From Our Executive Director: Hometown H2O – Wakefield, VA
During a recent visit to Wakefield, Virginia—about two hours southeast of Charlottesville, in Sussex County—we were reminded once again of the power of our HometownH20 partnership to deliver clean drinking water for families here in the United States.
Our team spent the day at the home of Jennifer and Chris Schod and their four wonderful children, and we were thrilled to be able to support the drilling of a new residential water well. The Schods’ home is in a rural area off the water grid, so when they bought it in 2007 it came equipped with a well. The water coming out of their faucets has always had a reddish-brown tint due to iron deposits, causing stains on their laundry and leaving them wondering whether their family’s health is being adversely affected. They have had to install multiple filters to try to address the problem. Another major challenge has been decreasing water productivity from the well, which is quite shallow—only 11 feet deep. If the Schods use what other families would consider a normal amount of water during the day, the well runs dry and takes eight hours to refill. The cost of drilling a new well was going to be a real stretch for the family’s budget, so they applied to Water Well Trust, an organization that provides financing for wells and septic systems for families nationwide.
Working with Water Well Trust and our technical partners, Xylem, Inc. and Gould’s Water Technology, we were able to fully fund and drill a new well for the Schods that they can enjoy for decades. This new well is 420 feet deep, and it was so exciting to turn on the tap and see crystal clear water flowing out! Now the Schods can use water for many things at the same time—doing laundry, washing dishes, flushing the toilet, taking a shower—without worrying about running out of water. “We are already enjoying our new well so much… I’m not sure I even realized how difficult our well issues were making our life. I just got so used to the inconveniences,” said Jennifer Schod. And their son finally got to use his Slip N Slide, which was a real treat on an 88-degree day!
Click here to donate to our Hometown H20 program and support families and communities who are among the 2 million Americans who lack reliable access to clean water and sanitation in their homes.
