Providing the needs of the population in hot and cold water is one of the key tasks of housing and communal services. Despite the development of private engineering, the main networks still remain, if not the only, then the key source of water. Today, centralized water supply is a complex infrastructure complex of pipelines, as well as intake and distribution stations. At the same time, each functional unit is being improved from year to year, acquiring new technical and operational capabilities.
Definition of a centralized water supply system
First of all, it is necessary to separate general concepts, one way or another related to the infrastructure and mechanisms for providing the population with water. For example, the water supply system itself is a complex of functional units associated withpreparation, processing, distribution and delivery of the target resource. Water disposal, on the contrary, provides the processes for accepting already waste water, discharging wastewater into sewer and drainage channels. In turn, centralized water supply is a full range of engineering structures and communications involved in the operations of intake, preparation and disposal of water within a particular settlement. When developing a water supply system for the population, the following requirements are taken into account:
- Continuity of resource supply in sufficient volume and in accordance with hygienic standards.
- Sufficient pressure power when supplying water.
- Providing opportunities for full distribution and regulation of flows.
In other words, all consumers of the served settlement should receive water of optimal quality in the prescribed volume and around the clock. Breaks can only be emergency or technological in nature.
Main system components
Conventionally, all components of the central water supply infrastructure can be divided into two types: natural and technical (artificial). The first includes water sources and natural drainage facilities, and the second components can be represented as follows:
- Head functional facilities. These are objects involved in the processing, pumping, acceptance and preparation of water. For example, centralized drinking water supply necessarily includessettling tanks, filtration and purification stations.
- Communication networks. These are mainly reservoirs and water pipelines, thanks to which water is withdrawn, transported, distributed and supplied to target consumers.
Both groups of structures closely interact with each other, ensuring the smooth operation of hydrological mains.
Water supplies
The structure of water supply is determined by many factors, but the source of water can be called the main one. Its characteristics are important - power, location, qualitative composition, etc. More often, water intake is carried out from surface sources, which include rivers, lakes, reservoirs, as well as artificial reservoirs. Surface sources are divided into coastal, channel and bucket. This type ultimately determines the configuration of the connection of the pipeline lines to the sampling site. Often, underground sources for centralized water supply are also used - these are artesian wells, groundwater, perched water and other hydrological systems located in the upper layer of the earth's crust. In both cases, the same requirements are imposed on the place of water intake. The site must ensure the proper quality of the resource, the constancy of its replenishment and protection from pollution during the pumping process.
Differences between hot and cold centralized water supply
According to the requirements of SNiP, the settlements of the Russian Federation must be provided andhot and cold water maintaining the same resource quality. The difference between these delivery circuits will be in separate regulatory requirements. So, for cold water supply, the following standards apply:
- Should be provided round the clock uninterrupted supply throughout the year. The duration of interruptions in the supply of cold water is no more than 8 hours in total per month (excluding emergency shutdowns).
- Composition must comply with SanPin standards.
For hot centralized water supply, generally similar requirements apply, but with some additions. For example, in the event of an accident on a dead-end highway, a one-time shutdown of water can last no more than 24 hours. Deviations in temperature indicators can be no more than 3-5 ° C, depending on the time of day.
Pros and cons of centralized water supply
The advantages of using main water supply networks include stability, protection from external pollution and a minimum of maintenance work on the resource delivery circuits. If we talk about the shortcomings, then the water of the centralized water supply requires financial maintenance, unlike autonomous sources like the same artesian well on the site. Problems may also arise when supplying a private house with a large number of points of consumption. The use of water for domestic and household needs in a complex form can affect, in particular, pressure fluctuations.
Conclusion
The organization of the work of a centralized water supply system can be done in different ways. Today, a system is increasingly being used in which several main risers serving individual areas are combined into a single network. This allows you to optimize the costs of ensuring the operation of pumping equipment and treatment stations. At the same time, centralized water supply is, to a certain extent, a private service system. Domestic plumbing infrastructure may well be involved in the finer treatment of mains water before consumption and also include mechanisms for processing wastewater at the outlet. Another thing is that in each case, a specific set of resource maintenance elements varies depending on the technical capabilities and personal requirements for water.
