Available online at www.sciencedirect.

com

ScienceDirect
Procedia Engineering 186 (2017) 643 – 653

XVIII International Conference on Water Distribution Systems Analysis, WDSA2016

Water Distribution System of Bogotá city and its surrounding area,

Empresa de Acueducto y Alcantarillado de Bogotá – EAB E.S.P.
Mauricio Jiménez Aldanaa y Fabian Santana Lópezb*
a
Director Red Matriz Acueducto, Av. Calle 24 No. 37-15, Código Postal 111321, Bogotá D.C., Colombia
b
Jefe de División Centro de Control Acueducto, Av. Calle 24 No. 37-15, Código Postal 111321, Bogotá D.C., Colombia

Abstract

The Water Distribution System of Bogotá supplies a population of approximately 9 million inhabitants. The network is the result
of more than 120 years of development and engineering, including the maximization of the supply sources and its production
mechanisms, the optimization of the distribution processes, the development and implementation of best practices, and the energy
generation as a by-product of the distribution system. The processes implemented have become a national and international
benchmark of good operational practices in drinking water distribution systems.

©©2016
2016The
TheAuthors.
Authors. Published byElsevier
Published by Elsevier Ltd.
Ltd. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (
Peer-review
Peer-reviewunder
underresponsibility of the
responsibility of the organizing
organizingcommittee
committeeofofthe
theXVIII
XVIII International
International Conference
Conference on Water
on Water Distribution
Distribution Systems
Systems.

Keywords: Bogotá city; Water Distribution System.

1. Description of the city

Bogota D.C. is the capital of the Republic of Colombia, which houses the main institutions of national order from
the legislative, executive, and judicial branches of the country. It is a multicultural city with a population growth rate
associated with the natural growth of its population as well as the internal processes of migration enhanced by the
consolidation as an important economic center at the regional level. The processes of expansion and growth of the city
is similar to the Latin American context, as well as the management in the coverage of the household public services.

* Corresponding author. Tel.: +57-1-

3447520.
E-mail address: : fsanta@acueducto.com.co

1877-7058 © 2016 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license
(http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/).
Peer-review under responsibility of the organizing committee of the XVIII International Conference on Water Distribution Systems
doi:10.1016/j.proeng.2017.03.281
64 Mauricio Jiménez Aldana and Fabian Santana López / Procedia Engineering 186 (2017) 643 –
653

Bogotá is located in the center of the country, in the eastern Andean mountains. The capital of the country has an
approximate extension of 33 kilometers from north to south and 16 kilometers from east to west and is located at the
following coordinates: latitude North: 4° 35'56'' and West longitude of Greenwich: 74°04'51''. It is located within the
inter-tropical convergence zone, producing a bimodal rainfall pattern; in the first half of the year around the months
of March, April and May and in the second half in the months of September, October and November. Its average
height is in the 2,625 meters above sea level.
The savanna of Bogota - high basin of the Bogota River, is located between the 2550 and 2800 m.a.s.l., the flat part
is formed by a Quaternary fluviolacustrine deposit, while the mountains and rocky areas correspond to consolidated
rocks of the Guadalupe’s geological structure. The river of Bogotá, with the same name, is the hydrographic shaft of
the Sabana and within its tributaries are the rivers Balsillas, Chicú, Frio and Teusacá; and inside the city the rivers
Arzobispo, San Cristobal, San Francisco, Fucha and Tunjuelo.
The 70% of the city is located on a flat area or savannah with minimum slopes in the east that facilitate the
drainage of the city to the Bogota River (westward), the rest of urbanized areas and urban settlements are located in
areas of half slope especially at the eastern side of the city and in the extreme south east, where the service is supplied
by storage tank supplied by pumping stations.
The registration of multi-year cumulative average precipitation is 892.1 mm, measured in the Camavieja Station,
located in the main headquarters of the EAB E.S.P. The average temperature is 14° C with oscillations between -5° C
and 25° C. The driest period occurs between the months of December to March while the wettest period is located
between the months of August and November, in June and July usually appear light drizzles product of the
condensation of humid fronts from the moors located at the east of the city.

Fig. 1. Analysis of annual rain accumulated in Bogota - Pluviographic Camavieja Station.

2. Population served

Bogotá is classified in six socio-economical levels defined by the socio-economic type of houses as well as by their
environment and urban context, this classification is set for the entire country. The level ( Estrato) 1, has the lowest
income and quality of environment, while the level 6 is the highest and relates to the higher-income populations. The
75% of Bogotá’s population belongs to the socio-economic levels 2 and 3, less than 10% belong to the level 1 and in
the same way for the level 4. Less than 5% of the population lives in areas classified as level 5 and 6. Regarding the
classification of the population by gender, 52% are women and 48% are men. The 25% of the population is under 15
years of age while only 6% is greater than 64 years.
 In addition to the direct supply of drinking water to Bogotá city the EAB E.S.P. also provides this service to the
municipalities of Soacha and Gachancipá, and through the service of sale of water in block (In Spanish: Venta de
Agua en Bloque - VAB) provides drinking water to the municipalities of Sopó, Tocancipá, Cajicá, Chía, La Calera,
industrial area of Cota, Funza, Mosquera and Madrid, which are located at the outskirts of the city. The spatial
demand distribution of total population served is shown in Table 1.

2.1. Demand distribution

According to the National Planning Department (PND) in 2015 Bogota had a population of 7.878.783 people, who
were located: 7.862.277 in the municipality and 16.506 in areas still considered rural. On the basis of the data of the
DANE (National Administrative Department of Statistics) and the information provided by the District
Administration the density of the urban area of Bogota corresponds to 18.745 inhabitants/km2.

Table 1 – Spatial distribution of demand

Type of Service City / Town Inhabitants Average Flow (m3/s)

Direct provision Bogotá D.C. 7.862.277 14.18
Soacha 390.000 0.70
Gachancipá 6.000 0.10
Sale of water in Block (VAB) Sopó, Tocancipá, Cajicá, Chía, La 470.000 0.84
Calera, Zona Industrial de Cota,
Funza, Mosquera y Madrid
Total 8.728.277 15.73

2.2. Connections

There is a total of 2’094.967 billed users, from which 1’894.488 are residential and 200.479 nonresidential, 124.141
are of commercial nature and 7.360 are from industry. The estimated real net provision is 110 liters/inhabitant/day.

2.3. Total flow required

The average flow rate of total consumption in 2015 was 15.71 m 3/s, very similar to the rate of 2014 that reached
15.70 m3/s. The demand growth behavior was maintained with a positive slope until 1995 when was presented a
contingency situation by the collapse of a conduction tunnel that forced to implement water rationing campaigns that
impact the values of per capita water consumption in the city. Since then, the population growth in the last twenty
years has been maintained with ups and downs around the average value of the demand. This trend has been made
possible by processes of optimization and operation of the distribution system, the technical management, the
management of networks, the deployment of new technologies in more efficient equipment for water consumption
and the impact of the tariffs in the elastic behavior of the demand. The trend is maintained for the present year, but
with lower levels of consumption taking into account the impact of the campaigns of water savings implemented at
national and municipal levels to face the impact in the sources caused by El Niño phenomenon. The Figure 2, shows
the evolution of the total demand in Bogotá and other distribution areas from 1939 to 2015 and the average value to
June of 2016 as the last data (in red).
 Fig. 2 – Demand evolution in time of Bogotá city and other areas served from 1939 to June of 2016.

3. Description of the global system of the network

The water distribution network of the city is divided in two complementary systems. The primary system or
macro, includes the collecting and adduction systems, reservoirs, water treatment plants, pipes, networks arrays and
storage tanks. The networks arrays correspond to the lines over 12" including tunnels and drive lines (some with a
diameter less than 12"). The secondary system includes minor pipelines with diameter less than 12", the points of
consumption and the infrastructure to maintaining adequate levels of pressure within the distribution system. This
subdivision applies to operational and administrative processes within the company. The EAB E.S.P. main network
has around
608.119 meters of network arrays in installations from 12" to the 2.20 m in diameter. The network is formed by pipes
in materials such as steel, PCCP, ductile iron, steely iron, PVC and polyethylene. It has a great variety of materials
and ranges of diameter.

3.1.1. Supply sources

Currently the EAB E.S.P., acording with the optimal operational scheme stablished, captures raw water from three
different surface systems corresponding to the reservoir near to each water treatment plant (WTP), giving priority to
the production and distribution of each system according to the necessities and availability of water in order to
minimize the impact in the sources.

North aggregate system:

This system cover the north zone of Bogotá’s Savannah including Gachancipá, Chocontá y Suesca municipalities. It
is comprised of Tominé, Neusa, Sisga and Aposentos reservoirs, which feed Tibitoc WTP.

Chingaza system:
It is located at north-east of Bogotá, in the eastern mountain range. Its collection system includes Chuza reservoir
with a total capacity of 257 m³ that divert and regulate the flow of Guataquía River (in Orinoco basin) through a
tunnel with the same name. From here the raw water is conducted by a system of tunnels to the Wiesner WTP. During
the maintenance period of Chingaza tunnels this WTP is feed by means of pumping stations from San Rafael
Reservoir with a total capacity of 75 million m³.
South aggregate system:
It is compound by a system of reservoirs that regulate and store the flow from Tunjuelo River and its tributaries;
among them Curubital and El Mugroso located at the south of the city. This system feeds El Dorado and La Laguna
WTP that only function in contingency situations.

Table 2. System of Reservoirs Composition - EAB E.S.P.

System Reservoir Capacity (Mm3) Total capacity (Mm3/s)

North aggregate system Tominé 690 887
Neusa 95
Sisga 102
South aggregate system Chisacá 7.4 13.6
La Regadera 3.8
Laguna Los Tunjos 2.4
Chingaza system Chuza 250 325
San Rafael 75
Total 1226 1226

3.1.2. Adduction flows and water quality

The water quality of the supply sources could be different depending on the degree of the environmental
preservation in each basin. The best conditions are found in Chingaza system, in which the water is collected directly
from moorland ecosystem and due to it is owned by the company (EAB – E.S.P.) the anthropogenic impact is
controlled. This make possible such physicochemical and bacteriological characteristics that it is not necessary a
conventional treatment by a WTP to achieve the water quality level required. An important aspect related to the
supply sources is that the two main systems, including their corresponding reservoirs, Chingaza System and North
aggregated system are located in different climatic regimes throughout the year allowing to mitigate the impact of the
change in the rainfall regime in each basin.
Currently, due to the conurbation and relocation processes of industries in the Briceño-Tocancipá-Gachancipá
corridor, the physicochemical conditions of raw water from the head of Bogotá River, North aggregate system, have
deteriorated making the treatment more expensive and difficult mainly due to the removal of minerals such as
manganese. Regarding the South aggregated system, the water quality vary depending on the time of the year because
the main contaminating factor is associated with the agricultural fertilizers especially near the Sumapaz moorland.
About this the EAB E.S.P. is making a big investment to acquire the properties considered as priority in the water
production and recovery of the basin.

3.1.3. Topographical location

The mayor contribution for the energy generation available for the WDS operation is provided by the Chingaza
System. Its location and flow managed allow to decrease the energy consumption in pumping systems and
additionally produce energy throughout the hydroelectric plants installed in different points of the system.

3.2. Water Treatment Plants (WTP)

EAB ESP has seven WTP: Vitelma, Tibitoc, La Laguna, Wiesner, El Dorado, Yomasa y Aguas Claras. Now a
days the WTPs that provide treated water to the Water Distribution System are Tibicotc, Wiesner and El Dorado,
additional specific services are provided by Yomasa and Aguas Claras WTPs, and other plants are in standby mode
and are only used in special contingency situations.

3.2.1. Treated water

The normal operation of the macro system considers an average contribution of 10.6 m 3/s from Wiesner WTP,
corresponding with a 67% of total demand, 4.70 m 3/s from Tibitoc WTP, including the consumption of north
municipalities: Gachancipá, Tocancipá y Sopó (0.10 m3/s), that is the 30% of total demand, and a final contribution of
0.43 m3/s from El Dorado WTP with the last 3% (see Table 3). The treated water is driven to the primary distribution
network through lines Tibitoc-Casablanca, Tibitoc-Usaquén, Usaquén Tunnel, Los Rosales Tunnel and Wiesner-Suba
line. The water quality treated fully meets the standards stablished in the country through the IRCA indicator in which
the results are in average lower than 0.01.

Table 3. Production capacity of Water Treatment Plants

System WTP Capacity (m3/s) Total Capacity Current supply flow

(Mm3/s) (m3/s)
North aggregate system Tibitoc 10.5 10.5 4.70
South aggregate system El Dorado 1.6 3.5 0.43
La Laguna 0.4 0
Yomasa 0.025 0.01
Vitelma 1.5 0
Chingaza System F. Wiesner 14 14 10.6
Total 27.3 27.3 15.73

3.2.2. Location

Wiesner WTP
This WTP is located in La Calera municipality at the west of the city. For hydraulic and distribution purposes it is
important to indicate that the maximum hydraulic gradient in the contact chamber, where the overflow begins, is
located at 2826.2 m.a.s.l.; while the recommended minimum save level for operation is 2825.50 m.a.s.l. The
maximum production capacity of the plant is 14 m³/s.

Tibitoc WTP:
Tibitoc WTP Is located at the north of the city in the rural area of Tocancipá municipality. The main water sours is
from Bogotá River regulated by the system of reservoirs of North aggregated system and Aposentos reservoir over
Teusacá River as a second alternative. It has an installed capacity of 10.5 m³/s and is the second WTP in order of
importance of the city after Francisco Wiesner WTP. It uses a conventional treatment process starting with pre-
sedimentation in a dock that feed two pumping stations in order to drive the water towards the high part of the Tibitoc
hill where is located the treatment infrastructure. The maximum hydraulic gradient for the water distribution is 2666
meters and it could be improved to 2696 meters by means of an elevated tank making use of an additional pumping.

Planta El Dorado:
El Dorado WTP is located at the south of the city, near the Bogotá-Villavicencio highway, at the east of Alfonso
Lopez commune. This conventional WTP was built and put in service in the second semester of 2001.

3.3. Main network

Bogotá’s WDS has four types of conductions that allows the distribution of water treated in the different WTPs
above mentioned: high-pressure line driving systems as express lines, conduction trunk system, gravity distribution
system and pumping system.
The conformation of the main system includes the service areas of storage tanks fed by the WTPs where is taken
in advantage of the topographic difference with the consumption points. Later, as a management tool EAB-E.S.P.
divided the city in zones of service and then defined 37 District Meter Areas (DMAs) that function as units with
permanent control and monitoring, allowing as well to fulfill the regulations of maximum and minimum pressures. At
present, the main distribution system has redundant networks in different sectors and zones of macro service that
allow to feed the main areas of the network from different sources or plants minimizing the vulnerability of the
system and increasing the possibility of develop different kind of interventions in the system with a minimum impact
in its operation and supply of water to all the users.
Table 4. Subsystems that conforms the main distribution system

Element/subsystem Description
Storage tanks There are fifty nine tanks in operation with storage/regulation capacity of 600.000 m3.
Pumping systems There are thirty four pumping stations of drinking water with a capacity of 60 million of
m3/year.
Express lines Set of tunnels and lines that feed the main regulation tanks without distribution along
the path. Diameters range between 42” to 2.2 m in networks and up to 4.0 m in tunnels.
Trunk lines High capacity lines that drive the water to the main tanks and additionally allow
distribution along its path, its diameters vary between 12” and 42”.
Distribution lines Networks that supply water to the 37 DMAs from the storage tanks or trunk lines. Its
diameters vary between 8” and 16”.
Pumping lines Networks that drive water from pumping stations to secondary tanks with diameters
from 8” to 12”.
Control structures There are 19 structures to regulate flows and pressures in the main points of the system.
Small hydroelectric The system takes advantage of the level difference for energy generation with drinking
Plants (HP) water in three operating points where is required the break of pressures:
HP Santa Ana: 7.7 MW
HP Suba: 2.8 MW
HP Usaquén: 1.8 MW

3.3.1. Topographic description

Due to the national regulation and the contract of uniform conditions in providing the service is necessary to
maintain a minimum dynamic pressure above 15 mca and a maximum pressure of 50 mca. Accordingly, it has been
taken in advantage that the 90% of the city is between 2580 and 2700 m.a.s.l., locating the mayority of the storage
tanks at the east side of the city in the eastern hills, in the hill of Suba at north and in Sierra Morena hill at southeast,
allowing to distribute the water mainly by gravity.

3.3.2. Tanks
Each service area that conforms the main distribution system has its respective regulation tank making possible for
certain service areas to fix an average flow value in the control structures and tanks that dampens the demand
variation all 24 hours and allows the WTPs to have a stable flow. The system operates, monitors and maintains 59
storage tanks with volumes that range between 10 m3 and 143.248 m3. The most significant in descending order are:
- Casablanca Tank: located at south of the city has a storage capacity of 143,248 m 3, it regulates the North Low
Zone.
- New Suba Tank: located at the mid part in the North Low Zone whit 90.000 m 3 of capacity.
- Santa Ana: it has a capacity of 30.000 m 3 and feed service areas South Low Zone and Intermediate Zone,
providing service to important residential, commercial and institutional areas of the city.
- El Silencio Tank: is an alternative tank fed through Silencio Casablanca line from Casablanca Tank and
Cazucá Tank that serves Soacha municipality. It has 30.000 m3 of capacity.
- Vitelma Tank: is the final point of Silencio-Vitelma conduction and drives water from Wiesner WTP to the
south. It can be feed by Vitelma WTP and facilitates the regulation of south-east and Ciudad Bolivar pumping
chains. It has 38.000 m3 of capacity.
- National Park Tank: it helps to regulate the South Low Zone (51.200 m 3 of capacity) along with Santa Lucia
Tank (28.000 m3 of capacity).

3.3.3. Express pipes

Is composed by the conductions that drive the treated water from the WTP to the tanks and in some cases between
tanks, without the feeding of the distribution network along the path. In the WDS of Bogotá, this lines corresponds
basically to the conductions that come from Wiesner WTP to Santa Ana, Chicó, Vitelma, El Silencio, Casablanca, and
Cazucá tanks, and Sierra Morena I Bypass (in operation since April of 2012). Additonally are included Suba tank and
tanks of pumping chains that receive water through North-east line (Usaquén, Unicerros, Bosque Medina, Bosque de
Pinos, Cerro Norte, Soratama y Codito tanks). The main system of express lines is composed by:
- Tunnel of Usaquén and Santa Bárbara
- Alternative tunnel of Usaquén
- Exit portal conduction - Tunnel of Santa Bárbara-Santa Ana
- Exit portal conduction - Tunnel of Santa Bárbara-Entrance portal Los Rosales Tunnel.
- Ventana El Chicó – El Chicó Tank
- Silencio Line – Vitelma
- Silencio Line – San Diego
- Silencio Line - Casablanca - Cazucá
- Microcentral Santa Ana Line – New Suba Tank
- North-east Line
Additionally, El Dorado system has express lines from the WTP to Piedra Herrada Tank and from this to La Fiscala
(currently out of service) and Monteblanco Tanks.

3.3.4. Normal Operation

The macro distribution system operation is done according with the hydric availability criteria of water resources,
the operational maximization of WTPs with minimum operative costs, the minimum use of pumping in treatment and
distribution systems, the geographical coverage of all the city, and the generation of aggregated value and operation
sub-products as the energy generation in specific points of the system. This guidelines define the operational criteria
according with the optimal performance model and are implemented for different periods of the year taking into
account the seasonality of demand. The average flow of WTPs are: 10.6 m 3/s in Wiesner WTP, 4.70 m3/s in Tibitóc
WTP and 0.43 m3/s in El Dorado WTP.

3.3.5. Operation in contingency events

In emergency events is used the Contingency Manual which includes the procedure and the system operation in its
different alternatives of service depending on the magnitude, location and type of failure. Among these are the
accidental failure of WTPs, earthquakes, electrical system failures in WTP or pumping chains, uprisings, important
changes in water quality in the supply sources, among others. There are some autonomy levels and scaling of
information and operative decision making in accordance with the impact that may be caused to the city.
There are some extraordinary events in the operation to carry out systematic maintenance to elements of
infrastructure like the scheduled maintenance of tunnels in Chingaza system. During the first semester of 2016 this
activity imply the decreasing in the output flow of Wiesner WTP while was performed the first scheduled
maintenance in 2016. During this period was necessary to feed the Wiesner WTP by pumping from San Rafael
reservoir and to increase the output flow of Tibitóc WTP by means of the elevated tank system increasing the
piezometric line in 30 mca. In contingency events to supply the service in the southern part of the city it is established
to start production by the Vitelma Plant and for the El Dorado System to supply the service operating the La Laguna
Plant.

3.3.6. Models developed and / or employed

The hydraulic simulation model of primary and secondary network is implemented in different hydraulic
simulation software such as WATER CAD, WATER GEMS and EPANET, that allow to simulate the behavior of the
system in contingency events, in different operations and scheduled closures, in different service requests, future
development plans and indispensable in defining the most convenient scenario of operation. The totality of the macro
system is updated in the model and the different parameters and data are frequently updated based on the information
supplied by the Macro-metering reports developed by the area.
In an operation this tool allows to determine in advance sites with service failures in order to state the alternatives
or operatives of water supply trough tanker trucks. Likewise, these has been implemented with tracers in order to
simulate potential problems with water quality or service mixing conditions of the main WTP (Wiesner and Tibitóc).
4. Distribution network

The operation of the distribution network depends on the topological location of minor networks and consumption
points where the pressure plane is homogenized trough the definition of District Metered Areas (DMAs). In the minor
networks my means of pressure control systems such as the PRVs is possible to homogenize the service variables and
to minimize the impact in losses when doing an active control of pressures. Likewise, the use of pumping equipment
is minimized and the energy generation is maximized in the three hydroelectric plants currently in operation.

4.1. District Metered Areas

Since the late 90s EAB E.S.P. has implemented programs to define the DMAs and analyze the behavior of the
networks versus the individual processes of consumption and billing, whereby the water utility has applied the DMAs
for all the network and has implemented in specific zones the macro-metering at the entrances and exits of this DMAs
and in some sub DMAs and districts of special commercial or operative interest. With the implementation of the
macro-metering is possible to keep track of the balance of the general distribution in the water distribution system and
thus define each one of the input variables for the loss assessment.

4.1.1. Number of DMAs

The city is made up of 37 homogeneous isolated and independent DMAs in which it is possible to macro-meter the
volumes supplied, consolidate billed volumes, optimize service conditions and calculate the unaccounted-for water
index. By forming the functional boundary within the water utility the DMAs are also operational control units to
verify conditions inherent in water quality, pressures and segmentation of water demand.

4.1.2. Typical size and characterization

The DMAs of the Water Distribution System of Bogotá city have an average area of 1064 ha, conformed by
sectors, subsectors, districts and sub-districts, according with the convenience of the service, its location and the ease
or difficulty to define each DMA. There are DMAs with areas that vary between 4149 ha and 66 ha, the first is the
case of DMA S-30 corresponding to all the municipality of Soacha and the second is case of San Dionisio and
Gravedad Vitelma DMAs. The average number of subscribers per sector is 50.000 with a maximum number of
169.959 in Suba DMA (S-5).
At sub-district level, its size is defined based on the length of the network, this length must be greater than
minimum estimated for the “Basic Unit of DMA”. In the case of Bogotá is proven that the minimum extension for
detect leakages should be 25 km.

4.1.3. Operation
The operability for the DMAs is linked with the functioning of two pressure planes linked to the topographic
location of the WTP that maintain an operative plane of the macro system through the service zones and another
plane controlled through pressure regulating stations that homogenize the pressures in the basic units of measurement
and in the different entities of the DMAs.

4.1.3.1. Pressures
One of the hydraulic variables that was taken into account in the definition of the DMAs was the compliance of the
level of pressures established in the regulation: 15 mca for highest levels and 50 mca for lowest levels. At the entrance
of each operational distribution unit (DMA) pressure regulating valves are fitted and its measurement is continuous
during the 24 hours of the day and a register is kept to follow up.

4.1.3.2. Flows
At the inputs and outputs each DMA has macro-meters that allow to determine the actual consumption in each
one. This parameter together with the pressure data allows to evaluate the actual stat of the DMA. When comparing it
with the micro-metering is possible to determine the index of losses.
4.2. Modeling

The hydraulic modeling allows to operate the system properly, is an important tool for the network diagnosis, and
allows the determination of expansion needs and the prioritization of immediate actions such as pipe renovation. A
well-calibrated model allows the setting up of operating scenarios so that in contingency events can be proposed
different alternatives of service or can be predicted the impact caused to the community in order to take prevention
actions.

5. Special problems

5.1. High pressure handling

From the Operational Control Center of EAB E.S.P. continuous monitoring of the operating parameters of the
system is carried out which allows the identification and prevention of sudden increases in pressure which can
generate immediate or future damage to some component of the macro system. There have been some isolated cases
of increased pressures due to equipment de-calibration or failures in the automation systems which are prevented an
avoided by means of the program of maintenance of flow control stations led jointly with the area of
electromechanical services of the water utility.

5.2. Pumping management in particular situations

The pumping stations of EAB E.S.P. are redundant systems which allows to perform the maintenance to the units
without affecting the distribution service. In cases of power service failures of prolonged duration the service attention
will be implemented as set out in the contingency manual; however, compensation of storage tanks in pumping chains
minimizes the impact on the service delivered to the users for three to six hours depending on the type of structure and
the time of consumption. For the management of flood contingencies EAB E.S.P. has a minimum stock o pumping
units, if the event exceeds the capacity of the water utility the emergency is communicated in order to get support
from other District entities.

5.3. Water quality problems

EAB E.S.P. performs daily water quality control at different points of the system: in the WTPs, storage tanks,
primary networks and secondary networks (service endpoints); this in order to verify and fulfill the regulation
requirements in all the fifteen physicochemical and microbiological variables that assure the quality of the water
delivered to the users.
Likewise, a strategy has been implemented to identify possible points of non-compliance, to investigate the causes
and to take corrective actions. If the problem comes from one of the three treatment plants that are operating there is
an action plan and a protocol stablished in the Manual of Contingencies and the Communication Protocol that must be
followed in this and similar cases. Among the actions to follow are: to isolate some hydraulic sectors, prohibit the
consumption, drain and wash the network, suspend the water service of the plant(s) proposing different alternatives of
service, and intensify the sampling of the presumably affected area.
EAB E.S.P. reports to the Wealth Agency of the District the results of the Water Quality Risk Index (IRCA – for
its acronym in Spanish) with magnitudes well below the “safe” water limits for consumption.

5.4. Non-revenue water

The consolidated non-revenue water index for EAB E.S.P. throughout the year (2016) is around the 36.42%, where
the maximum value is 50% in Zone 4 and the minimum value is 30% in Zone 1.
6. Innovation and Contributions

6.1. New knowledge and applications in water management

EAB E.S.P. has developed and implemented new processes and technologies to improve the results in the
operational and commercial management of the water utility. Among these highlights some related with water
distribution systems analysis:

- DMAs definition: having the network totally defined in terms of DMAs has allowed to provide an adequate
service to fulfill the current regulations, keep a rigorous loss control, particularize its causes, and implement
immediate actions to regulate the DMA, subsector or zone that is out of indexes' normal levels.
- Optimum pressure plane: Determining the optimum pressure plane of the network allows a suitable service
where pressure managements is optimized to an ideal value in order to reduce leaks and waste of water. This
value can be dynamic and in accordance with the variation of the demand during the 24 hours of service.
- Active pressure control: It is implemented in some DMAs. This control and regulation system allows to
increase the pressure when the demand rises in order to keep the minimum pressure in the critical point of
each DMA.
- Seismic Reinforcement: This task is a result of the infrastructure evaluation in the case of an earthquake. This
assessment led some recommendations and works that were put in practice by the water utility for more than
eight years. Among this actions are included: structural reinforcement of tanks, flexibilization of pipes with
new flexible mechanical joints, structural reinforcement of other hydraulic structures complying with the
current NSR10 regulation at national level.

6.2. New technologies used to ensure coverage with high quality and sustainability

- Automation of the operation: At the moment, the supervision, operation, verification and control of the
principal network is done by means of the Modelia Control Center making use of a monitoring software
SCADA WinCC OA. This software was implemented since 2013 to update and expand the operational
capacity related with Wizcon platform where is controlled and supervised all hydraulic variables of the
principal system in real time.
- Supervision and monitoring in DMAs and minimum units of operation: In the Zone Management level, it is
important the operation, control and maintenance of the networks, therefore has been implemented a
permanent monitoring through the Platform i2o and the active pressure control is being developing. The
advantage of this tool is the ease performing of an instant evaluation of the water distribution system by taking
preventive and corrective measures instantly. This activity is supported by teams and experience field
personnel to deal with possible contingencies.

References

[1] Acueducto de Bogotá y Conservación Internacional - Colombia, Los Humedales de Bogotá y la Sabana (2003) 42–47.
[2] M. Jiménez Aldana, Acueducto de Bogotá, La Sectorización Hidráulica como estrategia de control de pérdidas en sistemas de acueducto (2002).
[3] Dirección Red Matriz Acueducto, Acueducto de Bogotá, Manual de Operación (2015).
[4] División Centro de Control, Acueducto de Bogotá, Pautas de Operación (2016).