Site Evaluation

The following is an outline used in evaluating water purification installation sites around the world.

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Purpose:

To gather necessary and basic information in determining the needs and possibilities of developing a water purification project in a particular community. as information is retrieved from this questionnaire.

Location:

Country, district, region and community where the purifier would be located

Basic information:

• Name of person or group taking a purifier
• Location of the purifier: Church, School, Hospital, Clinic, or Other
• Name of local contact person
• Person responsible for the Nationals purifier training, maintenance, operation, installation and security of the purifier
• Name of group or organization within the community who would be willing to take on the responsibility of the water purifier

Health:

• Type of medical service, health clinic or hospital available to the community
• Overall physical health of the community
• Known waterborne diseases in the community
• Number of children/people die from waterborne diseases in the community
• Frequency of the following diseases: Diarrhea, Dysentery, Abdominal pain, Cholera, Typhoid, Hepatitis, Parasites

Demographics:

• The community is; Remote, Urban, Slums, or other
• Population of the community where a purifier might be place
• People outside of this community that have the opportunity to take advantage of the safe water drinking water from the purifier

Geography:

• The type of terrain; Mountainous, Valley, Swampy, Dry, Rocky, Flat, Forest or other
• The accessibility to the area/community is; Hard to access or Easy to access
• Most common mode of traveling/transportation to and from the community
• Nearest city and distance to it

Environment:

• Climate description: Temperature range, Rain patterns, and Seasonal changes
• Weather factor for the: Installation, Maintenance, Storage/Security or Operation

Cultural:

• Common language
• Official language
• Percentage of the population able to read and write
• Dependency on outside help: Financially, Physically, or Psychologically
• Majority of help comes from
• Political position of the community or the country concerning technology such as the water purifier
• Community solving their problems
• New approaches to problem solving
• American ideas exposure
• Community’s response to a purifier
• Water collection for families in the community
• Role of women in the community
• Women involved in the community’s decision making process

Technical:

• Electricity availability; Voltage and Dependability
• Common power outages
• Nearest source for supplies: Battery, Battery charger, Solar panel, Salt, Water storage containers, PVC plastic pipe, PVC fittings, glue, solvent, and Basic plumbing tools

Water:

• Water availability
• Water source available:
  • Rain, Tanker truck, Municipal, River or stream, Lake or pond, Reservoir, Spring, Hand-dug well, or Drilled well (bore hole), other
• Constant source of water
• Ownership of the current water
• Guaranteed access if privately owned
• Current water storage:
  • Not stored, Large tank (volume?), Small drums, Reservoir or other
• Water storage containers available to use or purchase
• Current water supply filtered
• Current water supply:
  • Clear, Stained, Suspended solids (muddy), or other
• Current water supply tested
• Current water supply contaminated
• Chemicals in the current water supply
• Heavy metals in the current water supply
• Source(s) of contaminates
• Estimated the volume of the current water usage per day
• Drinking water only or used for irrigation and household use
• Type of water treatment process, currently being used
• Treatment processes tried and/or failed in this location

Sanitation:

• Type of sanitation in the community: Flush toilets, Pit latrines or nothing,
• Proximity of sanitation to the water sources
• Understanding of the community to the relationship between their health & safe water

Spiritual:

• The New Life International water purifier, in the hands of a Christ centered atmosphere, is a step in eliminating: poverty, disease, illiteracy, high infant mortality, low life expectancy, hopelessness, and spiritual poverty
• The spiritual climate of the community
• The majority of the populations faith in the community
• New Life International Water Purifier will be used as a tool to bring the Living Water into the lives of the people in the community
• The purifier will add credibility to the Christian culture in the community

Filtering/pre-treatment

The unit is not a filter and therefore water with particulates should have as much floating and suspended material filtered out prior to the disinfectant treatment. Pre-cleaning the water prior to treatment greatly improves the water quality and improves the efficiency of the chlorine-disinfectant gas mixture that kills the microorganisms.

Suspended mater in water reduces the microbiocidal efficacy of chlorine. Therefore filtering water on the front end of the New Life water purifier will greatly reduce the disinfecting time in the treatment tank. Pre-treatment technologies for removal of suspended matter from water suitable for the chlorination application could potentially include:

• Settling of sedimentation with time
• Fiber, cloth or membrane filters
• Granular media filters
• Slow sand filter

All of the above methods will vary in their ability to remove particles from water, depending on the nature of the suspended matter. Especially important is their size and density.

Question to consider:

Is the current water supply filtered in any way?

Water Sources

Water from sources containing such things as hazardous waste, hazardous mineral or radioactive contaminants is far beyond the scope of this application and the intended use of this technology.

Questions to consider:

• Is there water available in the community?
• Is there a constant source of water?
• What months out of the year is water available?
• What type of water source is available?
  • Rain
  • Tanker truck
  • Municipal
  • River or stream
  • Lake or pond
  • Reservoir
  • Spring
  • Hand-dug well
  • Drilled well (bore hole)
  • Other
• Who owns the current water source?
• If privately owned, is the community use still guaranteed access to it?
• How is the water currently being stored?
  • Not stored
  • Large tank (volume?)
  • Small drums
  • Reservoir
  • Cistern
  • Lake or pond
  • Other
• What kinds of water storage containers are available to use or purchase?
• Has the current water supply been tested?
• Is the current water supply contaminated?
• Does the current water supply have chemicals in it?
  • If so, is the chemical(s) known?
• How was that determined?
• Are there heavy metals in the current water supply?
  • How was that determined?
• What is the source(s) of contaminates?
• Estimate the volume of the current water usage per day per person in the community?
• Is the water for drinking or is it being used for irrigation and household use?
• What type of water treatment process, if any, is being used currently
• What water treatment processes have been tried and failed in this location?
  • If it failed, why

How It Works

• The water purifier is a simple electrolytic generator using the electrolysis of salt water to generate powerful disinfectant products to eliminate waterborne pathogens from water.
• The salt is sodium chloride, which is common table salt.
• One of the main disinfectants generated from the salt is chlorine gas.
• Chlorine is considered to be a poisonous gas and one must avoid breathing it, however, when properly used, it can be utilized safely to effectively kill microorganisms in water.
• The unit does not serve as a filter for particulates, therefore water that is to be treated should have as much floating and suspended material, if present, filtered out prior to the disinfectant treatment.
• Pre-cleaning the water prior to treatment greatly improves the water quality and improves the efficiency of the chlorine-disinfectant gas mixture to kill the microorganisms.
• If necessary this can be done by filtering the water through cloth, sand, or if possible allowing the sediment to settle to the bottom of a container prior to use.

The purifier generates chlorine by an electrolysis process by separating the salt (NaCl) into its components: Sodium (Na) and Chlorine (Cl). The purifier sorts the sodium ions from the chloride ions using the 12 Volt DC charge from a car battery or other source of direct current

The Chlorine gas that is produced in the Chlorine Generator is drawn into the water supply using a Venturi Injector providing the necessary chlorination of the water in the treatment tank. The appropriate chlorine level is obtained (a few parts per million or milligrams per liter) and the water is allowed to mix with the chlorine for at least an hour to allow sufficient contact time to kill the bacteria and other pathogens.

After at least one hour’s time, the water can be transferred to a “Use Tank” for distribution to the water users. The “Treatment Tank” and the “Use Tank” are part of the water purifying process but are not included in the New Life International Water Purifier package. The tanks are either procured locally or already available on site. They may be temporary tanks or permanent facilities.

In addition to economically purifying water, the New Life International Water Purifier has other benefits:

• Portability: The packaging weights about 20 lbs and can be easily transported from village to village.
• Customer Service: Technical support and ordering replacement parts is available through the New Life Web Site and via email.
• Potential to use solar power to recharge battery: Ideal for locations where regular electric service is not available.
• Water from any source: Water can be from wells or surface water
• Built for various environmental conditions: Designed to operate in extremely remote areas and under harsh conditions almost anywhere in the world.
• Environmentally Friendly: Does not consume valuable or limited natural resources.
• Minimal Maintenance: Virtually maintenance free, no moving parts.

Proven Success:

The New Life International Water Purifier has been in operation for over five (5) years. Over 800 purifiers are currently operating in 58 different countries from Thailand to India to Kenya to Zambia to Costa Rica to Haiti to Brazil.

Distribution

Studies show that the use of containers with narrow openings for filling, and dispensing devices such as spouts or taps/spigots protect the chlorinated water. Many container designs also have handles, are lightweight, are made from durable, UV-resistant plastic. It is vitally important to treat and store chlorinated water in containers that can’t be re-contaminated from the introduction of microbial contaminants via contact with hands, dippers, other fecally contaminated vehicles.

Questions to consider:

What kinds of water storage containers are available to use or purchase?

Follow-Up and Maintenance

• The local residents need to appreciate the value of the water purification technology and take ownership to maintain the process.
• Responsible individuals in the community need to maintain, self regulate, and govern themselves so that the technology is not placed in the hands of everyone and at the same time no one as is often the case in tribal communities.