TABLE OF CONTENTS Water utilities are implemented to construct, operate, and maintain water supply systems. The basic function of these water utilities is to obtain water from a source, treat the water so that its quality is acceptable, and deliver the desired quantity of water at the desired time. The analysis of a water supply system often is devoted to the evaluation of one or more of the five major systems components: the source, the water transmission, the treatment system, the storage system, or the distribution system. The storage system consists of both raw water storage and finished water storage.
The American Water Works Association (1974) defines a water distribution system as one including all water utility components for the distribution of finished or potable water by means of gravity storage feed or pumps through distribution-pumping networks to customers or other users, including distribution-equalizing storage. The design or extension of a water distribution system generally involves large capital outlays as well as the continuing operation, maintenance, and repair costs. Because of the complexity of the problem arising from the large number of design components and their interaction, automated procedures that result in reliable, but minimal, cost designs are desired. Conventional design approaches consist of selecting a network configuration, pipe sizes, reservoir sizes and elevations, and facilities. This process is usually a trial-and-error procedure that attempts to find a design representing a low-cost solution. There is no guarantee that the resulting distribution...
