This module is intended to help students understand and gain basic knowledge on how water is cascaded to our houses for consumption. They will be able to appreciate the constrigency of water extraction and conveyance.

At the end of this module, you will be able to:

• identify the common water sources in the community
• discuss the reliability of water sources in the community
• describe their family’s and community’s water source
• discuss the basic national standards for drinking water

Water Sources:

Factors to consider in choosing water sources:

• Adequacy and Reliability
• Quality
• Cost
• Legality
• Politics

Qualities of the most preferred sources are (in descending order):

1. An inexhaustible supply, whether from surface or groundwater, which flows by gravity through the distribution system;
2. A gravity source supplemented by storage reservoirs;
3. An inexhaustible source that requires pumping;
4. A source or sources that require both storage and pumping.

Water resource evaluation:

• Actual flow measurements and water quality; and
• Potential sources of contamination and pollution

Classification of Water Sources

Water sources are classified according to their geographical location:

1. Rainwater;
2. Surface water - this comes from surface runoff and groundwater; and
3. Groundwater - rainwater that percolated through the soil.
   1. Springs - the point where groundwater flows out of the ground.
   2. Well - a man made hole used for recovering groundwater by digging, boring, and drilling or by any other method.