The Water Well Trust (WWT) has received a third grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Household Water Well Systems program. The funding will be used to increase potable water availability to rural households in seven South Carolina counties and three New York counties. 

The seven central South Carolina counties include Darlington, Lee, Marion, Sumter, Clarendon, Williamsburg and Orangeburg. The three New York counties are Delaware, Rensselaer and Columbia.

The grant monies will provide long-term, low-interest loans to applicants seeking new or improved water wells in the seven South Carolina and three New York counties. WWT limits funding to a maximum of $11,000 per household. Loans have an interest rate of 1 percent with terms of up to 20 years.

To qualify for 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 percent of the median non-metropolitan household income for the state in which the applicant resides.  The 2016 non-metropolitan median household income is $44,200 for South Carolina and $58,900 for New York.  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 Water Well Trust website at waterwelltrust.org under "Apply" at the top of the home page. 

The Water Systems Council works to protect groundwater and to ensure private well users in the U.S. have safe, reliable drinking water. 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. For more information, visit www.waterwelltrust.org.