Capture
The water is captured from the underground water table through wells, which are connected to the 29 pumping stations at ground level.
Each station operates 12…24 wells, for a total of about 433 operating wells in Milan. The stations use the two-stage water pumping technique: the water is first drawn from the wells through pipes and into the storage reservoirs in stations using submersible pumps and then it is pumped further into the distribution piping network.
The storage reservoirs can also be used as sand-settling tanks. Submersible pumps are located at depths of about 40…50 m (130…160 ft) and have flow rates of 25…35 L (5…8 imp gal) per second each.
The number of operating wells at any time varies to match the water demand at the different times of day and seasons.
The 29 pumping stations, distributed throughout the City, are remotely controlled through a telemetry system used to control and start pumping from single wells and to adjust flow rates.