How badly did that thing leak?
Not much, generally! They would be sealed with cement, and the water itself would cause calcium buildup along the inside, which insulated it further (and required the waterway to be disassembled and cleaned every once in a while). If there was a leak, generally that meant something was wrong and it would need to be inspected.
The engineering of Roman aqueducts says much about the importance of water. After much struggling and learning, if I had to do it over again, the water supply to my camp would have been my number-one priority, just behind basic shelter. Having clean, flowing water was a game changer. (It’s not drinkable, creek water pumped to a barrel and treated with chlorine tabs, but still, nothing made such an impact in my quality of life out there. Not even the tent.)
You’re living in the wilderness now? How are you posting on here?
Naw, it’s just my forever hobby. Got 2.5 acres of mostly swamp with my inheritance. Pretty neat what I’ve carved out in 4-years!