Good news to ensure good water.
The beautiful black water of the North Edisto River puts Orangeburg in the enviable position of a having a continuous and quality source of drinking water.
It is a resource generally taken for granted — except for thousands of people not served by a water system.
The Water Well Trust, the only national nonprofit helping low-income Americans get access to a clean, safe water supply, has announced that it is expanding from 13 to 16 the number of South Carolina counties eligible to receive assistance for drilling a new water well or rehabilitating an existing well.
In 2016, the U.S. Department of Agriculture awarded a $140,000 matching grant to the Water Well Trust for a project to increase potable water availability to households in 13 rural South Carolina counties, including Orangeburg.
The USDA grant monies will provide long-term, low-interest loans to applicants seeking new or improved water wells in the 16-county area.
To be eligible to receive a WWT loan, an applicant must be the owner and occupant of the home as their primary residence.
The 2016 Non-Metropolitan median household income for South Carolina is $44,200.
The income criteria apply to both the applicant and all other occupants of the home.
Ask those people whether water is to be taken for granted.