adjacent to human construction channel of a watercourse water intake Sources of water include rivers, lakes, reservoirs, and other water bodies. Conduits include canals, pipelines, and tunnels. Water intakes typically transport water for purposes of hydroelectric power engineering, water supply, or irrigation. A hydraulic-engineering installation which transports water - in specified amounts, of a specified quality, and in accordance with a water-consumption plan - from a source of supply into a conduit. channel