newshound
10-26-2009, 01:01 PM
This website is dedicated to providing reviews and commentary on the various municipal culinary water systems in the great (http://click.adbrite.com/mb/click.php?sid=895836&banner_id=12694125&variation_id=1399170&uts=1242312820&cpc=302e303334&keyword_id=24330&inline=y&ab=168296537&sscup=fbb89489842a77438deeb8b216d587a2&sscra=f58da84cbb010a8aff55b7a4a66f9ee0&ub=1276861631&guid=0902fbc1-fc15-405e-8f23-8ee4b43fb6e7&odc=svx&rs=&r=) state of Utah.
Most people have absolutely no idea how much planning, design and work is required to deliver water* to their home or business. Providing an adequate water supply for a community includes three things:
*
Finding and developing an adequate water source
Treating the water to ensure that it meets federal minimum safety standards (http://www.epa.gov/region5/water/cwa.htm)
*Delivering the water to residential, commercial and industrial buildings within the service area
*
Finding and Developing a Water Source
In Utah, there are two types of water sources to be exploited:- ground water and surface water. Both of these sources are fed by precipitation that occurred at some point in history.* Winter snow-pack is usually the single precursor to recharging ground water aquifers, creeks, streams, rivers, lakes and reservoirs.
Ground water is extracted from an aquifer by the use of wells.*** While ground water taken from different locations can have vastly different water quality characteristics, ground water is usually safer than surface water.** Ground water will generally have significantly higher levels of inorganic contaminants such as calcium, magnesium, manganese, iron, copper, zinc, lean, copper, arsenic, hydrogen sulfide etc...
Surface water tends to collect natural (organic) and man-made pollutants such as fecal matter, bacteria, mold, tannins, lignins, fulvic acid, humic acid, oils, and agricultural/Industrial runoff.
Surface water sources include: rivers, streams, lakes, reservoirs and even springs, due to their open proximity to surface pollutants.
Water Treatment
Water drawn from a surface or ground water source is referred to as "raw" water to distinguish it from treated or "finished" water. Raw water is treated not just to remove disease-causing organisms but also to remove silt, grit and organic materials that can have a detrimental affect on pipes, water meters and other components of the water distribution system.*
The cleaner and better the quality of the raw water, the easier and cheaper it is to treat. Federal, state and local government agencies have enacted legislation & guidelines aimed at protecting and preserving the quality of drinking water sources. Many surface water streams along the Wasatch front are important sources of drinking water, but also double as recreation areas. Since we hike, hunt, camp, picnic and in watershed areas and boat, fish and water-ski on the water that we will drink, it is vital* that we remember to be responsible about litter control, use of public restrooms and preventing wildfires to minimize the impact on our valuable water sources.
The water treatment process can range from a simple filter or chlorination/chloramination, to a complex treatment plant. A small rural community drinking water system, with a high quality ground water source, may need very little, if any, treatment. For much larger public water systems, particularly when the water source is subjected to repeated human contact such as heavy recreational use, the treatment process is much more complicated and will likely include a combination of the following processes
Initial Filtration - The water is filtered through coarse screens to remove* fish, insects, leaves, twigs, and debris.
Coagulation & Sedimentation - Alum and lime are added to the water. These chemicals then bond with suspended sediments, bacteria and fine particles present in the water to form a sticky floc, which looks like white foam or suds on the water. Over time and as the water is stirred all the fine particulate matter is bonded to the floc, which eventually precipitates to the bottom of the tank.
Disinfection - This is the controlled addition of a disinfectant,; usually chlorine or chloramine, to the water. This treatment step can take place early, late or even repeatedly in the water treatment process.**
Aeration - Taste and odor problems are often a result of the presence of dissolved gas such as natural occurring hydrogen sulfide, or living organic material such as algae, or decaying organic material, industrial waste or even residual chlorine. Forcing tiny bubbles of air through the water facilitates the release of these gases from solution reducing unpleasant odors and taste.
Water Delivery and Distribution
Once treated, water* is finally ready for distribution to homes and businesses.* Water* treatment plants are generally designed to treat water at a constant rate, but* people don't use water at a constant rate. Traditionally there is less water use late at night and during early morning hours than the rest of the day.*** Daily water use tends to peak in the morning while people prepare for their day, and then again in the evening as we return home to prepare dinner. During summer,* lawn watering can dramatically impact peak water usage.** It is important to have enough storage capacity within the distribution system to meet peak daily water usage requirements without running out of water. Pipes that deliver the water from storage tanks to the individual homes and businesses must be sized appropriately to effectively transport water during peak usage periods.** Fire-fighting imposes even greater demands upon the system, requiring that pipes and storage reservoirs be large enough to suppress fires during periods of peak water use without significant pressure loss.
Insuring adequate water flow throughout the system is a major problem for water system designers. Smaller pipes cost less to purchase and install than large pipes.** Delivering the same volume of water through smaller pipes means that the water must travel faster. Since there* an interdependent relationship exists between the velocity of the water and the pressure in the pipe, the designer must size pipes large enough to accommodate the required flow without increasing the project cost by over-sizing pipes.*** This practice of over-pressurizing water pressure for distribution necessitates a water pressure regulating device at each home/business.** It is your responsibility to ensure that you protect your building from excessively high municipal water pressure.
Click here to visit our generous sponsor - Intermountain Soft Water (http://www.intermountainsoftwater.com)
More... (http://www.utahmunicipalwatersystems.com/index.php/component/content/article/1-latest-news/45-utah-water-and-utah-soft-water)
Most people have absolutely no idea how much planning, design and work is required to deliver water* to their home or business. Providing an adequate water supply for a community includes three things:
*
Finding and developing an adequate water source
Treating the water to ensure that it meets federal minimum safety standards (http://www.epa.gov/region5/water/cwa.htm)
*Delivering the water to residential, commercial and industrial buildings within the service area
*
Finding and Developing a Water Source
In Utah, there are two types of water sources to be exploited:- ground water and surface water. Both of these sources are fed by precipitation that occurred at some point in history.* Winter snow-pack is usually the single precursor to recharging ground water aquifers, creeks, streams, rivers, lakes and reservoirs.
Ground water is extracted from an aquifer by the use of wells.*** While ground water taken from different locations can have vastly different water quality characteristics, ground water is usually safer than surface water.** Ground water will generally have significantly higher levels of inorganic contaminants such as calcium, magnesium, manganese, iron, copper, zinc, lean, copper, arsenic, hydrogen sulfide etc...
Surface water tends to collect natural (organic) and man-made pollutants such as fecal matter, bacteria, mold, tannins, lignins, fulvic acid, humic acid, oils, and agricultural/Industrial runoff.
Surface water sources include: rivers, streams, lakes, reservoirs and even springs, due to their open proximity to surface pollutants.
Water Treatment
Water drawn from a surface or ground water source is referred to as "raw" water to distinguish it from treated or "finished" water. Raw water is treated not just to remove disease-causing organisms but also to remove silt, grit and organic materials that can have a detrimental affect on pipes, water meters and other components of the water distribution system.*
The cleaner and better the quality of the raw water, the easier and cheaper it is to treat. Federal, state and local government agencies have enacted legislation & guidelines aimed at protecting and preserving the quality of drinking water sources. Many surface water streams along the Wasatch front are important sources of drinking water, but also double as recreation areas. Since we hike, hunt, camp, picnic and in watershed areas and boat, fish and water-ski on the water that we will drink, it is vital* that we remember to be responsible about litter control, use of public restrooms and preventing wildfires to minimize the impact on our valuable water sources.
The water treatment process can range from a simple filter or chlorination/chloramination, to a complex treatment plant. A small rural community drinking water system, with a high quality ground water source, may need very little, if any, treatment. For much larger public water systems, particularly when the water source is subjected to repeated human contact such as heavy recreational use, the treatment process is much more complicated and will likely include a combination of the following processes
Initial Filtration - The water is filtered through coarse screens to remove* fish, insects, leaves, twigs, and debris.
Coagulation & Sedimentation - Alum and lime are added to the water. These chemicals then bond with suspended sediments, bacteria and fine particles present in the water to form a sticky floc, which looks like white foam or suds on the water. Over time and as the water is stirred all the fine particulate matter is bonded to the floc, which eventually precipitates to the bottom of the tank.
Disinfection - This is the controlled addition of a disinfectant,; usually chlorine or chloramine, to the water. This treatment step can take place early, late or even repeatedly in the water treatment process.**
Aeration - Taste and odor problems are often a result of the presence of dissolved gas such as natural occurring hydrogen sulfide, or living organic material such as algae, or decaying organic material, industrial waste or even residual chlorine. Forcing tiny bubbles of air through the water facilitates the release of these gases from solution reducing unpleasant odors and taste.
Water Delivery and Distribution
Once treated, water* is finally ready for distribution to homes and businesses.* Water* treatment plants are generally designed to treat water at a constant rate, but* people don't use water at a constant rate. Traditionally there is less water use late at night and during early morning hours than the rest of the day.*** Daily water use tends to peak in the morning while people prepare for their day, and then again in the evening as we return home to prepare dinner. During summer,* lawn watering can dramatically impact peak water usage.** It is important to have enough storage capacity within the distribution system to meet peak daily water usage requirements without running out of water. Pipes that deliver the water from storage tanks to the individual homes and businesses must be sized appropriately to effectively transport water during peak usage periods.** Fire-fighting imposes even greater demands upon the system, requiring that pipes and storage reservoirs be large enough to suppress fires during periods of peak water use without significant pressure loss.
Insuring adequate water flow throughout the system is a major problem for water system designers. Smaller pipes cost less to purchase and install than large pipes.** Delivering the same volume of water through smaller pipes means that the water must travel faster. Since there* an interdependent relationship exists between the velocity of the water and the pressure in the pipe, the designer must size pipes large enough to accommodate the required flow without increasing the project cost by over-sizing pipes.*** This practice of over-pressurizing water pressure for distribution necessitates a water pressure regulating device at each home/business.** It is your responsibility to ensure that you protect your building from excessively high municipal water pressure.
Click here to visit our generous sponsor - Intermountain Soft Water (http://www.intermountainsoftwater.com)
More... (http://www.utahmunicipalwatersystems.com/index.php/component/content/article/1-latest-news/45-utah-water-and-utah-soft-water)