5 Water supply
5.1 Introduction
This section is concerned with the plant used in carrying water from the treatment works to houses, farms, blocks of flats and other buildings of a community. The major components of this distribution network are shown in Figure 37 and comprise:
the service reservoir, which must balance the fluctuating demands of the users against the steady output from the source of supply, as well as provide a back-up supply should there be a breakdown at the source;
the pipelines or 'mains', which, together with their associated valves and fittings, must carry the required quantities of water between the different parts of the system. The pipes taking water from the service reservoir to the supply points are called distribution mains.
Figure 37 A water distribution network