Xylem Inc. started helping drill water wells for families that can’t afford to three years ago. Director of Marketing Susan O’Grady says the Waterboys organization, started by former NFL player Chris Long, joined the effort two years ago.
The collaboration called Hometown H2O drilled a well for a Rutland area family last week. It’s the eighth for Xylem through the Water Well Trust and the sixth with former NFL player Chris Long’s Waterboys organization.
For the near future, Hometown H2O won’t have a shortage of people to help. O’Grady says there are two million Americans in a similar situation. Most of them live in the southern U.S., but applications come from all over the country.
So far, Xylem has drilled wells. Running a pipeline to a municipal water supply or connecting to a well water association is a possibility. O’Grady says the options are analyzed and drilling a well is typically the most cost effective way to go.