Design coursework for Water Supply module in water, sanitation and health (WASH) programme

Rationale

Water supply is a crucial infrastructure with direct applications in solving water, sanitation and health (WASH) challenges. With water scarcity and quality concerns becoming increasingly prevalent, it is essential to educate the next generation of engineers on the design and operation of sustainable water supply systems. This coursework will foster an interdisciplinary approach by combining principles of civil engineering, hydraulics,  health, risk, and sustainability. Such an approach aligns with the evolving demands of the field and equips students with a comprehensive skill set. By incorporating design and operational aspects  in assessment coursework, students will gain  hands-on experience in water supply systems. This coursework will try to introduce students to the global variations in water supply challenges. Incorporating this coursework will not only contribute to students’ skill development but also provide students with a valuable educational experience of designing water treatment and distribution systems in a global context.

Learning outcomes

On completion of this coursework, student should be able to:

Learning Outcome Assessed in

1   Apply a comprehensive knowledge and understanding of mathematics and engineering principles to design to pre-feasibility level water supply systems, including in relation to water source development, water treatment and distribution

Exam Individual Report Group Exercise Lab Exercise

2   Synthesise a complex engineering brief on design of water supply systems in a practical scenario while showing detailed understanding of wider contexts such as societal, environmental and economic impacts and discussing the implication of various stakeholders and suggest solutions for the complex problem posed

Individual Report Group Exercise

3   Perform. a comprehensive literature review within technical literature and demonstrate critical awareness of new developments in the design and operation of water supply systems to improve the efficiency and sustainability of systems

Individual Report Group Exercise

4   Identify and monitor water quality hazards within drinking water systems, with special reference to priority biological and chemical contaminants

Individual Report Group Exercise

5   Apply decisions on the design, maintenance and operation of drinking water systems to maintain drinking water safety supported by engineering justification while discussing technical limitations and constraints, where the available data and information might not be complete

Individual Report Group Exercise

6   Apply computational techniques in design of water distribution systems by modelling the system in EPANET or similar tools as well as using hydraulics calculations to quantify required system parameters

Individual Report

7   Describe the major socio-economic and technical factors that influence the management of drinking water supply schemes in resource constrained environments (AHEP 4 Learning Outcomes M5);

Individual Report

8   Demonstrating awareness of regulations and design standards related to design, operation and maintenance (AHEP 4 Learning Outcomes M5);

Individual Report

9   Demonstrate contribution of engineering solutions towards sustainable development goals (SDGs)

Individual Report Group Exercise

10   Apply communication skills to effectively communicate a complex engineering solution with technical and non-technical audience in written report

Exam Individual Report Group Exercise

Brief

Huarmaca is a district in the province of Huancabamba, located in the Piura region of northwestern Peru. The local government of Huarmaca has commissioned a project to improve the water supply for households surrounding the town of Tunaspampa. The project aims to provide a stable supply of safe, potable water to all households in Sector I to Sector IV of this localities.

To achieve this, treatment processes must be established to ensure the water is safe for human consumption, and a piped distribution system must be designed to connect the treated water supply to individual households. A location map is provided in Annex A, showing the project's area. Annex B contains details of the sectors with households requiring water supply. The source of water will be a spring, identified as BM-1 in Annex B. The coordinates of the spring are [Latitude: -5.6946, Longitude: -79.5150], allowing you to locate it on universal mapping platforms to familiarise yourself with the geography of the area. The spring is capable of meeting the entire water demand of the region.

Annex C includes a drone-based topographic map of the area, showing altitude information. This should guide both the conceptual and detailed pipeline design decisions. Note that the coordinates in Annex B and Annex C use the standard UTM system, which must be converted to latitude and longitude for use on platforms such as  Google Maps. High-quality versions of the maps provided in Annexes A to C are available  for download on Minerva under the Assessment and Feedback folder.

The region lies in a tropical zone. While the climate is primarily warm and dry (with average rainfall of 20 mm per month), intense rainstorms occasionally occur throughout the year. Additionally, there is a rainy season lasting four months, during which the average rainfall increases to 100 mm per month. Table 1 presents the characteristics of water samples collected from the spring during the two principal seasons.

Table 1: Characteristics of spring water samples during the two principal seasons

There are periodic interruptions to electrical power and the supply of chemicals in the region, which should be considered when designing the system. The number of households in Sector I and Sector II is indicated on the map, with specific buildings serving key community roles: Building 15 is a primary school, and Buildings 16, 41, and 43 are community centres. The population per household is provided in a table in both Annex B and Annex C, covering buildings numbered 1 to 47. Your designed water distribution system must supply water to all 47 buildings listed in the table. The primary school (Building 15) must accommodate water for 60 students from the surrounding area, and each community centre (Buildings 16, 41, and 43) must be capable of supporting a supply for 20 individuals.

When designing treatment processes, if a centralised treatment plant is proposed, it must be economically viable. This requires accounting for future population growth across the region, based on your proposed design life and growth rate. Population growth is assumed to be 3% per annum.  Both the  treatment plant/process and the water distribution network must be designed to withstand future developments, including the impacts of climate change and increasing population.

The locations, sizes, and specifications of any treatment works and pipes within the water treatment and distribution  system  are  to  be  determined  by  you.  However,  it  is  critical  that  the  design  accounts  for population growth over the entire design life to ensure feasibility. Designs that fail to address these factors will not meet the requirements of the local government.

The local government mandates that all water supply systems must guarantee a continuous supply of water (non-intermittent) that meets World Health  Organisation (WHO) standards for water quality. These standards have been formally adopted as the Peruvian national standard. Compliance with these standards is a key requirement for the project.

Please prepare a report for the local government of the Huarmaca district outlining a proposal for appropriate water treatment and  distribution systems for the Tunaspampa  region.  The  report  should include recommendations for management arrangements, with a focus on ensuring that the entire system is operated and managed locally. You must propose methods for managing the operation of the treatment and distribution system. The proposal must ensure the delivery of safe and effective   potable water throughout the year.

Your report should present a detailed proposal for the treatment and distribution system, incorporating the following technical elements:

• Main Elements of the Treatment System: Provide a detailed explanation of the primary components of the  proposed  treatment system, including the  approximate size, capacity, and  role/function of each individual unit.

• Piped Distribution System Design: Include a design for a piped distribution system that connects treated water to individual households. This design should be justified with appropriate calculations and hydraulic models. You must simulate the system using suitable software, such as EPANET, and include the simulated network and results in your report.

• Operation Key Aspects: Describe the key operational aspects of the system, including methods to address interruptions  in  electricity supply or chemical availability. Highlight any differences  in operational requirements between the dry and rainy seasons.

• Potential Concerns and Solutions: Summarise potential challenges that could affect the operation of the system and provide recommendations for addressing these concerns.

Clearly state any assumptions made in the design of the treatment and distribution systems. Additionally, briefly explain the advantages of your proposed solution compared to alternative approaches.

You are strongly encouraged to discuss how your proposed solution contributes to achieving Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Furthermore, consider integrating recent advances in smart systems into your design and discuss the potential benefits of incorporating smart water system technologies.

Assignment Guidance

You must prepare two elements for this coursework: a) a group poster, b) an individual report.

a) Group Poster Guidance

The first submission is a group poster, due on 28th February 2025. This poster will be peer-reviewed and marked according to the rubric provided in this brief. It should give an overview of your group's justification for selecting the proposed water treatment technology and the preliminary design of the piped distribution system. Group allocations will be announced on Minerva.

Your team will consist of individuals with diverse skills essential for success. These may include:

•   Generating and evaluating design ideas

•   Monitoring progress and decision-making

•   Coordinating and planning work

•   Producing the poster

•   Challenging and refining ideas

•   Ensuring team cohesion and maintaining momentum

Identify the skills available within your team and any that need to be developed. Allocate tasks effectively, ensuring that each member contributes to a high standard and on time. Collaboration, accountability, and good communication are key to achieving a well-rounded and impactful poster.

Your poster must include the following sections:

Title:

Choose a relevant and engaging title to reflect the focus of your work.

Introduction:

Provide a brief overview of the task, including the aim, objectives, and scope. Summarise your design approach for the water treatment and distribution systems.

Water Treatment Design Concept:

Justify your choice of technology for treating water to meet WHO standards, as mandated by the Peruvian national standard. Present the layout of the treatment plant.

Preliminary Design of Piped Distribution System:

Outline your approach to designing a piped water distribution network that connects treated water to all buildings. Highlight how the design accounts for population growth (3% per annum) and resilience to climate variability, as specified in the task brief.

Operation and Resilience:

Discuss operational considerations, including strategies to  handle interruptions in electricity or chemical supplies. Highlight differences in operation between dry and rainy seasons and propose solutions to maintain continuous water supply throughout the year.

Conclusions and Recommendations:

Summarise the advantages of your  proposed design over alternative approaches.  Identify  any  potential biases or uncertainties in your design and suggest how they might be addressed.

Contributions to SDGs and Smart Systems:

Discuss how your proposed solution aligns with Sustainable Development Goals (e.g., Goal 6: Clean Water and Sanitation). Explore the potential benefits of integrating smart water system technologies to enhance efficiency, monitoring, and resilience.

Ensure the poster is well-organised, with clear headings and concise text. Use high-quality diagrams, graphs, and images to enhance  understanding and engage  your audience.  Avoid overcrowding the poster with excessive text; prioritise  key information.  Use  consistent fonts, colours, and spacing for a professional appearance. Check for grammatical accuracy and clarity before submission.

When preparing a poster, please have a look at the links below:

• What is an academic poster? - Canterbury Christ Church University

• Posters - Posters with a Powerful Point: A practical guide to designing academic posters - Subject Guides at University of York

• How to design an award-winning conference poster  | Impact of Social Sciences (lse.ac.uk)

An electronic copy of your poster must be submitted via Minerva through Feedback Fruits tool.

b) Individual Report Guidance

Your report must adhere to a maximum word limit of 3000 words. Tables, figures, the reference list, and appendices do not count towards this word limit. However, the main content of the report must remain within the body and should not be shifted to the appendices. The report, excluding the appendices, should be  comprehensive  and  address  all  the   requirements  of  the  task.  Appendices  should  only   include supplementary materials (e.g., EPANET network models and detailed reports) that support the main text and help the reader better understand your methodology and analysis.

The report must be presented as a professional document that meets high academic writing standards. It should include:

•    A cover page

• A table of contents

•    Numbered headings and subheadings

•    Figure and table captions with proper numbering

• A reference list

All sources of information must be appropriately cited in the text, and a comprehensive reference list must be provided, adhering to the University of Leeds’s Harvard referencing style. For further guidance, please consult the university’s referencing guide:Referencing  | Library | University of Leeds

To improve clarity and the quality of your solutions, use diagrams, charts, sketches and drawings effectively. Ensure that these visuals are original or appropriately adapted with clear objectives and relevance to your report. Avoid directly copying and pasting images, tables, charts, or text from online or other literature sources without proper adaptation or critical input. Ensure the main body of the report sufficiently addresses all the required elements of the task. Failure to adhere to these guidelines may result in your submission being rejected for assessment.

For further advice on academic writing and good academic practices, refer to the Skills@Library website: Academic skills  | Library | University of Leeds.

Assessment Criteria

The report will be marked according to the breakdown of marks in Table 2:

Table 2: Breakdown of marks for each specific section