Vitruvius Pollio in The 10 Books on Architecture discusses the construction, material specifications, dimensions, repairs and placement of water distribution systems. Vitruvius’s outline on Roman water distribution systems was then compared to systems throughout the empire particularly those mentioned by Sextus Julius Frontinus in The Strategems and Aqueducts of Rome. Specifications such as the slope of aqueducts was remarkably precise and largely agreed with actual aqueducts. Also, noteworthy is the discussion of health requirements such as the placement of detention basins, reservoirs, and even the health benefits of using clay instead of lead piping. In short this document is a comparison of Roman water resource engineering in theory and practice
