Integrated Monitoring System of Drinking Water Distribution

Networks - Objects and Tasks

Marian KWIETNIEWSKI1), Mirosław SUDOŁ2)

Summary
In the paper general idea of full-scale realisation of a comprehensive
monitoring system of the drinking water distribution network has been
presented. A system approach has been applied, i.e. a system of tests and
analyses of an existing functional and technical conditions of the water
network to obtain information necessary for its regulation and control; and,
consequently, to provide consumers with an adequate quantity and quality of
water. The proposed monitoring system is to be developed in a three-fold way,
i.e. hydraulic monitoring, water quality monitoring, technical monitoring.

1. Introduction
The issue of monitoring systems of drinking water distribution networks started to
develop in the world at the end of the 70’s together with the development in data
communications [Sakazaki,1997;Slipper,1985]. In Poland, this issue has not been fully
recognized or solved, especially as far as water networks are concerned. Some of the actions
which fall into the range of monitoring system are realized in usage, e.g. summary
measurements of pressure and, sometimes, the rate of flow. There is, however, no complex
application of monitoring, with full realization of measurements and an analysis of the results,
which could be used in order to mange the water supply system. The usage shows that well
planned and systematically run monitoring should bring considerable gains for water supply
companies, such as improvement of usage, increase of the safety of the system, lessening of the
risk of negative influence on public health and the improvement in the effectiveness of water
supply systems. Because of its importance, cost and advantages, the issue of practical
application of monitoring calls for methodical working out that would enable its efficient use.
Monitoring should include the whole water supply system, which consists of the source of
water and the water intake, water purification plants, pumping stations, water tanks, water
network together with technical equipment, and the installations inside buildings. Monitoring of
the whole water supply system makes possible the complex hydraulic as well as qualitative
performance evaluation.
The issues considered in this work are restricted to the monitoring of water networks with
technical equipment and reservoirs.

2. The question of using monitoring system of water networks in the eyes of the
law
The necessity of using monitoring systems of water networks follows from many obvious
reasons. Most of all it is dictated by the requirements put on drinking water [Roz. Min. Zdr. ...,
2000; Guidelines ...,1993; CD 98/83/EC ...,1998] and recommendations present in other legal
documents [Ustawa ...,2001; EN805,2000]. Standardized physical, chemical, or microbiological

1)
Associate Profesor, Faculty of Environmental Engineering, Warsaw Uniwersity of Technology, 20
Nowowiejska Str., 00-653 Warsaw, marian.kwietniewski@is.pw.edu.pl
2)
Ph. D Student Faculty of Environmental Engineering, Warsaw Uniwersity of Technology, 20
Nowowiejska Str., 00-653 Warsaw,m.sudol@mitex.com.pl

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indicators must be present in the whole distribution system during the total time of its
operation. This implicates continuous characteristics of measurements, which should
continuously supply data concerning values of each parameter (so all the volume of the water
flowing through a particular measurement point should be monitored). The need to monitor the
network also follows from the necessity of maintaining its proper usage.
According to [Guidelines ...,1993], constant control is an integral part of the tasks of water
supply companies, which guarantees the required efficiency of water treatment processes, the
adequate quality of the produced water and eliminates its secondary contamination in the
distribution network. Independent institution should check whether a given company fulfils its
duties in this domain. This supervisory function is usually placed in the domain of sanitary
authorities on local, regional and national levels. According to the guidelines, monitoring of the
quality of drinking water should ideally consist of two elements:
· continuous quality inspection in order to ascertain that water treatment and
distribution realizes the goals and meets the requirements of the regulations
· routine microbiological and sanitary tests of the whole system beginning with
the source and ending with the consumers.

Council Directive 98/83/EC [CD 98/83/EC ...,1998] says in the Article 7 that: Member
States shall take all measures necessary to ensure that regular monitoring of the quality
of water intended for human consumption is carried out, in order to check that the water
available to consumers meets the reąuirements of this Directive and in particular the
parametric values set in accordance with Article 5. Samples should be taken so that
they are representative of the quality of the water consumed throughout the year. In
addition, Member States shall take all measures necessary to ensure that, where
disinfection forms part of the preparation or distribution of water intended for human
consumption, the efficiency of the disinfection treatment applied is verified, and that any
contamination from disinfection by-products is kept as low as possible without
compromising the disinfection.

According to EN 805:2000 (p.14.1) [EN805,2000], in order to minimize any disturbance in

water supply and harmful impact on the environment and public health, water distribution
networks should be monitored and checked. Monitoring should include the measurement of
pressure, flow and the level of service.
The frequency and the way of monitoring should depend on local conditions and take into
consideration the following factors:
the function and the importance of a water conduit, total water loss, the quality of water,
pressure, flow, motion loading, the state of the ground, external influence, the type of soil, the
material used for pipes, connections and other components.

Polish regulations imply the need of monitoring the water available for consumers. In
the Law on water supply and sewage disposal from 2001 [Ustawa ...,2001] it is stated, among
other things, that:
Art. 7. The representatives of a water supply and sewage system company(…)have the
right (…) to carry out a control of a measuring device, main water meter or water meters
installed on the premises and to read their indications (…), and also to check the quantity and
the quality of sewage let into the network.
Art. 13. The minister responsible for health matters together with the minister responsible
for the matters of water economics, will establish by an ordinance, among other things:
· the way of evaluating the suitability of water intended for human consumption,

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 · minimal frequency and places of drawing samples of water intended for human
consumption,
· the range of analysing the water intended for human consumption,
· the programme of monitoring of the quality of water intended for human
consumption,
· the way of supervising the materials and products used in the treatment of water
intended for human consumption,
· the way of informing consumers about the quality of water intended for human
consumption.

3. Classification of the monitoring system of water networks

Monitoring in the everyday sense of the word means observation, control, analysis. Applied
to technical objects it is an action (a set of actions) that consists of providing the information
necessary to the assessment of the operation of the given objects [Urbaniak et al.,1996].
The idea of monitoring of water networks (as well as water supply systems) has not been
wholly defined. Discussions on the subject show that the range of actions embraced by this
term has various understandings. In extreme cases monitoring is either being limited to
measurement and visualisation of the results or broadened to include the assessment of
functioning and technical state of the monitored object. The attempts at defining monitoring
where made in [Kapica,1998; Urbaniak et al.,1996; Kuś,1997]. In [Kapica,1998], the basis of
defining the term was the definition of monitoring of environment [Nowa ...,1996], as closes to
the issue considered. Monitoring of water network can be characterized on the basis of the
definition of this concept related to sewerage systems [Kwietniewski et al.,2002]. Therefore the
following definition has been assumed:
“Monitoring of water networks is a system of measurements and analyses of the operational
and technical state of the network in order to gain sound bases for its control and usage.”
It is necessary to mention that the system of measurements is understood here as a
complex of coordinated actions (the measurements, the transfer of results, etc) as well as
adequately cooperating appliances and objects.
According to the above definition, full monitoring should include actions in the following
scopes [8]:
· quantitative (hydraulic)
· qualitative (the quality of water)
· technical
The scheme of such a classification of monitoring is shown in fig.1
Hydraulic monitoring (measurement parameters: the rate of flow, pressure, water levels)
should be carried out with the simultaneous analysis of the results, which allows for describing
e.g. the water loss or rough localization of the place where the installation is damaged etc.
In the case of qualitative monitoring [Dojlido et al.,1997; Hermanowicz et al., 1999; Du
Preez et al.,1998; Levi,1996; Aasgaard et al., 1997; Matia et al., 1997; Gatel et al., 2000;
Harmant et al., 1999] the parameters presented below are measured:
· physical e.g. pH, turbidity, conductivity
· chemical, e.g. concentration of disinfectant
· microbiological, e.g. presence of E. coli
Monitoring of microbiological and chemical parameters allows to anticipation and
prevention of possible health hazard for the consumers of water.
Technical monitoring constitutes a completion of the other components of monitoring.
Its aim is to asses the technical state of the elements in the water network and to facilitate
efficient water supply.

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 Full or simplified monitoring follows from the degree of detail of analysis. Both the range
of assumed measurement parameters as well as the range of monitoring can form the criteria
here.
Simplified monitoring, in contrast to full monitoring, should supply basic but sufficient
information about the system operation.
Continuous and laboratory monitoring results from the way of measurement.
The classification of monitoring of water networks presented in fig.1 can be
supplemented with the dependability testing of the network, which makes it possible to asses
the quality of operation of the network and its elements. The assessment can be realized
quantitatively with the use of adequate indexes.

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4. The tasks and the range of monitoring
The specificity of water network determines that it should guarantee continuous water
supply in sufficient quantity and adequate quality, on the specified area of its operation and at
any time for all the recipients in its range of operation. It is generally assumed that the task of
monitoring of water networks is systematic identification and registration of the state and
changes of current hydraulic parameter values and the quality of water. The objective of this is
the quantitative inspection of the services in supplying water of required quality, sufficient
quantity and required pressure.
Detailed aims and main tasks of a planned monitoring system of water network can be
divided into two groups:
1. Control and adjustment of the operation of water network achieved by the
realization of such tasks as:
o measurement, quantitative and qualitative inspection of water transported in the
network
o measurement, control and balancing the quantity of water transported in the
network (estimation of unsold water, identification of leakages, etc)
o providing information for building and calibration of simulation models
o assessment of chemical stability of the water
2. Control and evaluation of the quality of water supplied to the recipients achieved
by the realization of such tasks as:
o controlling whether the quality of water meets the obligatory standards,
which should include:
§ quality control of the water supplying the water network
§ quality control of water during the transfer in the water network
§ quality control of the water at the recipients’
o evaluation of the degree of biostability of water
o assessment of the degree of safety as far as granting of required quality of
water is concerned; this includes the influence of microcontamination on
human health (monitoring coupled e.g. with epidemiological analyses, etc)
As the above compilation of aims shows, the monitoring of water distribution networks is
a broad and complex issue, embracing a wide range of problems which should be solved so that
it could fully realize its aims.
The scope of realized functions of monitoring can vary depending on many factors. As it
has been indicated in fig.1, the range of monitoring can be, among other things, determined in
relation to assumed accuracy of expected results, the range of parameters assumed for
measurement (full and simplified monitoring). It can also depend on the way of carrying out the
measurements (continuous or periodical monitoring).
The development of monitoring can also be related with particular elements of the water
networks, where the structure of the system has a major influence on the assumed solutions of
monitoring.
In the scope of full monitoring, a few typical stages of action can be differentiated:
1. the choice of measurement parameters
- in the case of hydraulic measurements it will be the rate of flow, the pressure
in pipelines and the water level in reservoirs
- in the case of qualitative measurements of water an analysis should be carried
out, which would define the possibilities of using various parameters
representative for the quality assessment (in relation to the parameters of the
treated water, the way of its treatment, the materials of the elements of the
network)

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 2. the choice of measuring points localization
3. the choice of methods and measuring devices
4. establishing of required frequency and duration of measurements
5. building of measurement stands and calibration of appliances
6. registration of measurements, storage and transfer of results
7. creation and training of the servicing personnel team
8. establishing of the access procedures for the system and procedures of using the
measurements results.
The above specification very generally presents the range of issues to be solved in
relation to monitoring. However, as it follows from first [Urbaniak,1996; Kuś,1997;
Kapica,1997; Kwietniewski,1999] works, which throw light on the issue in relation to water
supply systems and water networks, monitoring covers a vast area of interdisciplinary activities,
sometimes difficult to solve in current service conditions.

5. The development of the monitoring system of water networks hitherto

The information on the state of monitoring of water networks has been obtained from the
data published on the issue, from a limited survey and also from direct meetings and visits at
chosen water supply companies.
The analysis of the data from literature shows that monitoring of water networks was first
applied in water supply companies at the end of the 70’s [Sakazaki,1997;Slipper,1985]. The
systems consisted of measuring points of hydraulic measurements as well as several physico-
chemical parameters (pH, conductivity, turbidity, free chloride, temperature). The
measurements were carried out on-line, with the transfer of results of measurements to the
dispatch centre.
The systems that have been created up till now bear no direct connection to the
controlling system of water network. The link between the two systems lies in the person of an
operator who makes decisions about the control of water network on the basis of monitoring.
The survey carried out in 2001 in The Department of Water Supply and Sewage
Treatment of Warsaw University of Technology included water networks in 10 towns in Poland
and 4 towns in France. In Poland, the questionnaires were send to the biggest companies
engaged in the usage of water supply systems. In France, however, the research encompassed
only chosen towns.
The scope of surveyed issues included hydraulic and quantitative parameters as well as
the kind of appliances used and the way of treating the results of the measurements.
The limited scale of the survey enabled only the rough evaluation of the range of actions
carried out within the scope of monitoring. Generally, it can be stated that the measurements
conducted in water networks created limited monitoring systems, resulting from current needs.
For the quantitative monitoring, two parameters were usually considered, that is rate of flow
and pressure. Monitoring of the quality of water was considered with respect to the kind of
parameters and the place and way of their measurement. Conductivity, pH, turbidity and
chloride were measured automatically [Halpern et al.,1997].
In the surveyed water networks in Poland, monitoring was not conducted continuously.
The measurements and test were carried out periodically, depending on the needs. In France,
the beginnings of continuous monitoring could be observed. It did not, however, constitute a
system organized on a broad basis. The results of the measurements were usually computer-
processed, especially as far as French water networks were concerned.

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6. Final remarks
The analysis of existing works on the measurement of hydraulic parameters and of the
quality of water for the needs of monitoring of water networks shows that they are in the first
stage of development in Poland. Moreover, the implement of measurements meets with many
problems, both technical as well as financial.
The on-line measurements of hydraulic parameters are better recognized than the
measurements of the quality of water, especially as far as microbiological parameters, vital for
the consumers’ health, are concerned.
Many issues concerning the planning and realization of monitoring still need solution.
Among such issues there are the limitations in the methods and technique of measurement, the
possibility of applying or adapting of appliances to the measurements carried out on the water
networks, the choice of measurement points, the minimizing of costs, etc.

7. References

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treatment efficiency, updated environmental information and cost reduction, 13 Special
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human consumption
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1997
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buildings
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lipca 2001 r.

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