Pictured above in the front row (from left) are Nancy Hopkins, executive director, the Chris Long Foundation; Margaret Martens, executive director, Water Well Trust; and Roxie and Chase Umbel. In the back row are Ed Smith, Wyatt Dermer, Jeff Dermer and Brian Dermer of Sperry Drilling Inc.; Mark Ball, Milby Company; and Judy Bird, Sperry Drilling Inc.
Pictured above in the front row (from left) are Nancy Hopkins, executive director, the Chris Long Foundation; Margaret Martens, executive director, Water Well Trust; and Roxie and Chase Umbel. In the back row are Ed Smith, Wyatt Dermer, Jeff Dermer and Brian Dermer of Sperry Drilling Inc.; Mark Ball, Milby Company; and Judy Bird, Sperry Drilling Inc.
FRIENDSVILLE — The Umbel family of Friendsville, Maryland, has received a new water well system that will provide dependable water access on their property, something the family has been living without for months after their water well pump failed.
Two-time Super Bowl champion Chris Long and the Chris Long Foundation teamed up with the Water Well Trust to provide clean, safe drinking water to the family of three who are currently living with limited access to clean, potable water.
The family’s well pump stopped functioning five months ago; since that time, the Umbels have been using a holding tank on a trailer that they take to their local fire department to fill to use for toilets and dishes. Roxanna Umbel runs an in-home daycare service as her sole source of income, so having potable water onsite is critical for her home business.
Through the Hometown H20 program, the Umbels will receive a donated water well system for their home. This will include the pump system, as well as equipment, well drilling and installation from Sperry Drilling Inc.
Launched in 2020, Hometown H2O is a program of the Chris Long Foundation’s Waterboys initiative. Hometown H2O partners with Xylem Watermark and Water Well Trust to address domestic water scarcity issues, which currently leave more than 2 million Americans without access to safe drinking water. Goulds Water Technology, a Xylem brand, donated the pump system for this project. The Vinyl Institute donated piping material, and Talking Rain Beverage Company sponsored the project and donated AQA.
“These partnerships provide fantastic resources for meeting the needs of rural Americans without access to clean, safe water,” said Water Well Trust Executive Director Margaret Martens. “The Trust has a long waiting list of families who have been hanging on for years, hoping for this kind of help. For them, every day without water is a struggle. Hometown H2O helps us fulfill the promise of a better life for these American families much more quickly.”
The Water Well Trust maintains a wait list of American households requesting funding for the drilling of new wells or rehabilitation of non-functioning wells in high-need, low-resource rural areas. Prospective applicants can determine if they qualify and start the application process by completing a submission form on the Water Well Trust website.
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Keep it Clean. Please avoid obscene, vulgar, lewd, racist or sexually-oriented language.
PLEASE TURN OFF YOUR CAPS LOCK.
Don't Threaten. Threats of harming another person will not be tolerated.
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