June 24th 2020, we kicked off a project in partnership with Xylem’s (Goulds) Watermark Foundation and Waterboys called Hometown H2O – where we, along with McMullen Drilling and McMullen Water Systems, are working together to install a new water well for a retired couple that lives near Jewel, Oregon.
For 10 years, Steve and Lana Gleason have traveled 40 miles to fill 1-gallon jugs at a spring for clean drinking water. After unsuccessfully applying for a bank loan to install a water well, a neighbor told the couple about the Water Well Trust. The Water Well Trust assists low-income families in numerous ways as the Gleason’s were interested in a low-interest loan as they could not afford it on their retirement income. After submitting their application, the Water Well Trust reached out to Mitchell’s VP of Business Development, Matt Johnson, who then got Xylem Watermark and the Waterboys excited to help.
Two weeks ago, Steve and Lana learned that their low-interest loan would be covered in full by Waterboys. When Steve, a retired commercial fisherman and self-proclaimed “tough guy”, learned of this news over a Zoom call, he and Lana broke down in tears of joy.
Last week, McMullen Drilling broke ground and have attempted two wells. Unfortunately, both wells have not produced more than 2 GPM of saltwater and they are attempting a third well today 6/29/20.
Volunteers at our Wilsonville branch are building a new pump house for the Gleasons and hope to install it this week. Our marketing team is on-hand to document the project through video and photo, and Xylem has generously offered to compile our footage into a professional documentary-style short-film.
Check back soon for more updates and photos!
