On June 11, as part of the press tour to the Republic of Crimea, the Scientific Russia portal and other mass media visited the Besh-Terek-Zui water intake, which supplies the city with 22,000 m3 of water a day. 11 wells up to 500 meters in depth provide pure artesian water, which powerful pumps then deliver to residents of the city and Simferopol District through pipes. By the way, the wells were explored back at the Soviet time. However, there was no need for them then, so they were not used. But today, this water is a strategic resource of the region. Unsurprisingly, Crimea keeps building its capacity as a tourist destination. Which means that during the tourist season, the issue of supplying Crimea’s residents and guests with pure water is an especially pressing one.
Andrey Nikolaevich Vorobyov, Chief Specialist at the State Budget Institution “Investment and Construction Department of the Republic of Crimea”
Andrey Nikolaevich Vorobyov, Chief Specialist at the State Budget Institution “Investment and Construction Department of the Republic of Crimea” detailed operations of the water intake, “The project is being implemented under a comprehensive plan for reliable water supply to the Republic of Crimea, approved by the Russian Government. It includes two separate facilities: a water intake and a water line. The water intake consists of wells drilled around 450 deep. They are used to draw water, which, at first, is lifted by first stage pumps. Then the water undergoes primary treatment by electrolysis in pure water reservoirs. After that, the water goes to the booster station and subsequently to the Belaya pumping station via the water line."
The construction of the new water intake is only a part of activities under the comprehensive plan for water supply to the region. There is ongoing rehabilitation of water lines in the western and eastern parts of Simferopol. Specialists are taking measures to prevent water loss in the city's water mains. “The package of measures is sure to bring a tangible result soon,” Vorobyov emphasized.
The artesian water is of high quality. In this case, it is free of impurities, since it comes directly from under the ground, without accumulating anywhere or coming into contact with the environment. The engineers went even further and used high-quality plastic pipes resistant to corrosion.
In addition, there is ongoing rehabilitation work in Simferopol. “What is being done is a slight reduction of the diameter of the pipes through installation of new polyethylene pipes. Simply speaking, we insert a polyethylene pipe into a metal pipe. The metal pipe is reduced to a smaller (original) diameter using a special plant. The thing is that metal pipes become overgrown and rusty, making the wall thinner. Our repair work keeps the water supply system functioning and increases its capacity,” Leonid Savchenko, project manager of the project Modern Renovation Systems, said. This method avoids operations that involve excavation in pipe locations, and suspending water supply to some areas.
The water intake will be fully operational at the end of this year.
This material was prepared with the support from the Ministry of Science and Higher Education and the Russian Academy of Sciences.
