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Dear Janice,

There has been a recent REDR TSS enquiry on fluoride in water and I’m sure they can provide you with the responses and advice that was sent. The basic advice was that that this sort of pollution is usually localized and if it does not dissipate with pumping then you are better off looking elsewhere for water as treatment is too complex/expensive. I would agree that you do not want to look at reverse osmosis which is an expensive option both to install and to operate.

Looking at the map you are on the edge of the rift valley with all the complex igneous geology that goes with it. It appears from the Internet that there is abundant groundwater in the area so it may be possible to drill more successfully nearby.

1. Drillers may be good at drilling and may have an intimate knowledge of local groundwater conditions but they are not generally trained in water chemistry or treatment. There must be a local office of the Ministry of Water Resources Management and Development (MWRMD) who can give advice though they are probably under resourced. I also see on the Internet that Davis and Shirtliff have a branch in Thika (Davis & Shirtliff Ltd, Kilimambogo Rd, Box 6203-0100, Thika, Kenya.). They are a respected company throughout East Africa and while their primary role is to sell water related hardware, they might be able to give some advice on water issues in the locality.

I was a bit confused by all the flooding that has taken place when the pump has not yet been connected and assumed that you must have drilled into an artesian aquifer (water coming out under pressure). Depending on the water pressure and the relative elevations of the borehole and the tank you may not even need a pump to get the water to the tank. If the water is un-usable, however, you are better off taking out the pump to use elsewhere and capping the borehole. If the groundwater pressure is really high then it will simply keep overflowing from the top of the tank rather than from the top of the borehole unless it is closed off with some sort of valve. There would be little point in keeping a tank filled with water that you cannot use.

I hope that this helps.

Best regards

Martin

Dear Janice,

There has been a was another recent REDR RedR TSS enquiry on fluoride in water and I’m sure they can provide you with the responses and advice that was sent. water. The basic advice was that that this sort of pollution is usually localized and if it does not dissipate with pumping then you are better off looking elsewhere for water as treatment is too complex/expensive. I would agree that you do not want to look at reverse osmosis which is an expensive option both to install and to operate.

Looking at the map you are on the edge of the rift valley with all the complex igneous geology that goes with it. It appears from the Internet that there is abundant groundwater in the area so it may be possible to drill more successfully nearby.

1. Drillers may be good at drilling and may have an intimate knowledge of local groundwater conditions but they are not generally trained in water chemistry or treatment. There must be a local office of the Ministry of Water Resources Management and Development (MWRMD) who can give advice though they are probably under resourced. I also see on the Internet that Davis and Shirtliff have a branch in Thika (Davis & Shirtliff Ltd, Kilimambogo Rd, Box 6203-0100, Thika, Kenya.). They are a respected company throughout East Africa and while their primary role is to sell water related hardware, they might be able to give some advice on water issues in the locality.

I was a bit confused by all the flooding that has taken place when the pump has not yet been connected and assumed that you must have drilled into an artesian aquifer (water coming out under pressure). Depending on the water pressure and the relative elevations of the borehole and the tank you may not even need a pump to get the water to the tank. If the water is un-usable, however, you are better off taking out the pump to use elsewhere and capping the borehole. If the groundwater pressure is really high then it will simply keep overflowing from the top of the tank rather than from the top of the borehole unless it is closed off with some sort of valve. There would be little point in keeping a tank filled with water that you cannot use.

I hope that this helps.

Best regards

Martin