Analytical scaling relations to evaluate leakage and intrusion in intermittent water supply systems

PloS One
David D J TaylorAndrew J Whittle

Abstract

Intermittent water supplies (IWS) deliver piped water to one billion people; this water is often microbially contaminated. Contaminants that accumulate while IWS are depressurized are flushed into customers' homes when these systems become pressurized. In addition, during the steady-state phase of IWS, contaminants from higher-pressure sources (e.g., sewers) may continue to intrude where pipe pressure is low. To guide the operation and improvement of IWS, this paper proposes an analytic model relating supply pressure, supply duration, leakage, and the volume of intruded, potentially-contaminated, fluids present during flushing and steady-state. The proposed model suggests that increasing the supply duration may improve water quality during the flushing phase, but decrease the subsequent steady-state water quality. As such, regulators and academics should take more care in reporting if water quality samples are taken during flushing or steady-state operational conditions. Pipe leakage increases with increased supply pressure and/or duration. We propose using an equivalent orifice area (EOA) to quantify pipe quality. This provides a more stable metric for regulators and utilities tracking pipe repairs. Finally, we show that the v...Continue Reading

References

Nov 21, 2013·Tropical Medicine & International Health : TM & IH·A ShaheedJ Brown
Jan 28, 2014·Environmental Science & Technology·Emily Kumpel, Kara L Nelson
Dec 17, 2015·Environmental Science & Technology·Emily Kumpel, Kara L Nelson
Mar 11, 2017·Water Research·John J EricksonKara L Nelson

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Citations

Aug 5, 2021·Water Research X·David D J MeyerAlexander H Slocum

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