Water Supply &
Treatment
Chapter – 2
Sources of Water Supply 1
By- Seble A.
COUSE CONTENT
2.1 Types of water supply source
2.1.1 Wells
2.2 Source Selection Criteria
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The hydrological cycle or water cycle
Is the continuous movement of water on, above, and below the Earth's surface. This
process involves water changing between its three main states: liquid, solid (ice), and
gas (water vapor). The key stages of this cycle include:
Evaporation: movement of water
from liquid to gaseous state.
Condensation: formation of tiny
droplets forming clouds in the
atmosphere.
Precipitation: falling of heavy
droplets under gravity as rain, snow,
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onto land or ocean surfaces.
2.1 TYPES OF WATER SUPPLY SOURCE
Surface water- refers to water that is found on the Earth's surface. It is primarily replenished
by precipitation (e.g., rain, snowmelt) and is subject to evaporation, seepage into the ground,
or usage by plants and animals.
Groundwater-is water stored beneath the Earth's surface in aquifers(layers of porous rock or
sediment that store and transmit groundwater).
Surface water Groundwater
sources sources
Lakes, streams Spring water
and ponds
Infiltration
River water
gallery…
Reservoirs Water wells
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Rainwater
RAIN WATER
Rainwater- can be both a surface and groundwater
source, depending on its path after falling to the ground.
Surface Water: When rain falls, a portion of it runs off into rivers, lakes, and streams,
forming surface water. This runoff occurs when the rate of percolation becomes lesser.
Groundwater: when rainwater percolates down to recharge underground aquifers. water
seeps(percolates) through soil layers until it reaches saturated zones where it can be
stored.
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CONT….
RW Harvesting- roofs are most effective and can be integrated with tanks
Advantages of rainwater collection:
Quality of RW is high
Local materials can be used for collection
No energy costs
Time saving and convenient
Disadvantages
High initial cost (i.e. for a family)
Quantity of water is dependent on the roof area and rainy seasons 6
CONT….
Surface water sources
lakes:
Large bodies of standing water surrounded by land. Lakes can
be natural or artificial and are generally deeper than ponds.
Ponds:
Smaller bodies of standing water also surrounded by land. Ponds are often shallower
than lakes.
Streams:
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Flowing bodies of water that move continuously in one direction,
typically smaller than rivers.
CONT….
River water:
A stream or river is a body of running water on the
surface of the earth, from higher to lower ground.
Reservoirs:
Are large artificial water bodies or man made lakes designed
for the storage of water, primarily created by constructing
dams across rivers or diverting water.
Abay river
CONT….
Groundwater sources
Groundwater defined as water that is found underground within rocks. Its presence
depends primarily on the type of rock. The layers of rock that hold groundwater are
called aquifers; sand, gravel, and sandstones are good aquifers.
Aquifer
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CONT….
Springs:
Occur when water pressure causes a natural flow
of groundwater onto the earth's surface. The yield
varies with the position of the water table.
May dry up during or immediately after a dry season.
Infiltration gallery :
Is a horizontal tunnel that collects groundwater,
surface water or storm water runoff.
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Infiltration gallery
Infiltration gallery
Groundwater gallery
Surface water gallery
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Match the following
Factors that makes rain water as a component of either surface water or groundwater source
are:
Topography
Land use 12
Soil type
CONT….
Vertical zones of groundwater distribution Vadose zone, also known as the unsaturated
zone, is the region of the Earth's subsurface
between the land surface and the top of
the phreatic zone (water table). This zone is
characterized by soil and rock that are not fully
saturated with water; instead, the pores contain
both water and air.
capillary zone is a subsurface above the water
table where water is drawn upward by capillary
action.
Aquifers
An aquifer is a permeable geologic formation that stores and transmits water. Such rocks
may readily transmit water to wells and springs. Wells can be drilled into the aquifers and
water can be pumped out.
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CONT….
Aquifer classification
A) Unconfined:
These are aquifers that are partly filled with water, have fluctuating water levels, and can
receive direct recharge from percolating surface water.
B) Confined.
These are aquifers that are completely filled with water and are overlaid by a confining bed.
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CONT….
Advantages of groundwater
It is likely to be free of pathogenic bacteria
free from turbidity and color change
It can be used without further treatment
It is economical to obtain and distribute
Disadvantages of ground water
Often have high in mineral content
It usually requires pumping.
CATIONS: calcium, magnesium, iron and manganese
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ANIONS: bicarbonate, carbonate, and chloride
2.1.1 WELLS
A well usually is an artificial vertical hole in the ground for bringing groundwater to
the surface. Wells are the most common means of accessing groundwater.
Some times water wells are used for:
Subsurface exploration and observation
Disposal of waste water
The selection of a particular method depends on
- Purpose of the well
- Quantity of water required
- Depth of groundwater
- Geologic conditions and
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- Economic factors
CONT….
A. Shallow wells are drilled by: dug, bored, driven or jetted.
B. Deep wells are drilled by: cable tool or rotary methods.
Methods for construction of shallow wells
Shallow wells are generally less than 15 meters in depth and can be constructed by:
1. Digging (Dug wells)
2. Boring (bored wells)
3. Driving or (Driven wells)
4. Jetting (Jetted wells)
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A. SHALLOW WELLS CONSTRUCTION
1. Dug Wells
Dug wells are mostly excavated by hand, however the use of blasting techniques may
be employed while digging in hard rock formations. May be just a hole in the ground or
it may be lined with a casing of brick, rock, concrete or metal.
A disadvantage of open dug wells is the easy pollution of the well water by surface
water, air borne material and objects falling in the well.
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CONT….
Depth of dug wells typically ranges from 3 to 10 meters depending upon the depth of
water table and the diameter may vary from 0.6 to 1.5 meters.
These wells are normally used for individual water supply.
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CONT….
2. Bored Wells
A bore well is a narrow tube drilled into the ground to access underground water resources.
It typically consists of a casing pipe and a submersible pump to draw water to the surface
Bored wells are constructed with hand operated or power driven earth augers.
Hand-bored wells are 5 to 20 meters in depth and Power driven augers may go up to a
depth of 10 to 30 meters and the diameter may be up to 1 meter.
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CONT….
The auger consists of a cylindrical steel bucket with a cutting edge projecting to the
bottom. The bucket is filled by rotating it in the hole by a drive shaft of adjustable length.
When the auger is full it is taken out of the hole and the excavated material is removed
through the hinged opening in the side or bottom of the bucket.
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hand operated augers power driven augers
CONT….
3. Driven Wells
A driven well is a type of well constructed by driving a pipe into the ground until it reaches
an aquifer. The pipe is driven by repeated impacts into the ground below the water table.
Water enters the well through a drive point
at the lower end of the well.
Depth and diameter of driven wells are smaller
than dug and bored wells. Have diameter of
around 5-15cm and depth of between 9 to 15 meters.
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CONT….
The water is taken out from these wells by a suction(pressurized) pipe, therefore the
water table must be close to the ground surface for a continuous water supply.
For best results the water table should be within 3 to 5 meters depths from the ground.
Driven wells are best suited for domestics
supply, for temporary water supply and for
exploration and observation.
The advantage of driven well is that it can
be constructed within a short time at low
cost and even by one person.
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CONT….
4. Jetted Wells
a high-velocity stream of water directed vertically downward, while the casing that is
lowered into the hole channels the water and cuttings to the surface.
Have small diameter holes of 3 to 10 cm and the depths may go up to 15 meters
Jetted wells have small yields and are best suited for unconsolidated formations.
Because of the speed of jetting a well and the portability
of the equipment , jetted wells are useful for experimental
test holes.
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CONT….
Concrete ring production and installation
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CONT….
Hand pump over a protected dug well
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B. DEEP WELL CONSTRUCTION
Deep wells are constructed by cable tool (percussion) drilling or rotary drilling methods.
1. Cable tool method
Uses a heavy drill bit that is repeatedly lifted and dropped to crush the rock or soil.
regular lifting and dropping of a string of tools, with a sharp bit on the lower end to
break rock by impact. Depth can vary from 30 to 300 m and diameter from 15 to 60cm.
Pulley
Tripod
Rope
Casing pipe
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CONT….
2. Rotary method:
Uses a rotating drill bit to cut through the rock or soil. Drilling mud or water is used to
increase efficiency. No casing is required with drilling mud because the mud forms a
clay lining on the wall of the well. Drilling mud consists of a suspension of water,
bentonite clay, and various organic additives.
Depth can vary from 15 to 1000+ m and diameter from 10 to 90cm.
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2.2 SOURCE SELECTION CRITERIA
Surface water sources
Safe water yield during the drought years
Proposed impoundments on tributaries
Water quality
Assessment of reliability
Requirements for construction of water supply system components
Environmental impacts of the project
Water rights
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CONT….
Ground water sources
Aquifer characteristics (depth, geology)
Safe aquifer yield
Water quality
Source of contamination(gasoline, oil, chemicals)
Type and extent of recharge area
Rate of recharge
Water rights
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Thank you!
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