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Cooling towers can be major water users if unmanaged. Start with a water quality analysis (hardness, silica, chlorides) to set realistic cycles of concentration—the core driver of make-up and blowdown volumes. Conductivity-controlled blowdown maintains target cycles automatically, while metering both make-up and blowdown quantifies performance and enables leak/valve fault detection. High-efficiency drift eliminators minimize particulate-laden water losses that can harm adjacent surfaces. Integrating tower points into the BAS with alarms (low cycles, abnormal overnight flow) prompts fast correction and supports seasonal optimization with the water treatment vendor. Once-through potable cooling is wasteful and often prohibited. Arbitrary shutoffs ignore thermal loads and risk equipment performance. A data-driven, treatment-aligned plan reduces water and sewer costs, protects equipment, and creates clear evidence for LEED outdoor/process water pathways.