Holly Ridge in Candler gets new water supply with help of trust

Press release from Xylem, Inc.:

CANDLER, N.C. – Aug. 10, 2018 – In a shared mission to provide and protect safe water resources, Xylem Inc. and the Water Well Trust (WWT) partnered to solve critical water well disrepair in Candler, North Carolina’s Holly Ridge subdivision. After five months of developing and executing a solution for the rural community, the two organizations completed the project in July, restoring safe, drinkable water for the subdivision’s 24 households.

The original well system was installed in 1990, however, over time the well houses and well equipment fell into severe disrepair, leaving residents with inadequate pressure, discolored, odorous water or no water at all. Earlier this year, Carol Gibson, head of the Holly Ridge Homeowners Association, contacted WWT for help. “We can’t use the water to drink or cook. I don’t even like to bathe in it. It smells and it’s dirty,” Gibson said.

In response to the community’s water crisis, WWT’s Executive Director Margaret Martens and Xylem’s Susan O’Grady joined forces to develop an effective and lasting solution for the subdivision’s water needs. Their combined industry experience and united cause gave rise to a plan that harnessed both team’s resources as well as local help from Merrill Drilling & Water Resources in Penrose and Hughes Supply in Statesville.

“We could not have brought this project to fruition without the remarkable local support by Dustin Merrill from Merrill Drilling and Russell Rauch from Hughes Supply,” said O’Grady. “Their water well expertise, hours of volunteer time and donated equipment were crucial to this project’s success.”

The Holly Ridge project was successfully completed in late July with the help of local Charlotte volunteers from the Watermark Foundation, Xylem’s corporate citizenship program. Safe, clean drinking water is now restored in the community.

“This was the biggest effort yet for the Water Well Trust,” said Martens. “The collective commitment and energy I saw throughout the entire project truly empowered our mission of providing clean water to the 2 million rural Americans who do not have access to a safe water supply.”