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For an AguaClara water Treatment plant there are both technical and social requirements that need to be met in order to ensure its proper functioning and sustainability. The technical requirements ensure that water treatment is necessary, that there is sufficient water, and that after treatment it will be potable. The social aspects look to ensure that the community is interested in this technology as well as organized and committed to the project.

Technical Requirements

• Water source is a surface water or a ground water that is under the influence of surface water.
• Flow rate requirement between 6 and less than 100 L/s (in Honduras this corresponds to a population size of between 1500 and less than 30,000 people). Note that we are working to extend this flow rate range in both directions to accommodate a wider range of community sizes.
• Water source with turbidity frequently above 5 NTUWater quality issues limited to turbidity and pathogens, pathogens, and dissolved organic matter.
• Ideally the water supply network is designed such that a single water treatment plant can serve the entire community. Neighborhood taps or kiosk operation has not yet been tested.
• Ideally the water source is at a higher elevation than the community. In this case the entire system can be designed to be powered by gravity. If the water source is not at a high enough elevation then pumping must be included and the maintenance costs will be higher. AguaClara does not currently provide design guidance for pumped systemspump stations.

Community Requirements for an AguaClara Drinking Water Treatment Plant

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Demonstration projects are critical for expanding the deployment of AguaClara technologies to new regions. It is very important that the first community be selected with great care. The first community should be located within 1 hour of the implementation partners partner's headquarters. The first water treatment plant should be a small facility so that the project costs are not so high for the first project. We recommend a plant flow rate of less than 12 L/s. It is very important that the community have sufficient economic capacity and willingness to pay the increased water tariff. The community must be well organized and motivated to obtain safe drinking water. The site for the AguaClara plant must have road access and if road access is not already in place, the road construction must be included in the project.
The first water treatment plant will be visited by government officials, donors, aid organizations and municipal leaders. It is important that the facility be designed for ease of access and to provide good publicity and visibility for the AguaClara program.