Municipal Water Supply Research Articles

Canada Source Watershed Polygons (Can-SWaP): A dataset for the protection of Canada’s municipal water supply

Over 80% of municipal (i.e., excluding industrial and agricultural) water use in Canada comes from streams, lakes, and reservoirs. These freshwater bodies and their catchments require adequate protection to secure drinking water supply for Canadians. Canada, like most countries, lacks a consolidated national dataset of municipal catchments, arguably due to gaps in data availability. Against this backdrop, we present the Canada Source Watershed Polygons dataset, or Can-SWaP. Can-SWaP was created using point locations of more than 3,300 municipal water licences defining rights to surface water withdrawal. Where possible, the resulting 1,574 catchments were assessed for accuracy in spatial coverage against provincial and local datasets. Each watershed in Can-SWaP has an estimated water volume used for municipal water purposes derived from licencing data, and several variables from RiverATLAS for investigating the integrity of surface drinking water sources in Canada. Furthermore, basing our method on the HydroSHEDS suite of global products offers a robust framework for the production of other national datasets following an established international standard.

Compensation, working environment, and employee performance: A study in one of the municipal water supply companies in West Java

Along with the increasingly advanced era, human resources are vital for small and large companies because their position drives all activities to achieve their goals. Similarly, the municipal water supply company also needs employees to serve society well. Therefore, some roles, like compensation and working environment, are necessary to attain this situation. Based on this circumstance, this study examines their impact on employee performance. Moreover, to reach this purpose, this study distributes the questionnaire to the 113 municipal water supply employees in one of the West Java regencies as the samples, taken by simple random sampling technique. Also, a survey is employed to collect data. The regression model and t-statistic are utilized to analyze the data and examine the proposed hypotheses. In conclusion, this study declares that their performance is positively affected by the work environment. Conversely, it is not influenced by compensation.

Developing a sustainable water conservation strategy for Saudi Arabian cities

Water scarcity is a global issue posing significant challenges for sustainable water management. Saudi Arabia, due to its arid conditions, limited freshwater resources, and high evapotranspiration rates, faces water scarcity. Factors such as rapid population growth, urban expansion, industrial development, and unsustainable water management practices contribute to increased municipal water demand and per capita water consumption. This trend is evident in the Jubail Industrial City (JIC), the largest industrial city in the Middle East. Although JIC heavily relies on desalination and groundwater extraction to meet growing water needs, it lacks a strategic vision for water conservation. The objective of this paper is to identify the causes of water scarcity, assess the sustainability of current water management practices, and develop a sustainable water conservation strategy using JIC as a case study. The study adopts a mixed-method approach, involving a comprehensive review of literature and official documents, along with an analysis of successful case studies of water conservation practices in arid regions worldwide. The proposed strategy encompasses demand management, adoption of water-efficient technologies, water reuse and recycling, public awareness and education, and policy and governance frameworks. Strategic water conservation, optimization and reuse hold significant relevance to industry settings. The study’s findings can contribute to the enhancement of the municipal water supply sector and support decision-makers in achieving the sustainable water resource management goals outlined in Saudi Vision 2030.

Demonstration of real-time monitoring in smart graded-water supply grid: an institutional case study

Abstract Real-time information on water supply and quality is a crucial asset for planning and managing water resources, infrastructure, and scientific research for sustainable development. In this direction, the innovative concept of smart water infrastructure is progressing. The present paper reports a case study on the demonstration of a `smart graded-water supply grid' on the campus of the Indian Institute of Technology Jodhpur, India. The paper describes the transformation of ∼13 km long water distribution network that supplies drinking water to ∼5,000 inhabitants into smart supply grid by deploying sensors and establishing an IoT-enabled real-time monitoring platform. The data sets of water flow and pressure collected from sensor nodes are analyzed to understand the characteristic diurnal water usage profiles unique to student hostels on the campus. The data show a distinctive consumption profile of student hostels over the weekdays with a maximum peak consumption of 16.38 m3/h. Monitoring of vital quality parameters such as chlorine, pH, and temperature demonstrate acceptable levels thereby ensuring compliance with safety standards. The purpose of the paper is to provide insights from a real-world case and close the knowledge gap between general awareness and the potential of smart water grid in sustainable management of graded-water services.

Design and Implementation of a Microcontroller-Based Water Turbidity Detector Utilizing the Nephelometric Turbidity Unit Method

The objective of this study is to create a water turbidity detection system, aiding customers of a municipal water supply company in preserving the quality of water for everyday use. The aim is to prevent the mingling of stored clean water with turbid water when the tap is turned on. To achieve this, we employ a smartphone as a remote control device, enabling users to monitor the water's condition remotely. The study's findings demonstrate that this system adeptly manages the water separation process based on its condition, allowing manual control via Bluetooth communication within a maximum range of 10 meters. This setup provides two control options: activating and deactivating the water channel through a solenoid valve. Test outcomes indicate the system effectively segregates the water as per its condition and promptly follows user directives.

Forecasting groundwater levels using machine learning methods: The case of California’s Central Valley

Groundwater, the second largest stock of freshwater on the planet, is an important water source used for municipal water supply, irrigation, or industrial needs. For instance, California’s arid Central Valley relies on groundwater resources to produce a quarter of the United States’ food demand as farmers rely on this precious resource when surface water is scarce. Despite its importance, the nexus between groundwater dynamics and climate drivers remains difficult to quantify, model, and predict because of the lack of a comprehensive observation network. In this study, machine learning techniques were used to predict groundwater levels with a 3-month forecasting horizon for the Sacramento River Basin. For this, publicly available meteorological and hydrological datasets and in-situ well-level measurements were used. Time series, ensemble-based, and deep-learning models including transformers were all tested, with an ensemble-based, XGBoost model, producing the best mean standard deviation percent error (MSPE) of 32.23% and a root mean squared error (RMSE) of 1.05 m (m) when using a 3- month forecasting horizon and when tested using a monthly rolling window over the years 2017–2020. The model proved to be better at predicting into wet months than the dry summer months and was found to be better at extracting seasonality than explaining well-level residuals, with well-specific features, as opposed to exogenous meteorological features specific to the hydrological unit of the well, ranking as the most important features to the model. Though other forecasting horizons were tested, a 3-month look-ahead window resulted in the best balance of precision and accuracy, where smaller forecasting horizons resulted in smaller RMSE but larger MSPE scores and vice-versa for larger forecasting horizons.

Assessing trends in urban municipal water use across the Great Lakes Basin

Municipal water use has been decreasing in the Great Lakes region since the 1970s, though the driving forces behind this decline are not clear. We analyzed this trend by calculating and comparing residential per capita water use across select cities to five socioeconomic factors. Our findings reinforced previous research by indicating that water use, and residential water use in particular, has been decreasing across all five municipalities in our study. We also find the percentage of white residents served by a municipal water supplier to be positively associated with per capita water use, while income inequality is negatively associated with per capita water use. We find per capita water use to be strongly associated with service area population. Water use shifts coincided with abrupt changes in water supply service areas in two of the five cities in our study, underscoring the significance of the rationale for differentiating total water pumped to a distribution system from per capita metered residential use. Our findings have important implications for the economy, the citizens, and the ecosystems of the Great Lakes. They further dovetail with a vision for water use policies guided not just by trends in metered water use, but also by historical and projected changes in the demographics of water users. The relationships observed in our study may help guide water use policies by addressing current and potential future inequities in water distribution and water affordability, and improving understanding of relationships between trends in consumptive use and the regional water balance.

From Radio to In-Pipe Acoustic Communication for Smart Water Networks in Urban Environments: Design Challenges and Future Trends

The smart management of water resources is an increasingly important topic in today’s society. In this context, the paradigm of Smart Water Grids (SWGs) aims at a constant monitoring through a network of smart nodes deployed over the water distribution infrastructure. This facilitates a continuous assessment of water quality and the state of health of the pipeline infrastructure, enabling early detection of leaks and water contamination. Acoustic-wave-based technology has arisen as a viable communication technique among the nodes of the network. Such technology can be suitable for replacing traditional wireless networks in SWGs, as the acoustic channel is intrinsically embedded in the water supply network. However, the fluid-filled pipe is one of the most challenging media for data communication. Existing works proposing in-pipe acoustic communication systems are promising, but a comparison between the different implementations and their performance has not yet been reported. This paper reviews existing works dealing with acoustic-based communication networks in real large-scale urban water supply networks. For this purpose, an overview of the characteristics, trends and design challenges of existing works is provided in the present work as a guideline for future research.

The formation of the carbonate system of circulating cooling water of the Rivne NPP and its influence on changes in the surface waters pH levels of the Styr river

The data on pH changes and corresponding equilibrium shifts of the carbonate system of process and return waters of the circulating cooling system (RCS) of the Rivne NPP during water treatment were analysed. In the additional cooling water previously clarified by liming, there is no dissolved carbon dioxide and no residual free alkalinity. The effects that occur during heating, cooling, and aeration in the RCS cause a shift in the equilibrium of the carbonate cooling water system with a decrease or increase in the content of carbon dioxide, bicarbonate, and carbonate ions, and pH level. The influence of the shift of the carbonate system and the changes in pH level during the discharge of return water from the Rivne NPP into a natural water body (Styr River) was analysed.

STM32 BASED WATER QUALITY MONITORING SYSTEM

Water is a precious and essential resource for all life on Earth. Ensuring the quality of water is vital for human health, environmental sustainability, and various industrial applications. This project introduces a novel STM32-based Water Quality Monitoring System designed to address the need for continuous and real-time monitoring of water parameters in various settings like pH and electrical conductivity sensors. The STM32-based Water Quality Monitoring System offers several advantages, including early detection of water pollution, enabling prompt action to mitigate environmental damage and health risks. It provides historical data for trend analysis, aiding in the identification of long-term water quality patterns and trends. Additionally, it reduces the need for manual sampling and laboratory testing, thus lowering operational costs for water treatment facilities. Furthermore, the system is highly adaptable and can be integrated into a variety of water management scenarios, including municipal water supplies, industrial processes, aquaculture, and environmental monitoring. It promotes sustainable water resource management by ensuring that water quality remains within safe and regulated standards In summary, this project presents an innovative STM32-Based Water Quality Monitoring System that leverages advanced microcontroller technology to address the critical issue of water quality monitoring. Key Words: water quality, stm32, pH sensor, conductivity sensor, aquaculture

The risk of pulmonary NTM infections and water-quality constituents among persons with cystic fibrosis in the United States, 2010-2019.

The prevalence of nontuberculous mycobacterial (NTM) pulmonary disease varies geographically in the United States. Previous studies indicate that the presence of certain water-quality constituents in source water increases NTM infection risk. To identify water-quality constituents that influence the risk of NTM pulmonary infection in persons with cystic fibrosis in the United States. We conducted a population-based case-control study using NTM incidence data collected from the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation Patient Registry during 2010-2019. We linked patient zip code to the county and associated patient county of residence with surface water data extracted from the Water Quality Portal. We used logistic regression models to estimate the odds of NTM infection as a function of water-quality constituents. We modeled two outcomes: pulmonary infection due to Mycobacterium avium complex (MAC) and Mycobacterium abscessus species. We identified 484 MAC cases, 222 M. abscessus cases and 2816 NTM-negative cystic fibrosis controls resident in 11 states. In multivariable models, we found that for every 1-standardized unit increase in the log concentration of sulfate and vanadium in surface water at the county level, the odds of infection increased by 39% and 21%, respectively, among persons with cystic fibrosis with MAC compared with cystic fibrosis-NTM-negative controls. When modeling M. abscessus as the dependent variable, every 1-standardized unit increase in the log concentration of molybdenum increased the odds of infection by 36%. These findings suggest that naturally occurring and anthropogenic water-quality constituents may influence the NTM abundance in water sources that supply municipal water systems, thereby increasing MAC and M. abscessus infection risk.

Pressure-Based Demand Aggregation and Calibration of Normal and Abnormal Diurnal Patterns for Smart Water Grid in Near Real-Time

Pressure-Based Demand Aggregation and Calibration of Normal and Abnormal Diurnal Patterns for Smart Water Grid in Near Real-Time

Prediction of Daily Water Consumption in Residential Areas Based on Meteorologic Conditions—Applying Gradient Boosting Regression Tree Algorithm

A more accurate way of water consumption forecasting can be used to help people develop a scheduling plan of water workers more targeting; therefore, this paper aims to establish a forecast model of daily water consumption based on meteorological conditions. At present, most studies of daily water consumption forecasts focus on historical data or single water use influencing factors; moreover, daily water consumption could be influenced by meteorologic conditions. The influence of complex meteorology factors on water consumption is analyzed based on a gradient-boosted regression tree (GBRT) model. The correlation of 10 meteorologic factors has been discussed and divided into 5 categories, including temperature factor, pressure factor, precipitation factor, sunshine factor, and wind factor. Through the GBRT algorithm, the daily water consumption of residential area could be predicted with a maximum error of ±8%. The results show that the average ground temperature (the feature importance accounts for 81% of the total) has the greatest impact on the daily water consumption of the residential community, followed by the somatosensory temperature (the feature importance accounts for 7% of the total). The method can provide the daily water consumption of water consumption nodes with higher precision for municipal water supply network model accuracy. It also provides a reference for water utility operation schemes and urban development planning.

Hydrochemical characterizations and groundwater quality assessment in the coastal region of the Jiaodong peninsula, North China

Groundwater resources constitute a primary water source in the coastal region of Jiaodong Peninsula (CRJP), serving as an essential foundation for socio-economic development and municipal water supply. This study sought to evaluate the hydrogeochemical properties of the CRJP's groundwater using 73 samples collected in 2017, comprehensively analyzing the chemical composition and environmental factors using mathematical statistics and hydrochemical techniques. The results demonstrate that groundwater in the CRJP possesses TDS values ranging from 262 to 28,160 mg/L, with a pH ranging between 6.4 and 8.5, characterizing a weakly alkaline water system. The cation order in groundwater is Na+ > Ca2+ > Mg2+ > K+, while the anionic sequence comprises Cl− > HCO3− > SO42− > NO3−. According to the Piper diagram, groundwater samples predominantly clustered into SO4·Cl-Ca·Mg and SO4·Cl-Na types. Additionally, significant spatial variations exist in the primary chemical components of groundwater. Hydrogeochemical characteristics within the region are influenced both by natural and human activities; natural elements include weathering of silicate rocks, gypsum and carbonate minerals dissolution, while human practices comprise industrial and mining activities, agricultural practices, and domestic waste discharge. The results from a health risk assessment show that non-carcinogenic risks posed by nitrate intake via drinking water are considerably high for infants in comparison to adults, teenagers, and children. Furthermore, certain regions within the CRJP show notable seawater intrusion effects on groundwater studied.

Hydrogeological Aspects of the Municipal Water Supply of Albania: Situation and Problems

The municipal water supply, related mainly to the cities of Albania, began to develop in the second half of the 19th century and very intensively after 1945. Today, the reported mean water production for the cities, on average, is about 300 l/capita/d, including drinking and industrial water supplies. The territory of Albania has an uneven distribution of very heterogeneous aquifers conditioning often the difficulty of municipal water supply solutions. In this article, are analyzed and classified the hydrogeological aspects of the water supply sources of the settlements, which are summarized in five groups: (a) wells in alluvial intergranular aquifers; (b) karst springs; (c) wells in karst aquifers; (d) springs in fissured rocks; and (e) mixed water sources. For each group of the water supply sources, the main concerns regarding the quantity and quality problems are analyzed, facilitated by the description of a variety of representative examples of different situations. Based on the gained experience, important recommendations are given for the better understanding of hydrogeological aspects of water supply systems, related to the river water recharge areas, the seawater intrusion in coastal aquifers, and the high vulnerability of karst aquifers, as well as transboundary aquifers. However, the main problem of public water supply of Albania remains the poor management of water supply systems, which is reflected in the significant water losses, as well as the low public awareness of requests for sustainable use.

Method development for the simultaneous quantification of orcinol glucoside and curculigoside in Curculigo orchioides by UPLC-PDA

In Vietnam, the rhizomes of Curculigo orchioides have been traditionally used for the treatment of cough, impotence, cold uterus, etc. The phenolic compounds were determined as active constituents of C. orchioides; however, there is no quantitative criterion for these compounds in C. orchioides in the Vietnamese Pharmacopoeia. Therefore, this study aimed to develop a simultaneous quantification method for orcinol glucoside (OG) and curculigoside (CG) by UPLC-PDA system, required for the standardisation of C. orchioides rhizome. The simultaneous quantification of OG and CG was performed on the Acquity UPLC-PDA (Waters) system, InfinityLab Poroshell 120 CS-C18 (3,0×150 mm, 2.7 μm). The method was evaluated according to The International Council for Harmonisation of Technical Requirements for Pharmaceuticals for Human Use (ICH) guidelines. The quantitative analysis of OG and CG met all validation requirements, including system suitability, specificity, linearity (R2>0.999), inter-day and intra-day precisions (RSD<2.0%), accuracy with OG and CG recovery rate of 97.08-103.60 and 100.28-111.25, respectively. The contents of OG and CG in 6 samples of Rhizoma curculiginis collected in Son La, Lao Cai, and Dak Nong varied according to the growing region and harvest time with the yield of OG and CG 0.36-1.301 and 0.041-0.123%, respectively.

Preparing municipal water system planning for a changing climate: Integrating climate‐sensitive demand estimates

AbstractSeasonality and a changing climate exert strong influences on supply and demand in the western United States, challenging municipal water system (MWS) management. Although supply and demand exhibit characteristics of nonstationarity, the commonly used econometric‐based models to estimate demands discount the influences of climate variability and trends in seasonal MWS vulnerability assessments. Given the projected impacts of climate change on water resources, we use the documented performance of a real‐world MWS with a calibrated systems model to investigate how demands modeled with and without the influences of climate impact system vulnerability indicators—determined by the exceedance of historical daily mean imported water—for MWS planning guidance. Neglecting climatic influences on MWS demands, the model overestimates the volume of imported water by up to 50% and misclassifies vulnerabilities during supply‐limiting conditions. The climate‐sensitive demand estimates reduced model error (i.e., <3% error) and correctly categorized vulnerabilities. Moreover, the MWS exhibited an average threefold greater sensitivity to percent changes in demand relative to percent changes in supply. The sensitivity to variances in demand emphasizes the need to account for factors influencing supply and demand when investigating the impacts of a changing climate, suggesting future research to examine the coupled influences of modeled supply and demand accuracy on MWS performance.

Resetting of soil compositions by irrigation in urban watersheds: Evidence from Sr isotope variations in Austin, TX

Human activities in urban areas disturb the natural landscape upon which they develop, disrupting pedogenic processes and ultimately limiting the ecosystem services urban soils provide. To better understand the impacts on and resiliency of soils in response to urban development, it is essential to understand the processes by which and degree to which soil physical and chemical properties are altered in urban systems. Here, we apply the source-tracing capabilities of Sr isotopes (87Sr/86Sr) to understand the impacts of urban processes on the composition of soils in eight watersheds in Austin, Texas. We evaluate natural and anthropogenic Sr sources in watersheds spanning a wide range of urbanization, comparing soils by variations in their natural (including mineralogy, thickness, soil type, and watershed) and anthropogenic (including irrigation, soil amendments, and fertilization) characteristics. A strong positive correlation between soil thickness and 87Sr/86Sr is observed among unirrigated soils (R2 = 0.83). In contrast, this relationship is not observed among irrigated soils (R2 = 0.004). 95 % of 42 irrigated soil samples have 87Sr/86Sr values approaching or within the range for municipal supply water. These results indicate soil interaction with municipal water through irrigation and/or water infrastructure leakage. Soils irrigated with municipal water have elevated 87Sr/86Sr values relative to unirrigated soils in seven of eight watersheds. We propose that original soil 87Sr/86Sr values are partially to completely reset by irrigation with municipal water via ion exchange processes. Our results demonstrate that in urban systems, Sr isotopes can serve as an environmental tracer to assess the overprint of urbanization on natural soil characteristics. In the Austin region, resetting of natural soil compositions via urban development is extensive, and the continued expansion of urban areas and irrigation systems may affect the ability of soils to retain nutrients, filter contaminants, and provide other ecosystem services that support environmental resilience.

Thousands of domestic and public supply wells face failure despite groundwater sustainability reform in California’s Central Valley

Across the world, declining groundwater levels cause wells to run dry, increase water and food insecurity, and often acutely impact groundwater-dependent communities. Despite the ubiquity and severity of these impacts, groundwater research has primarily focused on economic policy instruments for sustainable management or the quantification of groundwater depletion, rather than assessing the impacts of management decisions. In particular, how definitions of groundwater sustainability shape the fate of resource users remains unexplored. Here, we examine one of the world’s largest-scale environmental sustainability reforms, the California Sustainable Groundwater Management Act (SGMA), and estimate the impact of sustainability definitions proposed in groundwater sustainability plans (GSPs) on well failure. We show that locally-proposed sustainability criteria are consistent with business as usual groundwater level decline, and if reached, could impact over 9000 domestic wells and around 1000 public supply wells. These findings highlight the necessity of careful and critical evaluation of locally-developed sustainability definitions and their implementation to prevent detrimental impacts, such as threats to household and municipal water supply.

Frequency and seasonality of viable Helicobacter pylori in drinking water in Dhamar Governorate, Yemen.

Helicobacter pylori is an important and common bacterial pathogen in humans. The accumulated evidence of the existence of H. pylori in water from different environmental sources suggests a water-borne transmission route. This study aimed to investigate the occurrence of H. pylori in different water sources used by human populations in Dhamar Governorate, Yemen. 250 samples were randomly collected from the municipal water supply network, wells, and springs. The samples were processed, plated onto modified campy-blood agar, and incubated under microaerobic conditions for 4-10 days. Bacterial identification was based on morphological properties and biochemical tests. Bacteriological analysis showed that 9.6% and 13.2% of tap and surface water samples were contaminated with H. pylori, respectively. Despite a higher frequency in samples from rural areas, these were not significantly (p=0.068) more contaminated than the samples from urban areas. Regarding the seasonal variations of H. pylori detection, 85.71% of positive samples were detected in the late winter and spring seasons (February to May). To conclude, H. pylori transmission through water is likely to occur in Dhamar Governorate. Further prospective studies are highly recommended to provide further evidence and a clearer picture of H. pylori transmission.