Recently, SERCAP’s Facilities Development Grant Program assisted the Keysville Well Project in the Town of Keysville in Charlotte County, Virginia. The initial well system was established in the 1900s, but since the 1970s the Town had utilized a reservoir (initially built due to the opening of several factories in the area), which provided 0.77 Million Gallons per Day (MGD) and used a conventional slow sand filtration water treatment plant (WTP). However, since the factories have now closed and many residents have moved away, the Town has begun experiencing water quality and compliance issues with the reservoir, and it has become too expensive to maintain long-term operations of the current system.
Currently, the Town of Keysville is a small rural community with a population of only 965 residents, and has a much lower demand for water service then it did back in the 1970s. In 2019, the Town hired Samples Monitoring Service, LLC (SMS) to takeover operations and assess the situation. After two years of studying the plant, the source water, and making operational changes to address the problems, SMS and the Town determined that changing the source water and reverting back to use of the existing wells would provide both improved water quality and financial benefits. The Town reached out to SERCAP, and the agency awarded a $30,000.00 Facilities Development Grant to the project, which has covered the cost of nearly all of the work necessary to convert the Town back to the well system. Not only are residents now able to enjoy drinking water that smells and tastes far superior to that which was produced by the WTP, but the Town will enjoy an annual savings in operational costs to the tune of approximately $100,00.00 per year.
Without SERCAP’s Facilities Development Program and other similar services, many communities,
low-income individuals, and families would be forced to go without such necessities as water and wastewater infrastructure solutions, community infrastructure needs, indoor plumbing, properly functioning wells and septic systems, safe and affordable housing, and more. It is important to remember that even in the United States in the 21st Century; there are those who do not have reliable access to clean, safe drinking water, environmentally sound septic facilities, and affordable housing. In order to help SERCAP continue to provide assistance to both the individuals and communities in need, please consider making a donation to SERCAP’s Water Life! Fund!
Donate Today: https://sercap.networkforgood.com/projects/27202-sercap-s-water-is-life-fund (opens new window).
*Funding for SERCAP’s Regional Department is provided by the Department of Health & Human Services (HHS) Office of Community Services’ (OCS) Grant, USDA RD’s Technitrain Program, the Drinking Water Compliance Grant through the EPA, and the EPA Private Well Grant. Funding for SERCAP’s Facilities Development Program is provided by a Budget Appropriation from the Virginia General Assembly, which is administered by the Virginia Department of Housing & Community Development. Additionally, all of SERCAP’s programs and services in Virginia are leveraged by the Budget Appropriation from the Virginia General Assembly, administered by DHCD.