Surface Water And Intake Wells Drinking and industrial water sources include surface waters such as lakes and rivers as well as groundwater and sea water. Finding the best water source and designing a successful project takes specialized investigation and engineering expertise.

The decision about the type and location of source water includes many factors. Technical and environmental factors such as the source water quality amount of sediment; effect of the intake and construction on aquatic life ability to maintain minimum flows and levels in the source water; proximity to neighborhoods; even political considerations must be included in the analysis of every project. Plenty of due diligence is required before design can be started.

Surface water intakes must be properly designed to avoid impacts to fish and other organisms. Water intake pumps should be sized to avoid adverse conditions while providing the required water volume and pressure.

Types of Intake Structures
The type of intake structure will be unique to every project. Intakes on tidal rivers and rivers with great fluctuations in level require even more extensive study and evaluation before actual design takes place.

In all instances, regulatory requirements will dictate the final decisions around which the engineer must design.

Intake structures can be designed with or without damming. Often, a weir structure is placed across the river, partially damming it and providing an adequate water level for the surface water intake. In some cases, radial collector intake wells are constructed. This type of design can provide high volumes of water and take advantage of some natural filtering of the source water through the river bank.

In addition to the type of intake, consideration must be given to the water intake pump and intake screen design. The intake screen helps prevent sediment and debris from entering the water system. Detailed calculations are used to determine the type and size of the pumps in order to meet the water supply need while preventing creation of a vortex or other adverse impact.

The location and design of water intake systems requires experience in many areas of expertise, including hydraulics and hydrology, geo-technical, and environmental engineering. Creating a plan that is economically feasible and politically acceptable is another challenge.

Chokhavatia Associates are The Best Engineers for Surface Water and Intake Wells.

Chokhavatia Associates are experts in water systems design. CA’s highly experienced and skilled professionals have the expertise in all of the varied engineering disciplines to provide a complete project for design of intake structures. In addition, they have experience to provide construction engineering services as well.

CA’s team can perform all due diligence, investigation and analysis to locate the intake structures. They have capability to conduct the necessary hydraulic modeling, geotechnical exploration, and environmental engineering to determine the best type of intake design, including water intake pumps and intake screen design.

CA’s team of trained professionals is also experienced in projects designed to take water from wells. Some past projects include the design of large pipelines for water supply projects and raw water intake wells, including pumping system design. CA’s engineers have also completed work on radial collector intake wells, including the preliminary analyses needed for locating them.

Chokhavatia Associates have provided engineering design for numerous water intake systems, meeting all regulatory and permitting requirements. CA’s goal is to provide the client with the most cost-effective project to provide the needed volume of water.