Water

Distribution
Systems
Design, materials and
apparatus, planning, and
specification
• Water
Distribution
Systems
Objectives
• Understand water & pressure
requirements
• Know the basics of providing water
• Understand the layout of water
distribution systems
• Understand the basics of balancing
storage/ reservoir design
• Understand the basic types of pipes
• Understand the basic types of valves

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Distribution system is the real service to the public. And
the revenue of the water treatment plant is based on the
sales of water, thus it is important to ensure that there is
no disturbance of the distribution system.

Designed to adequately satisfy water requirements for

combination of:
Domestic use
Commercial Use
Industrial Use
Fire-fighting
Have to consider:
Flow
Pressure
Quality
Differences with transmission
system
• Unlike the transmission systems these systems deal
with water demand that varies considerably in the
course of a day.
• Water consumption is highest during the hours that
water is used for personal hygiene and cleaning,
and when food preparation and clothes washing are
done. Water use is lowest during the night.
• This variation in flow can be dealt with by
operating pumps in parallel and/or building
balancing storage in the system.
• Service reservoirs accumulate and store water
during the night so that it can be supplied during
the daytime hours of high water demand.
Staged development of
distribution systems
• The cost of a water distribution system
depends mainly on the total length of pipes
installed, and less on the diameters of these
pipes. Hence, it can be advantageous to
design the major components directly for
the ultimate capacity
• Solution: Water tap for communal
 Distribution System
• Systems should be made redundant by
interconnecting pipes into loops.
• Valves should be placed to allow repairs
with minimal disruption to surrounding
• Fire hydrants should be installed at
locations convenient for the fire
department
• Necessary to maintain sufficient
pressure in the distribution system to
protect it against contamination by the
ingress of polluted seepage water. A
minimum pressure of 5-10 mwc should
be adequate in most instances.

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Distribution System Types:
Branching and Loop System
Distribution System Classifications

Branching System

Grid/ Loop System

Combination system
 Branching system
Easy to design. The direction of the water flow and
the flow rates can readily be determined for all
pipes, but..
•Low reliability, which affects all users located
downstream of any breakdown in the system
•Danger of contamination caused by the possibility
that a large part of network will be without water
during irregular situations
•Accumulation of sediments, due to stagnation of the
water at the system ends (“dead” ends) occasionally
resulting in taste and odour problems
•Fluctuating water demand producing rather large
pressure variations
 Loop/ Grid System
Consumers can be supplied from more than one
direction, and greatly improve the hydraulics of the
distribution system. This is of major importance in
the event that one of the mains is out of operation
for cleaning or repair.
A looped network usually has a skeleton of
secondary mains that can also be in a form
of branch, one loop (’ring’), or a number of loops.
From there, the water is conveyed towards the
distribution pipes and further to the consumers
Loop System: Fully
interconnected pipes
Loop System: Over-crossing
single pipes
 Service Connection
Points at which the water is delivered to the
users are called service connections. The
number and type of service connections has
considerable influence on the choice of a
network layout.
Types of service connections:
•House connection
•Yard connection
•Group connection
•Public standpipe
Primary, Secondary, and small
distribution lines
 Service Connection

The service pipe is connected to the distribution main in the street by

means of a T-piece (on small-diameter pipes), a special insert piece
(ferrule) or a saddle (on larger-size secondary pipes). A special insert
piece is mostly used for cast iron and ductile iron pipes.
Usually 3/8 inch (9 mm) and 1/2 inch (12 mm) taps are used.
 Select pipe sizes to avoid high velocities

A typical range of velocities in

distribution pipes is between 0.5 and
1.0 m/s, occasionally up to 2 m/s.
Hydraulic gradients usually range
between 1 and 5 m/km, occasionally up
to 10 m/km. In case of smaller pipes,
D < 50 mm, the hydraulic gradient can
even be higher.

6 Inch pipes recommended in areas were fire-fighting

demands are expected. 6 inch pipe may be used if a grid
type system is used and length between connections is
lesss than 600 feet.
Water Pressure

Pressure criterion is dependent on topographic

conditions, availability of water at the source and
overall condition of the pipes.
Minimum pressures should not drop below 5-10 mwc. In
larger distribution areas where water scarcity is not an
issue, the minimum pressures can range between 20
and 30 mwc above street level, where there are house
connections. This is sufficient for supply of 2-3 storey
buildings.
Pressures higher than 60 mwc should be avoided in
general, due to increased leakage and risks of bursts,
especially in poorly maintained networks.
Piping Network
• Networks consist of storage
reservoirs, main, booster pumping
stations, fire hydrants and service
lines
• Provide redundancy via grids and
loops

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Variation of domestic water demand during the day
 On demand factors,
Other sources stated:
Tends to be high for small villages, lower for larger communities.
Design for supply to a small group of consumers, a higher value
should be adopted because of the effects of instantaneous
demand
•The daily peak factor (k1) is 1.1-1.3
•The hourly peak factor (k2) is 1.5-2.5
A water distribution system is typically designed to cater for the
maximum hourly demand. This peak demand may then be
computed as k1 x k2 x average hourly demand.
..on Water Leakage..
While developing a new system or extension, in case the leakage percentage
has to be added in the starting point:

Factor, f, in the equation is a unit conversion factor while l represents the

leakage percentage of the total quantity supplied to the system.
If Q average day represent pure consumption, the peak hour demand with
leakage of 20% becomes:
Design capacity:
 Distribution Reservoirs and Service Storage
Storage reservoirs are used to meet fluctuating
demands, to accommodate fire-fighting and
emergency requirements, and equalize
operating pressures.

Types of storage reservoirs:

Surface reservoirs
Standpipes
Elevated storage tanks

Locate reservoirs and storage to maximize

benefits. Usually near the center of use.

High enough to supply necessary pressure in the system

 Modes of Operation

Demand light – pumping station will met needs in system and

supply water to storage tank.

Demands high – both the tank and the pumping station will be
needed to supply the flow
Placement of Reservoir in the
system
39
Calculation of Reservoir Volume

(Volume surplus – Volume Defisit) * Qd

= (12,51 – (-12,51) )% * Qd
= 25,02 % * 53,68
= 13,43 m3

Sometimes, if the reservoir is also used

for fire fighting source, we need to add
the volume.
Therefore, total volume
= Domestic needs + fire fighting vol.
When supply is not for 24 hours
A typical
distribution
system
layout
Hydraulic grade lines
Hydraulic calculation
- If the network is of branched structure, the flows
and their directions can easily be determined
assuming the flow continuity in each node. For
node n that is a junction of j pipes
- But in the looping system, a specific method is
needed to design and analyze the distribution
system of water
- Hardy Cross Method
- EPANET
Hardy Cross Method
EPA NET
 Materials and Apparatus in
WATER DISTRIBUTION SYSTEM
• Water Line:
– Cold Water Line (CWL)
– Hot Water Line (HWL)
• Pipes (Material):
– Galvanized Iron (G.I.) – Threaded connection using
teflon
– Cast Iron Pipes – Welded/Soldered, Bolted connection
(Flanges)
– PolyVinyl Chloride (PVC) – Fusion using solvent cement
• Fittings:
– Elbows
– Tee
– Union
– Bushing
– Reducer
– Coupling
– Cap/Plug
– Nipple
Kinds of Pipe
• Ductile iron
• Plastic (HDPE/PVC)

• Concrete

• Steel
• Residential (copper or plastic)

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Joints
• Compression

• Mechanical

• Flanged

• Solvent

• Soldered
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 VALVES
• Control Valves:
– Gate Valves
– Check Valves
– Globe Valves
– Angle Valves
– Ball Valves
– Flush Valves
FITTINGS

• Elbows
FITTINGS

• Tee
FITTINGS

• Union/Bushing
FITTINGS

• Reducer/Coupling
FITTINGS

• Cap/Plug
FITTINGS

• Nipple
CONTROL VALVES

• Gate Valve
A Gate Valve, or Sluice Valve, as
it is sometimes known, is a
valve that opens by lifting a
round or rectangular
gate/wedge out of the path
of the fluid. The distinct
feature of a gate valve is the
sealing surfaces between the
gate and seats are planar.
The gate faces can form a
wedge shape or they can be
parallel.
CONTROL VALVES

• Globe Valve
A Globe valve is a device
for regulating flow in a
pipeline, consisting of a
movable disk-type
element and a
stationary ring seat in a
generally spherical
body.
 CONTROL VALVES
• Check Valve
A check valve is a mechanical
device, a valve, that
normally allows fluid (liquid
or gas) to flow through it in
only one direction. Check
valves are two-port valves,
meaning they have two
openings in the body, one for
fluid to enter and the other
for fluid to leave. There are
various types of check valves
used in a wide variety of
applications.
 Check Valve
•swing check valve is a check valve in which the disc, the movable part
to block the flow, swings on a hinge or trunnion, either onto the seat to
block reverse flow or off the seat to allow forward flow. The seat
opening cross-section may be perpendicular to the centerline between
the two ports or at an angle. Although swing check valves can come in
various sizes, large check valves are often swing check valves.
•A clapper valve is a type of check valve used in or with firefighting, and
has a hinged gate (often with a spring urging it shut) that will only
remain open in the outflowing direction.
•A stop-check valve is a check valve with override control to stop flow
regardless of flow direction or pressure. When the valve is open, it acts
as a check valve, but the valve can be deliberately shut to stop flow.
•A lift-check valve is a check valve in which the disc, sometimes called a
lift, can be lifted up off its seat by higher pressure of inlet or upstream
fluid to allow flow to the outlet or downstream side. A guide keeps
motion of the disc on a vertical line, so the valve can later reseat
properly. When the pressure is no longer higher, gravity or higher
downstream pressure will cause the disc to lower onto its seat, shutting
the valve to stop reverse flow.
CONTROL VALVES
• Angle Valve/Ball
Valve
A ball valve (like the butterfly
valve, one of a family of valves
called quarter turn valves) is a
valve that opens by turning a
handle attached to a ball inside
the valve. The ball has a hole, or
port, through the middle so that
when the port is in line with
both ends of the valve, flow will
occur. When the valve is closed,
the hole is perpendicular to the
ends of the valve, and flow is
blocked. The handle position lets
you "see" the valve's position.
PIPES AND ACCESSORIES
PLUMBING SYMBOLS
Fire Hydrants

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Problems: Land Subsidence..