The Groundwater Foundation presented the Water Well Trust with a donation of $100,000 on October 24. The check was presented by National Ground Water Association CEO Terry S. Morse, CAE, CIC, at the Water Systems Council fall members meeting in Lost Pines, Texas.
The donation will fund a joint effort by the Water Well Trust and Groundwater Foundation to drill wells for low-income families across the United States who lack access to clean water. The program pays for the initial cost of drilling the well and participating families are given a 20-year 1% interest loan.
The $100,000 donation will fund the drilling of 10 wells in selected states. Drilling is expected to be completed by the end of 2020.
“There is a tremendous need to help families struggling to make ends meet and they shouldn’t have to worry about access to clean, safe, affordable, and sustainable water,” said Morse. “I’m thrilled we are partnering with the Water Well Trust to tackle this problem. We have a lot of work to do across America.”
Currently, there are 2.9 million housing units lacking complete plumbing and access to clean, safe, affordable drinking water.
Along with Morse, Water Systems Council Executive Director Margaret Martens; NGWA President Scott King, PG, P.Geo., LHG; NGWA Past Presidents David Henrich, CWD/PI, CVCLD, and Jeff Williams, MGWC, CVCLD; and NGWA President-Elect Merritt Partridge, CVCLD, took part in the donation presentation.
Two key milestones led to this donation: NGWA merged with the Groundwater Foundation in May 2018, and NGWA and the Water Systems Council signed a five-year memorandum of understanding on December 3, 2018, setting a foundation for future collaborations between the organizations.
The Water Well Trust is the nonprofit organization overseen by the Water Systems Council. Increasing access to clean water is one the first projects being worked on collectively by NGWA and the Water Systems Council.