Distribution System Basics
How a drinking water distribution system works and how to keep it safe: pipe, valves and hydrants, flushing, storage tanks, pressure zones and boosters, water hammer, backflow, main repairs and disinfection, residual, sampling, leaks and complaints.
CEUs not yet approved, for learning only
Who it is for
Water distribution and treatment operators, utility crews and small system operators, including operators who hold both water and wastewater licenses.
Format
Online, self-paced. Take it when it suits your shift.
Length and price
4 hours, $120.
What you will learn
10 modules. Worked examples use fictional drinking water systems.
- The Distribution System, Pipe, Mains and ServicesTransmission and distribution mains, services, meters, looped and dead end layouts, pipe materials and their strengths and problems, and lead service line inventory.
- Valves and Valve ExercisingGate, butterfly, check, air release, pressure reducing and altitude valves, valve boxes and maps, turning direction, a valve exercising program and the turns rule of thumb.
- Hydrants and FlushingDry and wet barrel hydrants, hydrant parts and maintenance, conventional and unidirectional flushing, flushing velocity and flow, flushing volume and time, and dechlorination of flushed water.
- Storage Tanks and TowersWhy systems store water, elevated tanks, standpipes and ground tanks, pressure from tank height, useful storage in a standpipe, tank turnover and mixing, inspection, sanitary hazards and tank cleaning.
- Pressure, Pressure Zones, Booster Stations and Water HammerNormal and minimum pressures, the hydraulic grade line, pressure zones and PRVs, booster stations, low and high pressure problems, water hammer and surge estimates.
- Cross-Connection Control and Backflow PreventionCross-connections, backpressure and backsiphonage, high and low hazards, air gaps, reduced pressure zone, double check and pressure vacuum breaker assemblies, testing and program basics.
- Main Breaks, Repairs and Disinfection of New MainsResponding to a main break, isolating, keeping positive pressure, repair practice and sanitary precautions, boil water advisories, and disinfecting new and repaired mains under AWWA C651 with dose math.
- Chlorine Residual, Water Age and SamplingWhy residual fades in the pipes, water age, booster chlorination, residual mapping, sample siting plans, sample collection technique and Revised Total Coliform Rule concepts.
- Leak Detection and Water LossReal and apparent losses, the water audit and non-revenue water, acoustic leak detection, district metering and night flow, meter accuracy, and the cost of a leak.
- Customer ComplaintsDiscolored water, taste and odor, low pressure, air in lines and illness complaints, how to investigate and how to talk with customers.
What operators take away
- Why tank height sets your pressure, and how to figure it in your head.
- How to plan unidirectional flushing and disinfect a new main.
- How backflow happens and which assembly stops which hazard.
- Keeping residual up and water age down, and where to sample.
- A certification quiz for paid students, and a certificate of completion from Wastewater Academy™ when you pass it. The certificate does not carry CEU credit.
- A student manual to download (comes with the class).
Register
4 hours, $120.
CEUs for this class are not yet approved in any state. If you need CEU credit, please wait; we'll announce approval here. Purchase is for learning only.
Need CEU credit? Ask us to tell you when CEUs are approved (tell us your state and this class), or email help@ActivatedSludge.com.
Registration is open for learning only. At checkout you confirm that you understand this class has no CEU credit yet.
After you pay, you are taken to a page where you download the student manual. The class includes a certification quiz, which opens for you after you pay, and a certificate of completion from Wastewater Academy™ when you pass it. Online access, including the manual, quiz, and certificate, lasts 90 days from purchase.
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