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Just one way The Water Project provides access to safe water

It's hard to believe that more often than not, the clean water a developing community desperately needs is right underneath them. And it's amazing how a relativly small investment to get to it can make such a dramatic difference in so many lives. That's why we fund these well projects.

Below, you'll find information on the types of wells that can be built and a brief decription of the process.

For an in-depth look at our process, and how we work, read more about The Water Project Process here.

We get asked a lot about the cost to dig a well in Africa. It's difficult to answer though, as Africa is a continent with wildly diverse geology, culture, and climate. The best type of water project for a specific community or region varies widely too.

There are lots of ways to drill wells, various kinds of pumps, and even newer solar powered solutions. One size simply doesn't fit all. Let's take a look at some common projects to learn more about the challenges and costs involved.

Hand Dug and Dangerous

The simplest wells have traditionally been hand dug. That's right...by hand. They can be fifty or more feet deep and are used when ground water is generally abundant. These wells are extremely dangerous to build and have cost many lives of unskilled laborers. They are also often left uncovered and easily contaminated. They aren't always an ideal solution, but when properly dug they can be made more effective with a good pump, tight concrete sealing pad, and regular maintinance.

We work to ensure our partners have the right tools for the job when repairing or upgrading a dug well. We want the work to be done safely for both the workers and the people who will benefit from the new source of water. And it has to last.

Shallow Borehole Wells - Lower Cost, Clean Water

We've been working with local teams for years, helping develop proper drilling technique, consistent supply chain, and safe water practices to ensure that our shallow-rig water projects are installed with excellence.

Generally, shallow depth drill rigs can reach about 150-200 feet deep. These rigs can be very cost effective and in some regions do a good job. They can be moved with ease and allow work to happen quickly.

As these machines drill through dirt and sand, casing is installed to keep the hole from collapsing. Then a concrete base is formed around the small casing (a few feet in diameter) and is left to set up overnight.

Once the concrete pad is dry, the pump mechanism is carefully lowered into the hole and a hand pump is attached. The team makes note of how much water flows and ensures it is safe to drink.

In Central Kenya, just one example of how different geography can dramatically change the game, some wells must be over 900 feet deep. This introduces all kinds of challenge and expense.

First, a much larger drill rig, truck and crew are needed to actually drill the hole. It can take many days.

Then, because the water is so deep, a motorized pump must be installed. The water is simply too heavy to lift from that depth with a hand pump. Diesel generators, large electric pumps, piping, storage tanks and housing for it all can drive the cost up to $30,000 or more. But, since these very large systems serve so many people, they are still quite cost effective.

We only partner with established deep borehole drillers with a lot of experience for these complicated projects.

In all cases, we work to ensure that the local community is actually invested in the project. One of the best ways we've seen that happen is to require the villages to arrange and pay for the initial geological survey work to be done or to collect locally available materials during construction. That usually costs a few hundred US dollars and requires the community to mobilize and organize around the project. The labor they provide is worth even more, often worth thousands. In the long run, this initial commitment to the project means it will be valued and cared for by the community. It's can prove an essential step.

After a well is installed, the drill team will explain how the pump works, how to keep the area clean, and who to call if it breaks. We make sure each community it able to contact our partners whenever maintenance is needed. A simple repair can become costly if unskilled folks try to fix it alone.

Appropriate water projects, not just wells.

Sometimes a well isn't the best choice. We work hard to make sure that a community's needs are always considered first. Local experts in the field help ensure that happens. With your support, we are able to provide support and expertise for various water solutions. We listen for our local teams's lead in choosing the right type of water project for a particular community or school. Far too often, "default" technologies like a handpump are being installed because of misguided assumptions, only to end up rejected or abandoned by a community. We've learned that a water project must be reliable, convenient and safe and that requires careful consideration alongside each community.

Your gift provides technical assistance and supplies (rebar, concrete, forms, fuel, drilling supplies etc.) so that communities can afford to build these wells. You make it possible for them to help themselves.

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Digging Water Wells in Africa - How it Works | The Water Project

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The Water Project digs wells in Africa to provide clean, safe water to those who need it most. Learn about the water crisis and see how you can get involved.

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Ideas and Insight From National Geographic

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BOTTLED WATER INDUSTRY PROVIDES ASSISTANCE TO HAITIAN RELIEF EFFORTS
Statement of IBWA President Joseph K. Doss:
"The International Bottled Water Association (IBWA) and the bottled water industry have been working to provide bottled water to the victims of the earthquake in Haiti. Since we first learned the news of this disaster, IBWA and the bottled water industry have produced, coordinated and distributed critical bottled water supplies through relief agencies and organizations such as 'Clean the World', 'Convoy of Hope,' 'American Red Cross' and 'AmeriCares' and other state and local charities.

A key facet of IBWA involvement has been to provide bottled water companies with specific information regarding staging areas where bottled water shipments may be dropped, as well as other contact information for relief organizations that are seeking bottled water and other contributions.

The bottled water industry has always been at the forefront of relief efforts during natural disasters and other catastrophic events. Throughout the years, bottled water companies have immediately responded to the need for clean water after natural disasters, such as Hurricane Katrina, the earthquakes and wildfires in the West, or the terrorist attacks on the Pentagon and World Trade Center. More recently, our companies provided bottled water to those in need in the aftermath of the 2009 spring flooding in the Midwest."

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Contact:
TOM LAURIA703-647-4609 office / 703-887-4056 cellphone
Emergency Relief contacts:
Clean the World ( http://www.cleantheworld.org)

Convoy of Hope ( http://www.convoyofhope.com)

American Red Cross ( http://www.redcross.org)

AmeriCARES ( http://www.americares.org)
The International Bottled Water Association (IBWA) is the authoritative source of information about all types of bottled waters, including spring, mineral, purified, artesian, and sparkling. Founded in 1958, IBWA's membership includes U.S. and international bottlers, distributors and suppliers. IBWA is committed to working with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), which regulates bottled water as a packaged food product, to set comprehensive and stringent standards for safe, high-quality bottled water products.

In addition to FDA regulations, IBWA member bottlers must adhere to the IBWA Bottled Water Code of Practice, which mandates additional standards and practices that in some cases are more stringent than federal and state regulations. A key feature of the IBWA Bottled Water Code of Practice is a mandatory annual plant inspection by an independent, third-party organization.

IBWA is proud to be a partner with Keep America Beautiful and a supporter of Drink Up, an initiative of former First Lady Michelle Obama and the Partnership for a Healthier America (PHA), which encourages Americans to drink more water more often - whether from the tap, a filter, or in a bottle. Choosing water is always the healthy choice.

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BOTTLED WATER INDUSTRY PROVIDES ASSISTANCE TO HAITIAN RELIEF EFFORTS - Bottled Water | IBWA | Bottled Water

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BOTTLED WATER INDUSTRY PROVIDES ASSISTANCE TO HAITIAN RELIEF EFFORTS Statement of IBWA President Joseph K. Doss: "The International Bottled Water Association (IBWA) and the bottled water industry have been working to provide bottled water to the victims of the earthquake in Haiti.

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Bottled Water vs Tap Water - Bottled Water | IBWA | Bottled Water

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Drinking water - tap, filtered, or bottled - is important for healthy hydration and plays a vital role in people’s lives. Consumers choose bottled water for

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It started with Perrier. Somehow, a French company convinced people it's cool to buy bottled water. Today, Evian has surpassed Perrier in sales and now it's the chic French water of choice. Why? It costs about 5 bucks a gallon! Why do people pay so much for something they can get virtually free?

If they're not buying Evian, they buy Aquafina and Dasani and the dozens of new brands that are jumping into this billion-dollar business, including bizarre ones like Venus, the Water for Women, and Trump Ice, with "The Donald" scowling on the label. I'd have to be very thirsty to buy that.

Many people say they buy bottled waters because they taste better. We spoke with people in New York City, asking them why they liked bottled better than tap water.

"I drink Dasani. It tastes good, it tastes crisp, like -- natural," one girl said.

"I think tap water kind of tastes like sewer," said another.

People also say they drink bottled water because they believe it's safer than tap water.

One man told me he's the only one "who's brave enough" to drink tap water at home. His family's afraid to drink tap water because of germs, he said.

At recent Earth Day celebrations, a lot of people told us they believe tap water is unhealthy. "As a parent I feel more comfortable giving her bottled water," one father told us.

Bottled water, we were told, is cleaner, safer, healthier.

Watching bottled water ads, you'd think that tap water might not be healthy. But it's not true.

"20/20" took five bottles of national brands of bottled water and a sample of tap water from a drinking fountain in the middle of New York City and sent them to microbiologist Aaron Margolin of the University of New Hampshire to test for bacteria that can make you sick, like e. coli.

"There was actually no difference between the New York City tap water and the bottled waters that we evaluated," he said.

Many scientists have run tests like that and have consistently found that tap water is as good for you as bottled waters that cost 500 times more.

Even Yale University School of Medicine's Dr. Stephen Edberg, the person whom the International Bottled Water Association told "20/20" to talk to, agreed that bottled water is no better for you. "No, I wouldn't argue it's safer or not safer."

"Healthy is a funny definition," he said.

"I wouldn't say it's healthier than tap water. I mean, they both provide water," Edberg added.

Maybe a taste difference justifies spending more money?

"I can definitely taste the difference between like a Fiji water and an Evian and a Poland Spring," one woman said. Many brands -- Aquafina, Deer Park and Dasani -- had loyal fans.

The labels of the bottled waters do suggest they're special. Some show mountains or polar bears or glaciers. You have to look at the fine print to find out Everest Water is not from Mount Everest. It's from Corpus Christi, Texas. Glacier Clear Water is not from a glacier in Alaska. Its source is tap water from Greeneville, Tenn.

Big-selling Dasani and Aquafina are also just reprocessed tap water from cities around the country. One of Aquafina's sources is the Detroit River! At least the popular French water, Evian, does come from France.

But does that make it taste better?

That's what people say, but is it true?

We ran a taste test, offering people New York City tap water and five other bottled waters, Evian, the top-selling bottled water Aquafina, Poland Spring, Iceland Spring (which comes all the way from Iceland), and American Fare, a discount brand from Kmart, which sells for less than half the price of Evian.

Would people be able to tell the difference when they didn't know what they were drinking? Would they still prefer their favorites?

Many who took our taste test were bottled water drinkers. They pay for it, they say, because tap water just doesn't taste as good.

It tastes flat and flavorless, they said.

Would the taste test show that?

We asked people to rate the waters as bad, average or great. Lots of people said one of the waters was particularly bad. Was that the tap water? No. Tap water did pretty well. Even people who said they don't like it, liked it on the blind test.

The "20/20" taste test was just one unscientific test, but lots of tests keep finding that people like tap water.

I suspect many people who buy the fancy waters are getting suckered by the ads or the labels.

In our test of bottled waters, Kmart's American Fare -- the cheapest brand -- won. Big-seller Aquafina came in second.

Iceland Spring tied the ordinary tap water for third place. Fifth place went to Poland Spring, and in last place, by far, with almost half the testers saying it tasted bad, was the most expensive water -- the fancy French stuff, Evian.

"It tasted like toilet water," one man said.

Evian had no comment about that review.

Bottom line, if you buy bottled water because you think it's healthier than tap, test after test shows no evidence of that. And if you buy fancy brands because you think they taste better, you're probably just buying the hype.

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It started with Perrier. Somehow, a French company convinced people it's cool to buy bottled water. Today, Evian has surpassed Perrier in sales and now it's the chic French water of choice. Why? It costs about 5 bucks a gallon! Why do people pay so much for something they can get virtually free?...

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Water Pollution Guide provide the useful information about the types, sources of water pollution and how they can be treated. All content is copyright protected by Water-Pollution.org.uk