WATERCOM NEWSLETTER
Monthly newsletter for commercial water-related announcements
Issue 1 - May 2, 2001

Sponsored by WaterCom Engineering
http://www.watercom.ca

Searchable archive available at:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/WaterCom-News


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In This Month's Issue
==============================================

o Message from the editor - WaterCom Engineering
o Groundwater flow modeling with MicroFEM for Windows
o International Conference on Environmental Concerns and Emerging
Abatement Technologies
o New Corps of Engineers Releases
o LV Environmental from Trilogy Environmental
o Developing a Strategy for Water Loss Management by Malcolm Farley
o Hydrology Forum
o How to subscribe / unsubscribe

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Message from the editor - WaterCom Engineering
==============================================

Dear Subscriber,

Welcome to the 1st issue of the WaterCom Newsletter, a monthly
newsletter for the exchange of announcements pertaining to water
resources and related fields. This issue has been distributed to 752
subscribers.

If you'd like to include your announcement in the next issue of the
WaterCom Newsletter, please write to us at news@.... The next
deadline for the submittal of contributions is May 18, 2001.

Also please consider joining the WaterCom mailing list. This is a
discussion forum intended to provide an opportunity for exchanging
commercial announcements associated with water resources engineering,
hydrology, hydraulics and other water-related sciences. As opposed to
the newsletter you are reading right now, your announcements get
distributed to the subscribers immediately after posting. To
subscribe, send a blank e-mail message to
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WaterCom Engineering

**
** WATERCOM ENGINEERING
** Computational and Commercial Services
** for the Water Resources Field
**
** Your source of FREE! downloads and affordable SOFTWARE
**
** Featured software:
** HYDROLOGY & HYDRAULICS SOFTWARE CD
** Now available at http://www.watercom.ca
**
** e-mail: info@...
**

==============================================
Groundwater flow modeling with MicroFEM for Windows (April 2001)
==============================================

A flexible finite-element program for steady-state and transient
groundwater flow modeling in layered aquifer systems

- Fully-integrated modeling environment
- Requires Windows 95 or later
- Capacity: 20 aquifers with 50.000 nodes per layer
- License for any number of computers in the same State: $ 1450
- 50% educational discount
- Single-user license available: $ 750
- Free updates
- Direct e-mail support by the developers

Reviewed in Software Spotlight: Ground Water, Sept-Oct 2000
http://www.ngwa.net/publication/softspot/sf00-5.html

MicroFEM modeling features:
- Confined, leaky and unconfined conditions
- Heterogeneous aquifers and aquitards
- Variable (node-by-node) anisotropy
- Precipitation, evaporation, drains, rivers and wadi top systems

Input & Output:
- Plots of grids, contours, flowlines, profiles, sections and time
series
- DXF maps and flowline files import and export
- SURFER, Excel and ArcView compatible data files
- Free ArcView extension

Some other MicroFEM features:
- Two mesh generators (regional and civil eng. models)
- Interactive mesh design and adjustment
- Flow vectors and 3-D particle tracking
- Water budgets for each aquifer, subarea and time step
- Transient flow modeling in batch mode
- Integrated Help system
- Short user's guide

Powerful tool?
Easy to use?
Sophisticated software?

See for yourself.
Try MicroFEM-LT, which handles one and two-aquifer systems with up to
2500 nodes per layer.
Download from: http://www.microfem.com/ (only 915 kByte)

For more information visit the web site: www.microfem.com or contact:
hemker@...

==============================================

On October 9-12, 2001, a four-day International Conference on
Environmental Concerns and Emerging Abatement Technologies will be
held in Beijing, China. This conference is aiming at provide advanced
knowledge in major environmental concerns, clean production and
abatement technologies and is a unique opportunity for environmental
scientists, manufacturers, funding agencies and policymakers to
communicate their research findings and to strengthen international
co-operations. For more, please visit our web-site at
http://www.cashq.ac.cn/cise/eceat.html.


==============================================
New Corps of Engineers Releases
==============================================


Version 2.1.1 of the US Army Corps of Engineers Hydrologic Modeling
System" (HEC-HMS) computer program has been released for general use.
The program is designed to analyze runoff conditions that result from
precipitation processes. Many water resources projects are dependent
on an understanding of the amount and timing of watershed runoff.
When
the response to precipitation cannot be adequately described by
historical statistics, hydrologic analysis using a
precipitation-runoff model is required. The HEC-HMS program serves
this need.

A new version of the US Army Corps of Engineers River Analysis System
HEC-RAS (3.0.1) has also been released The HEC-RAS system is intended
for calculating water surface profiles for both steady and unsteady
gradually varied flow. HEC-RAS version 3.0.1 includes significant new
features over the previous version (2.21) including the newly added
unsteady flow routing capabilities and several new features for
steady
flow computations. Eventually intended to replace the Corp's UNET
program, HEC-RAS now has the ability to handle a full network of
channels, a dendritic system, or a single river reach under
time-variant flow conditions.

More details on the capabilities of these Corps of Engineers programs
can be obtained by downloading a copy of the HEC-RAS and HEC-HMS
Release Notes from the WRCS web site at http://www.waterengr.com.

==============================================

Dear subscribers,

I would like to introduce the latest version of LV Environmental,
from
Trilogy Environmental, the only fully integrated, web enabled, water
quality business solution on the market. With over 1000
installations
world-wide, LV Environmental is utilised by water utilities,
laboratories and environmental organisations for water quality
management, laboratory analysis statutory, operational and business
reporting.

LV Environmental is a fully integrated, water quality business
system,
for the water quality enterprise. LV Environmental comprises core
modules providing for; advanced sample scheduling; laboratory
information management; advanced environmental and business
reporting;
field data collection; demand planning and management; and
web-enabled
sample tracking.

LV Environmental is a fully integrated, 'off the shelf', and highly
cost-effective solution for the water quality enterprise. Featuring
web integration and being modular in design, LV Environmental is
fully
scalable across the enterprise catering for any scale of requirement.
LV Environmental fully supports the statutory reporting requirements
of the world's most stringent regulations, including the UK DWI and
US
EPA regulations.

To learn more about LV Environmental and Trilogy, visit our website
at
www.trilogyenvironmental.com alternatively, contact me direct.

Kind regards

Simon Jones
Environmental Sales Manager, Trilogy Environmental
----------------------------------------------------------------------
------------------
3 Beacontree Plaza, Gillette Way, Reading, Berks, RG2 0BS, UK
Telephone: +44 (0)1189 868886
Facsimile: +44 (0)1189 210451
Mobile: +44 (0)7866 626747
Email: simon.jones@...
Website: www.trilogyenvironmental.com
----------------------------------------------------------------------
------------------


==============================================
DEVELOPING A STRATEGY FOR WATER LOSS MANAGEMENT
by Malcolm Farley
==============================================

Water lost from distribution networks, for whatever reason, is a loss
of a valuable resource. Controlling and managing such losses is
therefore an integral part of water supply operations, to maximise
company efficiency and to reduce the need for further resource
development. Reduction and management of losses requires a
diagnostic and analytical approach. The procedure is the same as
that
for any manufacturing system or process - ask some questions of the
operating practices and network characteristics, and then develop an
appropriate strategy to improve them.

A water loss strategy enables water companies to;

- put in place technologies and mechanisms to better understand losses
- develop more robust mechanisms for measuring or estimating the
components of the water balance
- set economic and achievable leakage targets
- install systems to monitor and reduce leakage

The key to developing a successful leakage control strategy is to
firstly understand the components of water loss, and their relative
significance, and then to address each of the causes of the losses.
The introduction of appropriate technologies, skills transfer and
continuous operation and maintenance (O&M) is a cornerstone of the
strategy, to ensure that the strategy is sustained.

The questions to ask are;

- how much water is being lost?
- where is it being lost from?
- why is it being lost?
- how can we reduce losses and improve performance
- how can we maintain performance?

Then we can select appropriate tools (methodologies and technologies)
to develop solutions to each of the questions. The tools are;

- water balance calculation
- studies of leakage and 'apparent' losses
- review of the network characteristics and the operational practice
- development of leakage control methodologies and technologies
- development of policies to address 'apparent' losses
- introduction of customer awareness and education programmes
- training and follow-up
- operation & maintenance (O&M) strategy

The author has been involved in water loss investigations for many
years, in developed and developing countries, and is writing a book
for the International Water Association (IWA) on the process and
steps
for developing a water loss strategy.

Details of the book, and case study examples of strategy development
in countries worldwide, will be enlarged upon in further issues of
the
Newsletter.

MALCOLM FARLEY ASSOCIATES
Training and Consultancy for the International Water Industry
The Firs, Station Road, Alvescot, Bampton, Oxfordshire, OX18 2PS, UK
Tel. +44 (0)1993 841357 Fax. +44 (0)1993 842924 mobile +44 (0) 7768
528625
e-mail: mfarley@...

==============================================

Members may consider joining the Hydrology Forum
- a discussion group on Hydrology.

Hydrology Forum
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This mailing list aims to provide a forum for discussion of
scientific
research in all aspects of Hydrology including hydrologic design,
surface water analysis and modelling, flood studies, drought studies,
watershed development, groundwater assessment and modelling,
conjunctive use, drainage, mountain hydrology, environmental
hydrology, lake hydrology, nuclear hydrology, urban hydrology, forest
hydrology, hydrological investigations, remote sensing and GIS
applications etc. Exchange of ideas and experiences regarding use and
application of hydrological softwares are also welcome.

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hydrology-forum-subscribe@...

Post a Message
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List Information Page
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My Hydrology Links
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http://www.angelfire.com/nh/cpkumar/hydrology.html



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Write to the editor
==============================================
If you'd like to write to the editor, please send your message to
news@...


The WaterCom Newsletter is Copyright (c) WaterCom Engineering 2001
but
may be distributed freely by email as a whole in unedited form (which
includes the source and subscription instructions). WaterCom
Newsletter content may not be published on the web or by any other
means except by express written permission.

Number of subscribers: 752

List of Contributors
WaterCom Newsletter - Issue 1 - May 2, 2001

WaterCom Engineering
http://www.watercom.ca

MicroFEM
http://www.microfem.com

SKLEAC, Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences
http://www.cashq.ac.cn/cise/eceat.html

Water Resources Consulting Services
http://www.waterengr.com

Trilogy Environmental
http://www.trilogyenvironmental.com

Malcolm Farley Associates
mfarley@...

National Institute of Hydrology
http://www.angelfire.com/nh/cpkumar/hydrology.html