Preface

A number of key specialists in the water industry have contributed to the production of
this fifth edition of Water Supply and as a result most chapters have been re-written,
extended and updated.
The text gives up-to-date national and international standards for drinking water
quality set by the UK and EC regulatory bodies plus the World Health Organization and
the US Environmental Protection Agency. It describes the incidence and significance of
the main chemical constituents found in raw waters, and the types of bacteria, viruses and
protozoan organisms which present a hazard to human health. New matters of concern
with respect to chemical and microbiological contaminants are listed. The design is given
of treatment works and the equipment used for chemical coagulation, clarification
methods including dissolved air flotation, rapid gravity filtration, slow sand filtration and
membrane filtration. Sludge disposal methods are presented with design parameters and
tables of relevant data.
The new 1999 UK regulations with respect to monitoring for cryptosporidium oocysts
are given, and treatment practices recommended to reduce the risk of oocysts passing into
supply are described.
Advanced and specialised treatments are described for iron, arsenic and manganese
removal, plumbosolvency control, defluoridation and fluoridation, nitrate and ammonia
removal. Taste and odour causes and removal; and reduction of volatile organic
compounds and micropollutants by use of granular activated carbon (GAC) and advanced
oxidation processes are dealt with. Further material is added on desalination by ion
exchange, electrodialysis, reverse osmosis and thermal processes.
The new approach to the management of distribution systems is described. Zoning of
supplies, telemetered monitoring of district flows, computer modelling of flows and water
quality modelling, together with geographic information systems are increasingly being
used to provide data on system performance, levels of service to consumers and the
condition of assets for the development of asset management plans. Methods of
rehabilitating pipelines are discussed. An extended chapter on pipes and pipelines gives
additional information on the design of steel, polyethylene and PVC pipes according to
numerous international and in-country standards.
Material on the yield of sources has been remodelled to emphasize the important role
played by underground water supplies throughout the world. New approaches to
definitions of 'yield' are discussed; and reference is directed to the new Flood Estimation
Handbook 1999 for estimating flood magnitudes.
Experience with privatization of the water industry in England and Wales is reported
together with a consideration of the growth of private sector participation in public water
supply overseas. Levels of staffing of waterworks undertakings in UK and other countries
x Preface

are given. New information is presented on the water demand experienced by USA water
undertakings and the revised approach of the US Environmental Protection Agency to
drinking water quality control.
The authors are grateful to the many contributors and reviewers who have aided the
production of this fifth edition and to the firm of Binnie, Black & Veatch who have made
this co-operative venture possible. The text also benefits from the contributions of F. M.
Law, F. W. Crowley and Dr R. C. Hoather to previous editions. However we must make
clear that responsibility for the statements and opinions expressed lies with ourselves.

Alan C. Twort
Don D. Ratnayaka
Malcolm J. Brandt