Key project highlights
Discovered
current guidance, regulation, methods, parameters and variables used by the industry.
Developed
step by step design process in collaboration with industry experts.
Delivered
clear and transparent service reservoir volume design guidance.
The challenges of reservoir design
There are multiple factors, requirements and constraints that need to be considered when designing current and future water storage volume. Reservoir design needs to balance supply, demand and hydraulics as well as the need to ensure there is no detriment to the quality of the water being stored. There is a need for a standard approach to service reservoir design that encompasses all the various facets of demand, hydraulics, resilience, water quality, maintenance and regulation.
A standard methodology designed by industry specialists will assist companies in the decision-making process for designing potable water storage assets that ensure all drivers are considered and assessed. This design methodology provides the justification required to investment managers, regulators and for decisions made in the initial design process. It also allows a direct comparison of designs and associated costs for each asset.
The project
This project was delivered under the WRc collaborative Portfolio Research programme. It was supported by nine water utilities, who together supply 50% of the UK population, providing over 9,000 ML/day of potable water supplies.
The guidance has been presented as a flow diagram showing the overall approach and key steps required to calculate volumetric capacity for reservoirs. A specific requirement for the guidance was to include a basic or core volume calculation onto which other components can be added for items such as resilience, growth, unusual demand etc. The guidance includes the derivation of the inputs to be used in existing volume calculations.
Reservoir Volume Design Framework
The first stage of the design framework enables the strategic assessment of storage volumes across a supply network. How much stored volume is required and how could this be accommodated with the supply system? The guidance takes into consideration future demands, remaining life of any current storage assets and existing supply configuration.
This stage focuses on the calculation of a service reservoir storage volume requirements, providing a step by step process for calculating the core storage components, including consideration of operational requirements and population growth. Available options for demand scenarios and planning horizons are presented to allow the designer to make informed decisions.
There are a number of factors that, although not directly relevant to the volume calculation, may require the deign volume to be re-evaluated and adjusted. Factors such as location, operation, water quality and engineering design. The guidance provides narrative relating to these factors to enable the designer to evaluate their significance to each reservoir design situation.