The Water Well Trust, the national nonprofit helping Americans gain access to a clean, safe water supply, has received a grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Household Water Well Systems Program to increase potable water availability to rural households in Alabama.
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.
The USDA grant and matching funds from the Water Systems Council will be used to fund Water Well Trust projects in ten Alabama counties, including Bullock, Barbour, Dallas, Hale, Lowndes Macon, Montgomery, Perry, Pike and Wilcox.
The Water Well Trust will loan up to a maximum of $11,000 per eligible household, with an interest rate of 1% and repayment terms of up to 20 years.
To qualify for a Water Well Trust loan, applicants must be the owner and occupant of the home as their primary residence, which cannot not be a new construction, and must not have access to a public water supply. The applicant’s household income must not exceed 100% of the median non-metropolitan household income for the state in which the applicant resides; $51,500 for Alabama. The income criteria apply to both the applicant and all other occupants of the home.
Prospective applicants can apply online or download the application form and instruction letter from the Water Well Trust website.
