Chapter 5
Water Supply Challenges
and Achievements in Constanta County
A. Constantin and C. St. Nitescu
Abstract Dobrogea is a Romanian region surrounded by waters: Low Danube at
West, the Danube Delta at North and the Black Sea East. Although its location is
in the proximity of large water bodies, its climate is dry, and it benefits from only a
small number of rivers and creeks and some lakes with fresh or brackish water. The
groundwater instead is generous, and it represents the main drinking water source. A
brief description of the water sources in Dobrogea gives an image of the water supply
potential of the region. The first drinkable water supply systems were built long ago, in
ancient times, to bring fresh water to Tomis, the city overlapped today by Constanta,
the largest Romanian city on the Black Sea coast. Nowadays drinkable water supply
systems use mainly groundwater, but also surface water from the Danube. They are
organised as local or regional systems which face fundamental issues generated by
increased demand, aged infrastructure and a slight decline in quality. Therefore an
ample project is in progress, aiming to rehabilitate the existing water facilities and
distribution networks and to build new ones. A newly built transmission conduit
will interconnect the current systems into a regional one, with more flexibility and
resilience. The project also envisages the implementation of surveillance and control
methods to diminish the water loss and to increase energy efficiency. The same
issues referring to water loss and energy consumption but more acute are faced by the
irrigation water systems used in agriculture. The transition from large cultivated areas
belonging to the state to small properties, after 1989, increased the water price and
made difficult to use the existing huge irrigation systems. A national modernization
project is going to improve irrigation which is vital for agriculture in Dobrogea. A
particular focus lies on the water pumping stations that are the most critical energy
consumers. A numerical simulation carried out with particular software is a beneficial
way to analyse the hydraulic parameters and energy coefficients in each configuration
or operation possibility of a pumping installation, allowing the engineers to make
correct decisions. We present two case studies, one regarding a drinkable water
system and the other an irrigation water pumping station. Elements of environmental
impact and the challenges of the on-going water supply projects are addressed as
well.
A. Constantin (B) · C. St. Nitescu
Faculty of Civil Engineering, Ovidius University, Constanta, Romania
e-mail: aconstantina@univ-ovidius.ro
© Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2020
A. M. Negm et al. (eds.), Water Resources Management in Romania, Springer Water,
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-22320-5_5
169
Water Supply Challenges
and Achievements in Constanta County
A. Constantin and C. St. Nitescu
Abstract Dobrogea is a Romanian region surrounded by waters: Low Danube at
West, the Danube Delta at North and the Black Sea East. Although its location is
in the proximity of large water bodies, its climate is dry, and it benefits from only a
small number of rivers and creeks and some lakes with fresh or brackish water. The
groundwater instead is generous, and it represents the main drinking water source. A
brief description of the water sources in Dobrogea gives an image of the water supply
potential of the region. The first drinkable water supply systems were built long ago, in
ancient times, to bring fresh water to Tomis, the city overlapped today by Constanta,
the largest Romanian city on the Black Sea coast. Nowadays drinkable water supply
systems use mainly groundwater, but also surface water from the Danube. They are
organised as local or regional systems which face fundamental issues generated by
increased demand, aged infrastructure and a slight decline in quality. Therefore an
ample project is in progress, aiming to rehabilitate the existing water facilities and
distribution networks and to build new ones. A newly built transmission conduit
will interconnect the current systems into a regional one, with more flexibility and
resilience. The project also envisages the implementation of surveillance and control
methods to diminish the water loss and to increase energy efficiency. The same
issues referring to water loss and energy consumption but more acute are faced by the
irrigation water systems used in agriculture. The transition from large cultivated areas
belonging to the state to small properties, after 1989, increased the water price and
made difficult to use the existing huge irrigation systems. A national modernization
project is going to improve irrigation which is vital for agriculture in Dobrogea. A
particular focus lies on the water pumping stations that are the most critical energy
consumers. A numerical simulation carried out with particular software is a beneficial
way to analyse the hydraulic parameters and energy coefficients in each configuration
or operation possibility of a pumping installation, allowing the engineers to make
correct decisions. We present two case studies, one regarding a drinkable water
system and the other an irrigation water pumping station. Elements of environmental
impact and the challenges of the on-going water supply projects are addressed as
well.
A. Constantin (B) · C. St. Nitescu
Faculty of Civil Engineering, Ovidius University, Constanta, Romania
e-mail: aconstantina@univ-ovidius.ro
© Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2020
A. M. Negm et al. (eds.), Water Resources Management in Romania, Springer Water,
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-22320-5_5
169