Unit-IV (A)

WATER DISTRIBUTION STSTEMS

Prof. B.D. Sharma

The objectives of a municipal water system are to

provide:
Safe, potable water for domestic use to citizens
Adequate quantity of water at sufficient pressure for
fire protection, and
Industrial water for manufacturing
A typical waterworks consists of source treatment- pumping and distribution system.
Sources of municipal supplies are :
Deep wells,
Shallow wells
Rivers
Lakes and
Reservoirs

Rainfall and snowfall are the primary source of all waters found
upon the Earth. This is available for human consumption as:
a) Surface supplies , b) Underground supplies
(groundwater)
Surface supplies include springs, streams, rivers, lakes and
artificial reservoirs. There is a great variation in the quantity of
surface supplies during hot dry weather and monsoon days.
Surface water generally contains large quantity of suspended
impurities, and the load on the purification works is increased,
specially so if they are directly drawn from river or stream. If
the storage reservoirs or lakes are used to collect water, much
of this suspended load could be removed. Surface waters
require purification works to improve their quality yo render
them potable.
Underground supplies: These include all waters that are met
with below the surface of ground, e.g. Draw well, Tubewells, Infiltration galleries. Ground waters are free from
suspended impurities, and their quality is generally reliable.
The porous strata through the water travels improves upon
their quality.

Ground waters contain more of dissolved minerals

and gases, bacterial contents are also sometimes
high in shallow wells due to pollution of surface
contamination and soaking of land drainage.
About two-thirds of the water for public supplies
comes from surface-water sources. Large cities use
major rivers or lakes to meet their high demand
whereas majority of towns use well water if
available.
Often ground water is of adequate quality to preclude
treatment other chlorination and flouridation.
Wells can be located at several points within the
municipality and water can be pumped directly into
the distribution system.
A large reservoir of treated water provides reserves for
the high demand periods.

Method of Distribution:
a) Gravity Distribution: when the source of supply is
a lake or impounding reservoir at some elevation
above the city so that sufficient water pressure can
be maintained in the mains for domestic and fire
service.
b) Distribution by means of pumps with storage:
In this method the excess of water pumped during
low consumption is stored in elevated tanks or
reservoirs, called distribution reservoirs.
This method allows fairly uniform rates of pumping
and hence economical.
c) Use of pumps without storage: This method
forces water directly into mains. It is least desirable
system, since any power failure would mean
complete interruption of water supply.

Systems of Distribution:
a) Dead end or Tree system
b) Grid iron , and
c) Circle or ring system:
Dead End System: In this system, there is a trunk main
starting from reservoir, smaller mains, as branches take off
from the main along the roads with successively reduced in
diameters.
Disadvantages: i) Dead ends where the pipes terminate ,
water may stagnate, and also sediments may be deposited
which may choke the pipes and create maintenance problems.
ii) In event repairs, the entire section of tree will be
disconnected causing inconvenience to consumer public
Grid Iron System: This system is very effective where streets
are
laid at right angles to each other and inter-connected. In case of
outbreak of fire or repairs to any branch, water is available
from all directions.

c) The Circle or Ring System:

This system also requires a systematic layout of roads,
Each district or zone is divided into circular or square
blocks and the mains are laid out on all the four sides of
square or round the circle, and sub-mains, and branches
and smaller pipes are laid along the inner roads. This
ensure supply to any point from at least two directions.
This system though best of all, is possible with a scientific
layout of roads, possible in new townships.
Diameters of Delivery Main Pipes (conventional) G.I.
Pipes
15 mm , 20 mm 25 ,, for service connections to
consumers
32 mm, 40 mm , 50 mm , 65 mm, 80 mm, 90 mm,
and 100 mm, along lanes, access roads & streets,
Materials for pipes as above is Mild Steel tubes
(galvanized)

The types of pipes used in Distribution water under

pressure include:
Ductile iron / steel
Grey Cast Iron
Asbestos Cement
Concrete
Steel, and
Plastics
Both ductile and grey cast iron are noted for
long life, toughness, imperviousness, ease of
tapping as well as the ability to withstand
internal pressure and external loads