Drinking Water Supply Systems—Evolution Towards Efficiency

Abstract

Throughout humankind history, drinking water supply was crucial for the survival of all communities. In Romania, major cities like Bucharest, Timişoara, Iaşi, Cluj all have a long and rich water history, full of achievements. The limited space of one chapter is allowing us to only discuss the case of Cluj, especially the period after 1989. The first section of this chapter highlights the most critical moments in Cluj-Napoca’s water supply history, until the end of the communist regime. A lot of technical data is presented, showing the continuous urban population growth, followed by the investments in the water infrastructure. Between 1945 and 1989, the evolution was primarily focused on the quantitative aspects, in the context of the centralized economy which had its influence on the entire development of the city and also on the activity of the local water operator. The second section discusses the profound transformations that took place after the Revolution (1989) in the field of water supply systems: market economy, inflation, water metering, re-organization of water companies, new materials and equipment, access to European funds, strong measures for efficiency. The following three sections are dedicated to the new technologies and paradigms that had a tremendous positive impact on the activity of the Cluj regional water company. The next section describes the plans for the development of the water supply systems in the Someș-Tisa region. The fight against water losses will be a top priority. Finally, several conclusions and recommendations were presented, with emphasis on the objectives of a modern water operator and on the value of water.