Addressing the rural water access crisis: Xylem's Hometown H2O initiative and collaborative solutions for a sustainable future

Persistent challenges continue to shape the complex landscape of water access in the United States. Aging infrastructure, climate change, extreme weather events, population growth and inadequate distribution of resources underscore the ongoing struggle for equitable water access across the nation. Global water companies like Xylem have become integrated in solving these issues, from developing technologies that play a key role in improving water quality to philanthropic efforts to continued education and awareness about water disparity.

Xylem’s corporate social responsibility program, Watermark, is leading significant change, working with advocacy groups, government bodies and nonprofit organizations to improve access to water for residents in rural communities. One initiative within the Watermark program is the Hometown H2O partnership, a joint effort involving two-time Super Bowl champion Chris Long, his foundation's Waterboys initiative and the Water Well Trust. With a mission to provide clean water access to American communities, households and schools, this effort aims to address the pressing issue of water scarcity. In the United States alone, over 2 million people lack access to affordable and safe water, a challenge particularly prevalent in low-income communities where connecting to municipal water supplies can be a logistical or financial burden.

More than 46 million Americans, or 15% of the total U.S. population, live in rural areas. How they get their water, the quality of that water, or if they get water at all, is uncertain.

One such community impacted by the rural water crisis is the small town of Bertram in Burnet County, Texas. Just 40 miles outside Austin but surrounded by vast stretches of arid land, Bertram has struggled with access to clean water and the depletion of reliable resources for years. For the Solares family, their struggles with clean water access began following a well collapse in 2018. Without access to public water supply, the family was forced to routinely fill gallon jugs of water at the store and buy bottled water for drinking and cooking, a burdensome expense they couldn’t always afford.

“A couple of months ago, me and my kids got some money together so that we could buy some water. The water tanks are empty, and we don’t have any more water,” said homeowner Jorge Solares.

After four years without running water, Xylem and its partners provided the Solares family with a new well for the eighth Hometown H2O project. The collaborative effort between Water Well Trust, The Chris Long Foundation's Waterboys, Talking Rain Beverage Company and Xylem included a donation of all the necessary equipment. Local partners Bee Cave Drilling and Austin Pump & Supply installed a Goulds Water Technology 4-inch submersible well pump and helped construct a pump house for the new water well system.

“The whole community has really helped us out over the years giving us plenty of work, so anytime there is an opportunity for us to jump in and give back to the community, we are eager to do that,” said Jim Blair, president, Bee Cave Drilling. “There is plenty of need for water well work in our hometowns, right here in America.”

Since embarking on its first joint project with Hometown H2O in 2020, Xylem and its partners have completed a total of 13 projects in Virginia, Oregon, Texas, Illinois, Indiana, North Carolina, Georgia and Missouri.

As part of their efforts to fight the growing water access challenges in rural communities, Xylem’s recent report,“Solving Water in Rural America: A Xylem Report”, outlines the water scarcity crisis in an effort to bring awareness and generate solutions. The report highlights some of the strides Xylem and key partners have made to aid in water access efforts across the country, as well as the importance of collaboration across all facets of the water sector. That includes investing in repairing or replacing aging water infrastructure, expanding access to financing for rural water systems, implementing smart water technology, establishing public-private partnerships and raising awareness around the importance of safe, reliable drinking water for rural communities. By championing these collaborative strategies, the water sector can pave the way toward effective solutions that address water scarcity and enhance the lives of those in need.