Urban Water Systems

Abstract

“Today, a simple turn of the tap provides clean water—a precious resource. Engineering advances in managing this resource—with water treatment, supply, and distribution systems—changed urban life profoundly in the 20th century, virtually eliminating waterborne diseases in developed nations, and providing clean and abundant water for communities, farms, and industries.” So states the US National Academy of Engineering on its selection of water supply systems to be among the top five greatest achievements of engineering in the twentieth century. But providing everyone with clean tap water, especially in urban areas, has yet to be achieved, even in developed nations. The world’s population is growing by about 80 million people per year, and is predicted to approach 10 billion by 2050. Over 50% of people on our planet today live in urban areas and that percentage will grow. As populations continually move to cities for improved economic opportunities and a higher standard of living and as cities merge to form megacities, the design and management of water becomes an increasingly important part of integrated urban infrastructure planning and management.