Clean River Water
Clean River Water
Clean River Water
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This Site Clean River Water May Be a
Viable Water Source For Some
Communities
Clean river water may nearby and available and capable of being developed
Home as a water source for some communities.
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Note: The content on this page has been adapted from technical notes
published by USAID, entitled “Water for the World”. Powered by Translate
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The Problem Rivers and streams are formed by surface run-off from rainfall or from snow
and ice melting in colder regions.
Sustainability RELATED PAGES
Urban Slum Issues Also, some rivers and streams have springs as their sources.
Introduction to Surface Water
Self-Help Groups Rivers and streams have variable yield and water quality. Some rivers and
streams dry up during the dry season and have no water for several
Groundwater months. People who depend on the clean river water are left with little or no
water.
Bentonite Clay
Surface Water Rivers and streams are also
exposed to contamination by
Hygiene Education waste disposal, laundry,
bathing, and animals, and
Hand Pumps
may prove unsuitable for Springs and Seeps
Pump Suppliers drinking unless treated. In
mountainous areas or in
Water Treatment places with few inhabitants,
Biosand Filters the quality of clean river
water can be very good,
Ceramic Filters requiring little treatment.
Streams in such areas offer a
Sawyer Filters good source of water for a
Sanitation 1 community.
Ponds and Lakes
Sanitation 2
Poverty Solutions There are three methods of developing streams and rivers and obtaining
Field Notes clean river water:
Rivers and streams generally have a wide seasonal variation that will affect
the location of intakes and the quality of water drawn by them. During the
wet season, water is abundant. However, flooding may occur which could Rainwater Harvesting
destroy the intake and steps must be taken to protect it in the high water
season.
In the dry season, water flow will lessen and may even disappear
completely. In this case, a community dependent on clean river water as
their water source would have to find an alternative.
In faster flowing streams and rivers, erosion along the riverbanks can be a
problem. To prevent erosion, a flat, stable section of the stream should be
chosen for the intake site rather than a winding section of the stream. Surface Water Summary
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2. Direct Intakes.
Infiltration Wells
Water quality is good because as clean river water is pumped from the well,
the stream water is drawn through the ground into the well.
As the water passes through the ground, suspended particles and bacteria
are removed and the stream water is considerably purified. The purification
process depends on the makeup of the soil in the river bank and the
distance of the well from the stream or river.
If the soil is made up of large particles, the water will pass through it
quickly. Soil containing finer particles of sand and silty clay slows the
movement of water. The slower the water moves, the less distance it must
travel for filtration to take place.
In fine or compacted soils, the well could be placed as close to the river as 2
or 3m. In coarser soils, the well may have to be 20 or 25m from the stream
so that the water will flow underground long enough to be purified.
Be sure that the soil is not highly compacted clay. Water movement through
compacted clay is very slow and the replenishment of the well could also be
very slow.
Infiltration Galleries
Riverbanks with firm soil that does not contain a lot of clay are good for
infiltration galleries. Some infiltration galleries are built in the bank parallel
to the stream.
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For an infiltration gallery, trenches are dug to a depth below the water level
and collecting pipes are installed as shown in Figure 2.
The pipes channel water into a well which provides some storage and
settling. The distance of an infiltration gallery from the river or stream
depends on the soil makeup.
If soil is sandy, this type of infiltration gallery may not work. The sand may
clog the collection pipes and cut off the flow of water. Sandy soil is not firm
which makes deep excavation dangerous due to cave-ins. Where there are
sandy river banks, another alternative should be found.
In some streams, the collection pipes can be laid directly in the stream bed
as shown in Figure 8. For installation, the stream can be bailed out or have
its flow diverted and a trench 0.5 - 0.7m deep dug out.
Clean river water can be assured by locating the intake directly in the river,
above inhabited areas and sources of contamination. In many cases, there
is little chance of fecal contamination by people or animals, especially in
areas where few people live.
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Many times streams are not very deep and, especially for gravity flow
intakes, it will be necessary to introduce techniques which ensure a
constant flow through the intake.
A weir or submerged dam can be built across the river to raise the water
level enough to provide the necessary flow. The intake must be submerged
at all times.
In a deeper and faster stream, the intake can be located in a concrete ring
attached to the shore by a catwalk. The ring is placed in the stream and
protects the intake from damage, from debris, and the force of the water.
The catwalk is attached to the ring from the shore to provide access for
maintenance. The intake is connected to a mechanical pump. This type of
intake is generally expensive to construct, operate, and maintain, and
skilled people must be available for its construction.
Intakes for rivers and streams should be located as close as possible to the
users. The expense of piping water over long distances must always be
considered when planning to use a source.
Water from a stream can be carried to the user through a gravity flow
system. This method is suitable for streams and rivers with enough changes
in elevation to allow gravity to move the water from the intake to the
storage tank.
Water will then pass from the intake into the storage tank. No pumping will
be necessary to supply a community with water, so little maintenance will
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be required. However, highly
skilled technicians are needed
to design and construct the
system. As with the other
methods, treatment will be
necessary.
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