Bell's Brewery, Inc. is a craft beer brewer based out of Kalamazoo, Michigan. Bell’s gives high
priority to sustainability and has undertaken numerous initiatives within the company to reduce
energy usage as well as water consumption. Water is one of the most important components of the
brewing process. One gallon of beer production requires five gallons of water. The company’s
current annual production of 9.6 million gallons of beer requires 150,000 gallons of water per day.
Bell’s projects their water consumption will increase to 500,000 gallons per day within the next
five years.
Bell’s currently sources water from the Kalamazoo Water Division. Considering the company’s
forecasted growth, their current infrastructure only supports their water treatment requirements for
the next two years. In addition, the risk of source water contamination has led Bell’s to consider
alternative sources to meet the quantity and quality of water required for the brewing process.
The team identified and analyzed the following four alternative sources:
1. Continue sourcing water from the Kalamazoo Water Division
2. Drill an on-site water well
3. Source water from Portage
4. Source water from Battle Creek
We determined different life stages involved in these four different options and performed lifecycle
analysis and financial analysis to analyze the environmental, financial, human health, and
social impacts of each option.
Based on our analysis, the well option has the lowest human health impact, ecological impact and
global warming potential. The chief reason is that in the well option, water is being pumped the
shortest distance which uses the least energy. The adjacent municipality options are the least
appealing from an environmental perspective. The combination of the impacts of the municipal
water system, the energy to pump water from that adjacent municipality, and the significant
infrastructure needed renders these options hard to justify.
The four options were also evaluated by their total cost. Extensive information was gathered
through interviews with well digging professionals and county officials in addition to secondary
research of publicly available information. This allowed the project team to develop
comprehensive financial models and equivalent annual costs for each potential option. Based on
the models developed, it was discovered that digging a well would be the most affordable option
for its assumed lifespan.Given the results for each option, the team developed a scorecard, which consisted of five factors.
Each factor was weighted based on what the team believed would be the preferences of Bell’s
Brewery. The weighted results, shown below, allowed the team to compare the total effects of each
option. In the end, it was determined that the construction of an on-site well would be the best
option due to its relatively small environmental impact and low cost.Because of these results, the team developed a wellhead management plan, which would help
Bell’s further reduce its impact on the local water table. To isolate the wellfield from the existing
surface and underground infrastructure, a recommended 150’ was established around all of the

buildings on the property. The placement of the wellfield was determined by an optimization
program with the recommended location of 42.28347144° N, -85.45125228° W to mitigate nearby
stream drawdown, which may otherwise promote litigation.
An additional measure to legally insulate the company is the pursuit of a social license to operate
before installing a wellfield on-site. This would require engaging the local community, explaining
the company’s environmental initiatives, and involving community members in the planning of
the wellfield.