How were the Roman aqueducts designed?

Stopcocks to manage pressure and regulate the water flow, storage reservoirs, settling tanks to extract sediment and mesh filters at outlets were other features of Roman aqueducts. Sometimes water was also 'freshened' by aerating it through a system of small cascades. read more

Hundreds of similar aqueducts were built throughout the Roman Empire. Many of them have since collapsed or been destroyed, but a number of intact portions remain. The Zaghouan Aqueduct is 92.5 km (57.5 mi) in length. It was built in the 2nd century to supply Carthage (in modern Tunisia). read more

Most Roman aqueducts ran underground, helping to keep the water free from disease. In addition to masonry aqueducts, the Romans built an extensive series of leats: these water channels, excavated in the ground, were designed with a lining of clay. read more

Paid laborers, slaves and the Roman Legion built the Roman aqueducts. The materials they used were lead pipes, cement, volcanic concrete and stone. The Roman builders constructed the aqueducts utilizing gravity to keep the flow of the water moving to the appropriate places and stored it in cisterns. read more