The Water Well Trust, the only national nonprofit helping low income Americans get access to a clean, safe water supply, has announced that it is expanding from seven to eleven the number of South Carolina counties eligible to receive assistance for drilling a new water well or rehabilitate an existing well.
In 2016, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) awarded a $140,000 matching grant to the Water Well Trust (WWT) for a project to increase potable water availability to households in eleven rural South Carolina counties, including Darlington, Lee, Marion, Sumter, Clarendon, Williamsburg, Orangeburg, Laurens, Cherokee, Kershaw, and Spartanburg. The WWT has now expanded eligibility to another two counties: Union and Marlboro
The USDA grant monies will provide long-term, low-interest loans to applicants seeking new or improved water wells in the 13-county area.
To be eligible to receive a WWT loan, applicants must be the owner and occupant of the home as their primary residence. In addition, the applicant’s household income must not exceed 100% of the median non-metropolitan household income for the state in which the applicant resides. The 2016 Non-Metropolitan median household income for South Carolina is $44,200. The income criteria apply to both the applicant and all other occupants of the home.
Prospective applicants can download the application form and instruction letter from the Apply page.
The Water Systems Council established the Water Well Trust in 2010 to provide clean, sanitary drinking water to Americans who lack access to a reliable water supply and to construct and document small community water systems using water wells to demonstrate that these systems are more economical.
