Physical Components of a Drinking Water System

Below are physical components common to small water systems. They are presented in a layout that follows the flow of the water from source through distribution.

Aquifer Most ground water in the central district is pulled from the Floridan Aquifer.

Well Two common well construction methods. On the left is an example of a vertical turbine type pump installation and on the right is an example of a submersible type pump installation.
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Vertical Turbine
Well maintained vertical turbine well assembly. (picture below)	Poorly maintained vertical turbine well assembly (picture below)

Submersible Well Casing
Well Maintained Submersible Well Casing (picture below)	Poorly Maintained Submersible Well Casing (picture below)
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o Sanitary Seal At the top of all submersible well pumps is a sanitary seal through which piping and electrical cables are routed. All bolts should be tightened and no visible gaps should be present.

Well Pad The well pad must be a minimum of 6'x 6'x4' and concrete. Must be free of debris and algae buildup. The well pad should well maintained and free of cracks to avoid possible contamination.
A well maintained well pad free of leaves and debris. (picture below)	A poorly maintained well pad with cracks and a large hole. (picture below)
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Well Discharge Piping (prior to water storage tanks) Raw water sample tap: Raw water samples should be taken from a smooth-nosed, downward opening tap located upstream of the check valve.

Check Valve A device which prevents the flow of treated water back towards the well. This valve must be located after the raw water sample tap. There are many different types of check valves, two commonly found examples are below:

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Flow Meter An in-line flow meter is very important as it allows you to track how much water your well produces. There may be multiple flow meters at different points throughout the treatment plant. It is important that they are calibrated in accordance with the manufacturer's specifications.

Water Treatment There are many different types of water treatment processes that are used depending on raw water quality. All public water systems in the State of Florida are required to provide disinfection. The preferred method of disinfection is chlorination. Below are examples of chlorination pumps and chlorine storage containers.

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Water Storage There are several different types of storage tanks and each has unique applications. Storage tanks range in capacity from 20 gallons to more than 1,000,000 gallons. Hydropneumatic storage tanks are the most common tank application for small systems. Also known as 'pressure tanks,' these tanks use a combination of air and water to provide sufficient disinfection contact time and to maintain water pressure throughout the distribution system.