Roof water harvesting system (RWHS):

 Sources of Water Supply
WATER SUPPLY Engineering - Introduction

1. Surface Water Sources - Rain:

 Disadvantages of Rain water collection system:
o The high initial capital cost may prevent a family from
buying the system

o The water available is limited by rainfall amount,

duration and roof area. For long dry seasons, the
required storage volume may be too high

o Mineral free water has a flat taste which people may

prefer the taste of mineral rich water.
 Sources of Water Supply
WATER SUPPLY Engineering - Introduction

1. Surface Water Sources – River Water:

o A stream or river is a body of running water on the
surface of the earth, from higher to lower ground.
o Rivers are the only surface sources of water from which
maximum quantity of water can be easily taken.
o Mostly cities, which are situated near rivers, discharge
their used water or sewage in the rivers,
o Streams generally exhibit marked seasonal variation in
flow and they are susceptible to contamination.
o Physical and bacteriological qualities are highly variable.
 Sources of Water Supply
WATER SUPPLY Engineering - Introduction

1. Surface Water Sources – River Water:

 Sources of Water Supply
WATER SUPPLY Engineering - Introduction

1. Surface Water Sources – Lakes/Reservoirs:

• In mountainous regions natural basins are formed with
impervious beds. Water from springs and streams generally
flows towards these ‘basins’ and ‘Lakes’ are formed.
• The quantity of water in the lakes depends on its basin
capacity, catchments area, annual rainfall, porosity of the
ground, etc.
• Lakes, whenever they are abundant or large, play a major
role in local water balances.
• Large lakes are immense heat reservoirs, helping to cool the
surrounding area in summer and to warm it in winter.
• It is a standing water and hence the quality is very low:
(turbidity, bacteria and pollutants)
 Sources of Water Supply
WATER SUPPLY Engineering - Introduction

1. Surface Water Sources – Sea Water:

• The second largest water body on earth.

• Sea water on average contains about 3.5% salts.

• In most of the harbors situated on the coastal areas (bank of

sea), water is required to be brought from very long
distances, which increase the cost of water enormously.

• When there is no other source of water, sea water can be

used after desalinized [process of removing extra sodium
chloride from the water]
 Sources of Water Supply
WATER SUPPLY Engineering - Introduction

2. Ground Water Sources:

• Ground water is commonly understood to mean water
occupying all the voids within a geologic stratum.

• Ground water is an important source of water supply

throughout the world with continuously increasing use in
irrigation, industries, municipalities, and rural schemes.

• Cooling and air-conditioning have made heavy demands on

ground water because of its characteristic uniformity in
temperature.

• Ground water occurs in many types of geologic formation; of

those aquifers are of most importance.
WATER SUPPLY Engineering - Introduction

Sources of Water Supply

 Sources of Water Supply
WATER SUPPLY Engineering - Introduction

2. Ground Water Sources:

• The quality of ground water is just as important as its
quantity.
• The quality required of ground water supply depends on its
purpose; thus, needs for drinking water, industrial water, and
irrigation water varies widely.
• The uniformity of ground water temperature is advantageous
for water supply and industrial purposes.
• Mostly groundwater contains salt in solution.
• Ordinarily, higher concentrations of dissolved constituents
are found in ground water than in surface water because of
the greater exposure to soluble materials in geologic strata.
 Sources of Water Supply
WATER SUPPLY Engineering - Introduction

2. Ground Water Sources:

Advantages of ground water:
• It is likely to be free of pathogenic bacteria;
• Generally, it may be used without further treatment;
• In many instances it can be found in the close vicinity of rural
communities;
• It is often most practical and economical to obtain and
distribute;
• The water-bearing stratum from which it is drawn usually
provides a natural storage
Disadvantages are:
• Ground water is often high in mineral content;
• It usually requires pumping.
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WATER SUPPLY Engineering - Introduction

2. Ground Water Sources - Springs:

• Spring water is a groundwater that outcrops from ground
due to impervious base that prevents percolation.

• Spring water is usually fed from sand or gravel water

bearing ground formation (aquifer).

• Best places to look for springs are the slopes of hilly sides
and river valley sand areas with green vegetation in dry
season.

• If properly protected and well managed, spring water

proves to be good for small community water supplies.
 Sources of Water Supply
WATER SUPPLY Engineering - Introduction

2. Ground Water Sources – Springs:

WATER SUPPLY Engineering - Introduction

Sources of Water Supply

WATER SUPPLY Engineering - Introduction

Sources of Water Supply

 Sources of Water Supply
WATER SUPPLY Engineering - Introduction

Choice of Water Sources:

• The nature of the water source commonly determines the
planning, design and operation of the collection,
purification, transmission, and distribution works.

• It is therefore essential that careful consideration and

extensive engineering evaluations, including a water
resource development investigation, be conducted as part
of source selection.

• Factors such as quantity, quality, reliability, safety of

source, water rights, and environmental impacts, along
with capital and operation costs of the project, enter into
the decision-making.
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WATER SUPPLY Engineering - Introduction

Particularly, the following considerations should be included:

• Surface water sources
– Safe water yield during the drought years to meet the
projected demands
– Urbanization and land development in the watershed
– Proposed impoundments on tributaries
– Water quality
– Assessment of reliability in terms of possible disruptions due
to natural and manmade hazards
– Requirements for construction of water supply system
components
– Economics of the project
– Environmental impacts of the project
– Water rights
 Sources of Water Supply
WATER SUPPLY Engineering - Introduction

• Ground water sources

– Aquifer characteristics
• Safe aquifer yield
• Permissible drawdown
– Water quality
– Sources of contamination
– Saltwater intrusion
– Type and extent of recharge area
– Rate of recharge
– Water rights
WATER SUPPLY Engineering - Introduction

Thank you!