TABLE OF CONTENTS Edwin E.Geldreich, M.S.
Consulting Microbiologist
Cincinnati, Ohio
Mark LeChevallier, Ph.D.
Research Director
American Water Works Service Co.
Voorhees, New Jersey
The purpose of a water supply distribution system is to deliver to each consumer safe drinking water that is also adequate in quantity and acceptable in terms of taste, odor, and appearance. Historically, the initial network of pipes was a response to present community needs that eventually created a legacy of problems of inadequate supply and low pressure as the population density increased (Frontinus, 1973; Baker, 1981). To resolve the problems caused by increasing water demand along the distribution route, reservoir storage was created. Pressure pumping to move water to far reache s of the su pply lin es and sta ndp ipes was inc or porate d to a ffor surges of pressure. In some areas, population growth exceeded the capacity of a water resource, so other sources of water were incorporated and additional treatment plants were built to feed into the distribution network. Another response was to consolidate neighboring water systems and interconnect the associated distribution pipe networks.
Today (1999), community expansion plans are more fully developed and include the engineering of utility service so that careful consideration is given to meeting future projected water supply needs. Advanced planning provides the opportunity to design the pipe network as a grid with a series of loops to avoid dead ends. The objective is to produce a circulating system capable...
