Course: BFM 203 Water Treatment and Control

Lecture

Introduction to Reservoir Management and Intake Structures

Introduction to Reservoir Management and Intake Structures

Surface water in lakes and reservoirs makes up very little of the world's available source water. The ratio of groundwater to surface water available is dependent on location. Groundwater is typically considered to be a finite resource, making available storage of surface water more important every year. The illustration below depicts the distribution of Earth's water. Note that our oceans make up 96.5 percent of the total global water while freshwater makes up just 2.5 percent. Freshwater sources are comprised primarily of glaciers and ice caps (68.6 percent) and groundwater (30.1 percent), with surface and other freshwater making up just 1.3 percent of our total freshwater. Surface water and other fresh water sources are comprised mainly of ice and snow (73.1 percent) and lakes (20.1 percent), with our small sources including atmospheric water (.22 percent), biological water (.22 percent), swamps and marshes (2.35 percent) and soil moisture (3.52%).

Increasing demands on water supplies cannot always be met directly by groundwater or surface water diversion from streams and rivers. Management of the run-off area and recreation on reservoirs is the most effective way to ensure the quality of the source water. Increasing demands on water supplies cannot always be met directly by groundwater or surface water diversion from streams and rivers. Reservoirs provide extra storage for excess runoff to be used during times of drought. Management and treatment methods for reservoirs vary based on size, water quality, and other uses of the reservoir (such as boating and fishing).