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  • (1) the Watershed or geographic area that collects the water, see Water Purification-Sources Of Drinking Water ;

  • (2) a raw (untreated) water reservoir (above or below ground) where the water gathers, such as a Lake , a River , or an underground Aquifer ;

  • (3) a means for delivery from the source to a point of treatment, such as underground Piping , uncovered ground level Aqueducts , and/or Tunnel s;

  • (4) Treatment , such as a water treatment plant;

  • (5) transmission from treatment, through Pipes to treated water storage, that may be either elevated or ground; and

  • (6) distribution through Piping from storage to consumption (at houses, fire hydrants, industrial use points, etc).


The product, delivered to the point of consumption is Fresh Water .

Virtually all large systems must Treat the water; a fact that is tighly regulated by state and federal agencies, such as the Environmental Protection Agency . Treatment usually occurs close to the final delivery points to reduce the chances of the water becoming contaminated after treatment.

Once treated, the water is distributed by the local supply network. Today, water supply systems are typically constructed of plastic, ferrous, or concrete circular pipe. However, other "pipe" shapes and material may be used, such as square or rectangular Concrete boxes, arched Brick pipe, or Wood . Near the end point, the network of pipes through which the water is delivered is often referred to as the ''water mains''.

The energy that the system needs to deliver the water is called , by gravity feed from a water source (such as a reservoir or a Water Tower ) at a higher elevation, or, in smaller systems, by compressed air.

These systems are usually owned and maintained by Local Government s, such as Cities , or other public entities, but are occasionally operated by a commercial enterprise (see Water Privatization ). Water supply networks are part of the master planning of communities, counties, and municipalities. Their planning and design requires the expertise of City Planners and Civil Engineers , who must consider many factors, such as location, current demand, future growth, leakage, pressure, pipe size, pressure loss, fire fighting flows, etc. Construction occurs using the expertise of builders, called contractors, with expertise in building hydraulic facilities.

The advent of these systems, along with comparable Sewage systems, was one of the great Engineering advances that made Urbanization possible. Improvement in the quality of the water has been one of the great advances in Public Health .


TOPOLOGIES

Like electric power lines, roads, and microwave radio networks, water systems often have loop network topologies. The piping networks are circular or rectangular. If any one section of water distribution main fails or needs repair, that section can be isolated without disrupting all users on the network.

Most systems are divided into zones. Factors determining the extent or size of a zone can include hydraulics, telemetry systems, history, and population density. Sometimes systems are designed for a specific area then are modified to accommodate development. Terrain affects hydraulics and some forms of telemetry. While each zone may operate as a stand-alone system, there is usually some arrangement to interconnect zones in order to manage equipment failures or system failures.


SEE ALSO