Factories & businesses · Water fit for the process · Research checked 2026-09-05
For a factory, water volume is only part of the requirement. The production process may need a particular chemistry, pressure, temperature or reliability, while staff drinking water has a separate specification. Start by mapping each use and its acceptance criteria. Then assess whether groundwater, treatment, storage and power can deliver the required output without concealing reject streams or maintenance interruptions.
Your first decision. Obtain the process and equipment water specifications before comparing borehole or treatment packages.
Map production, staff and cleaning requirements
List every water-using process, its operating hours and the person who owns the specification. Include product contact, washdown, staff facilities, cooling and any boiler or laboratory duties that actually exist. Ask equipment suppliers for written requirements rather than assuming potable water suits every machine. Keep source-water, treated-water and product-quality criteria distinct.
Measure a representative shift, startup and cleaning period. Identify operations that overlap and those that can be scheduled. Document the consequence of an interruption: production may stop even when storage remains available if the required pressure or quality is not maintained. Use that operational evidence to discuss redundancy and reserve rather than choosing an arbitrary number of backup days.
Account for feed, accepted water and reject
The US Department of Energy explains that evaporation concentrates dissolved solids in cooling towers and that chemistry influences blowdown and concentration limits. This matters where a cooling tower is present; it is not a model for every factory water use. Best Management Practice #10: Cooling Tower Management.
Create a water balance showing incoming source water, accepted process water, cleaning/backwash and each waste or reuse stream. Ask the treatment designer to state recovery under the actual feed-water conditions. A quoted daily product capacity does not reveal the borehole feed requirement. Identify how the receiving or disposal route will be assessed under the applicable requirements before accepting a treatment proposal.
Specify what treatment removes and how to verify it
The Department of Energy distinguishes side-stream particle filtration from chemical treatment in cooling systems. Removing suspended matter does not by itself control all dissolved-water chemistry. Side Stream Filtration for Cooling Towers.
Require a purpose for each treatment stage and a measurable acceptance criterion. Obtain source analysis, expected treated quality, consumable needs and a monitoring plan. Ask how performance changes with feed-water variation and what happens during servicing. Do not accept a generic “purification” label as a specification for product-contact water, sensitive equipment or staff consumption.
Evaluate reuse, power and the true operating cost
EPA’s facilities guidance treats alternative water streams as fit-for-purpose resources: their quality and treatment must match the receiving use. This does not grant permission for a particular Kenyan reuse or discharge arrangement. WaterSense at Work: Best Management Practices.
Investigate suitable reuse only after identifying stream quality and segregation. Keep drinking and product-contact supplies protected from unintended connections. Compare cost per accepted cubic metre, including energy, consumables, reject handling, maintenance and operator time.
A daytime solar source may reduce purchased pumping energy but still need storage or other power for night shifts. Separate the borehole pumping duty from production-machine loads. Check motor starting, controls and the actual operating window. Document maintenance access and spares so a small failed component does not leave an otherwise adequate source unusable.
Treatment recovery changes borehole feed demand
Illustrative planning example. Assume a process needs 10 m³ per day of accepted treated water and a proposed treatment train has an illustrative 85% recovery. This is arithmetic, not a promised treatment performance.
| Quantity | Calculation | Daily volume |
|---|---|---|
| Accepted process water | Assumed requirement | 10 m³ |
| Required feed | 10 ÷ 0.85 | About 11.76 m³ |
| Reject before other losses | 11.76 − 10 | About 1.76 m³ |
Backwash, cleaning and any other uses must be counted separately where they are not included in the stated recovery. Obtain verified design assumptions based on feed-water analysis. The source must support the justified feed schedule, not merely the accepted-water number displayed on the treatment brochure.
A quotation that matches this project
Ask suppliers to price a common performance specification. Separate source construction, treatment, process connections, electrical integration and commissioning. Compare operating assumptions over a stated period without inventing future tariffs or production-loss figures.
| Budget item | What changes the scope | What to ask for |
|---|---|---|
| Borehole and feed system | Tested operation, chemistry and total feed demand | Pumping-test interpretation and feed-water analysis |
| Treatment train | Accepted specification, recovery and maintenance | Performance criteria, consumables and verification method |
| Reject and reuse | Stream composition and lawful receiving route | Water balance and required assessment scope |
| Continuity and power | Shift pattern, critical duties and repair exposure | Operating strategy, protection and spares |
For a new Kenyan borehole, compare the survey, mobilisation, drilled metres, casing/screens, development, pumping test and laboratory analysis as distinct quantities. Then price the verified pump duty, power, storage, treatment and pipe route. Our planning calculator is an initial estimate; a complete quotation needs the actual site and inclusions. WRA’s permitting workflow distinguishes authorisation to construct works from the subsequent water-use permit.
Acceptance, records and the first month of operation
Technical acceptance should involve the process owner and maintenance team. Running water at the discharge pipe is only one observation; the required quality and delivery conditions must also be demonstrated.
- Retain the approved process specifications and the measured commissioning results against each criterion.
- Label raw, treated and any non-potable circuits and document their isolation arrangements.
- Record treatment settings, instrument calibration requirements and consumable replacement procedures.
- Track accepted-water volume and operating costs, with exceptions investigated rather than averaged away.
Build the brief around the Kenyan site
Provide the process inventory, shift schedule, equipment specifications, source analysis and proposed waste routes. The linked service and county guides support the source investigation; specialist process design must be based on your operation.
- Pumping tests and operating evidence
- Water analysis and treatment planning
- Pump selection and installation
- Solar borehole pumping
- Nairobi research guide
- Machakos research guide
- Irrigation and agricultural water planning
- Hospitality operations and departmental demand
Prepare an industrial water specification
Is drinking-quality water suitable for every industrial process?
No. Some processes and equipment require different specifications. Obtain the relevant manufacturer, product and operational requirements and verify the treatment against them.
Does a filter remove dissolved salts?
That depends on the actual technology. Particle filtration alone does not establish dissolved-salt removal. Ask what each stage removes and how its performance is measured.
Why is raw-water demand greater than treated-water output?
Some treatment systems produce reject or require cleaning and backwash. The complete balance must account for these streams using the proposed design and actual source-water conditions.
Sources, applicability and remaining checks
- Best Management Practice #10: Cooling Tower Management — US Department of Energy, Federal Energy Management Program, Live page; date not displayed.
- Side Stream Filtration for Cooling Towers — US Department of Energy, Federal Energy Management Program, Live page; date not displayed.
- WaterSense at Work: Best Management Practices — US Environmental Protection Agency, Living collection.
This guide provides a procurement and planning framework, not a process-water or effluent approval. DOE cooling guidance applies only to relevant equipment; EPA guidance does not authorise Kenyan reuse. No product standard, treatment recovery, discharge route or financial saving has been verified for your facility.