Water Well Trust Receives $2 Million USDA Grant to Expand Access to Clean Water in Rural America

WASHINGTON, Aug. 1, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- The Water Well Trust (WWT), a national nonprofit dedicated to providing access to clean, safe water for rural Americans, has been awarded a $2 million grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Decentralized Water Systems (DWS) program. The funds will support water well and wastewater projects aimed at increasing access to potable water and wastewater systems for low-income households across the United States.

This is the 12th USDA grant awarded to the Water Well Trust since 2014. The USDA grant will be matched by funds from the Water Systems Council, the national nonprofit organization that established the Water Well Trust in 2010.

The Water Well Trust assists low-income homeowners whose wells are no longer functional, have been contaminated, or who lack a safe and reliable water source. The Trust also supports projects related to septic systems.

Over the past eight years, WWT projects funded by USDA grants have helped improve water access in 44 states. To date, the Trust has been involved in drilling or rehabilitating more than 759 water wells and 108 septic systems.

Funds from this latest grant will provide long-term, low-interest loans to eligible applicants seeking to construct or upgrade water wells and septic systems. Loans are capped at $15,000 per project, carry a 1% interest rate, and offer terms of up to 20 years.

To qualify, applicants must:

• Own and occupy the home as their primary residence,
  
  
• Not have access to a public water supply or sewer,
  
  
• Have a household income at or below 60% of the median non-metropolitan income for their state. These income criteria apply to all residents of the household.

Interested individuals can determine their eligibility and begin the application process by completing a submission form on the Water Well Trust website.

The Water Well Trust was created to bring safe, affordable drinking water to Americans lacking reliable access, and to demonstrate that small, well-based community water systems are both sustainable and cost-effective. An estimated 2 million Americans live without access to clean, affordable drinking water. This number does not include tribal communities, where 1 in 10 Indigenous Americans lack access to safe water or basic sanitation.

For more information visit waterwelltrust.org.

Contact: 

Margaret Martens, Executive Director
Water Well Trust
[email protected]
202-625-4383

SOURCE Water Well Trust