ABSTRACT
Beginning students of water hydraulics and its principles often come to the subject matter with certain misgivings. For example, water and wastewater operators quickly learn on the job that their primary operational/maintenance concerns involve a daily routine of monitoring, sampling, laboratory testing, operation, and process maintenance. The word hydraulic is derived from the Greek words “hydro” and “aulis”. Originally, the term hydraulics referred only to the study of water at rest and in motion. The most common use of specific gravity in water/wastewater treatment operations is in gallons-to-pounds conversions. Water exerts force and pressure against the walls of its container, whether it is stored in a tank or flowing in a pipeline. The pressure exerted by water and/or wastewater is directly proportional to its depth or head in the pipe, tank, or channel. Most applications of hydraulics in water/wastewater treatment systems involve water in motion—in pipes under pressure or in open channels under the force of gravity.
