WATER DISTRIBUTION NETWORK LEAKAGE ANALYSIS USING WATERGEMS: A CASE STUDY FROM WESTMOORING, TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO.

Water distribution is a critical system that involves engineered hydrologic and hydraulic components to provide water supply to a continuously growing population. Ensuring a sufficient and uniform water supply through a well-designed network is essential to meet the increasing water demand. The present study focuses on analyzing the water demand of the public water supply to facilitate effective planning, development, and operation of water supply and distribution networks. The main objective of the study is to analyze the existing water distribution network at West Moorings using the Watergems Software. To conduct this analysis, various data points are needed, such as the population of the area, water demand, distribution network layout, and water pump information. Additionally, details regarding the length, nodes, and diameter of the pipes are essential for the analysis. These data are input into the Watergems Software to perform analyses related to pressure, head loss, and elevation. The results of the analysis provide valuable information on pressure and flowrate at different nodes and head loss along various pipes in the network. By comparing the results obtained from the Watergems Software with actual data, the study aims to locate the leaks within the water distribution network at Westmooring, Trinidad and Tobago. In conclusion, Watergems identified leakage nodes within the West Moorings Network, and data analysis helped narrow down the leak's location in the field. This process involved model calibration using field pressure and flowrate data from WASA, and emitter coefficients were categorized by the Darwin Calibrator function. Accurate boundary inputs, such as the number of leakage nodes, Initial Emitter Coefficient Spacing, and time intervals, were essential for precise data assumptions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]