water system

a river and all its branches.

a system of supplying water, as throughout a metropolitan area.

Origin of water system

First recorded in 1825–35

When it was planned to furnish a water-system for the city of Tunis, all that had to be done was to repair a Roman aqueduct.

History Of Ancient Civilization |Charles Seignobos
It is the great southern artery of a water-system that lies almost wholly beyond the jurisdiction of the United States.

The Seat of Empire |Charles Carleton Coffin
The water-system of the south-western feeders of the Ganges is more complex.

The Ethnology of the British Colonies and Dependencies |Robert Gordon Latham
No great family has its distribution so closely coincident with a water-system as the one in question.

Man and His Migrations |R. G. (Robert Gordon) Latham

The water-system in question forms the centre of the great Athabaskan area—the centre, but not the whole.

The Ethnology of the British Colonies and Dependencies |Robert Gordon Latham

water system

a river and all its tributaries

a system for supplying water to a community