An Ohio family once again has access to safe, reliable water, thanks to a collaborative effort between Xylem Inc., the Water Well Trust (WWT) and HometownH2O, a program of the Chris Long Foundation’s Waterboys initiative. As part of the project, the family’s well underwent a complete overhaul, including donated equipment and drilling and installation services for a new well.

Andrew and Megan Olson, and their son, Declan Ward, have been living without a reliable water source for two years. Their well pump failed when the pump and the motor came apart and fell into the well. A local installer attempted to retrieve the pump but was not successful. Since then, the family has been contending with Megan’s muscular dystrophy (MD) diagnosis, and an unreliable water supply further exacerbated the situation. 

Over the last two years, they have had to travel around to different friends’ homes to shower and do laundry on the weekends, which made it difficult to do much else. Outside of daily tasks, the family’s limited water supply prohibited them from many of the hobbies they routinely enjoyed, such as gardening, backyard bonfires and exercising. 

“Everything in our daily lives was more difficult without water. I will feel so much better when we can finally turn the faucet back on, given our reality of floating around to different friends’ houses to take showers, cook food or do laundry,” said Meg Olson, Water Well Trust beneficiary. “It was such a relief to get the call from the Water Well Trust, knowing our family would soon have access to water in our own home.”

Along with a new well, project partners worked to build a wooden access ramp for Megan. They also provided other services, such as yard cleanup and installing a basketball hoop. Donations from local distributor Warren Pump & Supply Co., well driller and pump installer Seismic Drilling Co., as well as The Vinyl Institute, who donated PVC piping material, rounded out the project and were instrumental to its success. 

"Hearing what the Olson family has gone through the past two years makes it meaningful to be a part of this incredible project that will ensure water security for years to come,” said Alex Rodriguez, market development manager at Xylem. “Our mission at Xylem is to find innovative solutions to make a water-secure world, so being able to support the positive change in the Olson family’s living situation is an honor.” 

The Olson family's well upgrade is the 22nd project for HometownH2O, a domestic water initiative dedicated to supplying clean water to families in need. Currently, more than 2.2 million Americans lack access to clean water, making this joint effort between Long, his Foundation’s Waterboys initiative, Xylem, and the Water Well Trust a vital resource for families across the country.

Xylem, in conjunction with its Goulds Water Technology brand, is engaged in regular water well initiatives to provide secure water access to rural areas, striving to increase public awareness of the challenges surrounding lack of water access. For more information about the Chris Long Foundation and HometownH2O projects, visit waterboys.org/hometown