Anyone can dig a well. But it takes a team of trained people to build a water project on solid ground for lasting worth and life-changing impact.
Countless communities have shared their stories of gardens flourishing, test scores improving and health recovering thanks to reliable access to clean water.
Local Insight & Expertise
In Islam, Sadaqah is the practice of voluntary giving, driven by compassion and a desire to aid others. This form of charity can include financial aid, sharing knowledge, or even a simple act of kindness. Sadaqah is a way to create positive change in the community while seeking Allah’s pleasure and increasing one’s own spiritual well-being.
Whether it’s for farming, growing crops, drinking, or bathing, clean water is a necessity to sustain life. Yet, millions of people around the world live without access to safe water. This means they are exposed to bacteria and diseases that can cause serious health problems. This is why water projects are so important – they help protect lives by delivering high quality drinking water.
Providing safe and sustainable water to communities is no easy task. It requires a holistic approach that considers all of the water needs for an entire community. To do so, local insight and expertise is essential for evaluating and implementing the best water projects. This can include assessing water supply, demand and sanitation, analyzing climate impacts and potential alternatives, developing sustainable groundwater management strategies, and creating community education and outreach programs.
A water project is any plan, scheme or undertaking designed to manage water resources, including water source development, storage, distribution, conservation and conveyance. It may involve the construction of infrastructure like dams, reservoirs or canals or community-based initiatives such as rainwater harvesting, well drilling and distribution of water purifiers.
The City of New York has a strong history of using local input to design and implement successful water projects. Most recently, the Mayor’s Office of Sustainability co-leads a citywide Task Force on Water Fountains and Bottle Refillers to help bring high-quality, clean water to every corner of the city. These projects not only provide a critical service to New Yorkers, but they also reduce the amount of single-use plastic water bottles that end up in our waste stream and waterways.
Similarly, the California State Water Project is an engineering marvel that brings water to 27 million people and over 750,000 acres of farmland. This multi-purpose water system is an enormously complex network of canals, tunnels and hydroelectric power facilities that extend over more than 705 miles across the state. The SWP carries freshwater to cities, farms and businesses throughout the state, a critical resource during drought periods when surface water is scarce. However, the system faces significant challenges from climate change and other factors that could lead to increased and longer-lasting dry periods.
Options for Funding
Water projects can involve a variety of infrastructure solutions including dams, reservoirs, canals or water treatment plants or smaller community based initiatives such as rainwater harvesting, well drilling or distribution of water purifiers. Some are designed to provide water for irrigation for agricultural purposes, supply drinking water or to reduce contamination of existing supplies. Regardless of the specific goal, these projects often require significant financial resources. Water utilities must carefully consider their options and balance them against the system’s needs and priorities. Government funding offers security but may add to a project’s timeline while private financing often can offer more attractive terms. A creative combination of public and private funds can offer the best of both worlds.
Many states maintain a state revolving fund (SRF) program for supporting drinking and wastewater infrastructure. These programs typically include a set of eligibility criteria, and provide loans with interest rates significantly lower than commercial markets. These state-based resources can be used to supplement a utility’s other financing sources, or to provide a bridge to more permanent capital.
Federal resources are also available, although these tend to be less predictable and can be subject to Congressional appropriations. One example is the Water Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act (WIFIA) program, which supports large/expensive clean water projects with subsidized financing. EPA’s early rounds of WIFIA funding, as well as recent Congressional appropriations, suggest that there is strong support for this important new financing tool.
In addition, there are a number of resources specific to various regions or states. For instance, the Environmental Finance Center Network maintains a list of potential financing opportunities, and can provide guidance to help utilities find these resources.
In addition to monetary support, volunteers are vital to the success of many water projects. They can assist with the construction of a new water system by carrying and glueing pipe, digging trenches and helping to build water tanks. They can also educate a community about how to maintain their new water source. For example, a Volunteer’s aqueduct project in Peru provided clean water for 28 families and taught them how to capture their own spring source to ensure the project’s sustainability.
Rewarding Donors
The cost of modern sewage and water infrastructure is high, and can put an immense burden on local governments who have little room in their budgets for these critical assets. Fortunately, local citizens can help by contributing to community-driven projects that provide affordable access to clean drinking water. Providing this vital support helps alleviate some of the financial strain and allows communities to invest in other needs like healthcare, education, and economic development.
Having reliable and safe water sources is one of the most important factors in reducing poverty and increasing health and well-being. When donors give to water projects, they’re not just helping families in their communities today — they’re also making a lasting impact for generations to come.
In a typical project, community members are involved in every step of the planning process — from gathering information and conducting surveys to implementing and sustaining a new water supply system. This participatory approach builds a sense of community ownership, ensuring that the project will continue to benefit the community long after it’s completed.
A typical water project includes a well, pipelines, pumps, and other components necessary for delivering clean drinking water. However, the most important element is ongoing maintenance and education. Community leaders work with volunteers to create and implement a water management plan. This ensures that the project continues to provide quality water and prevents contamination.
Once a new water supply system is installed, the team educates the community on water management, and how to keep the water source healthy over time. This includes proper maintenance and hygiene practices. Without this training, water can become contaminated and cause illnesses.
When the community is fully trained in how to manage their water supply, they’ll be able to maintain it themselves over time. This is essential for a sustainable water project that will last over the long term.
When donating to water projects, it’s also important to remember that donors want to be recognized for their support. This can be done by giving a shoutout on social media, sending a personalized letter, or even visiting the donor at their home.
Keeping Water Flowing
Water projects offer a powerful way for students to learn about the many aspects of water. These projects can range from large scale infrastructure like dams, reservoirs, canals and water treatment plants to community-based initiatives like rainwater harvesting, well drilling or water purifier distribution.
Students can use their research skills to explore the many ways water can be used and abused by humans, as well as animals, and come up with ideas for how to conserve our most precious resource. This is a great STEM activity that can be done individually or in groups.
For example, students can design and build a terrarium to grow algae for natural filtration, create their own water cycle experiment in a bottle or test the surface tension of water to see why it is able to form droplets and support lightweight objects on its surface. Other activities can focus on the role that bacteria play in our water supply and how it is treated in wetlands to keep it clean and healthy.
The goal of any project is to provide access to clean and safe drinking water. This is especially important for women and children, who are most affected by a lack of clean water in developing countries. Women often spend up to 200 million hours each day collecting and hauling water, a major burden that makes it difficult to attend school or work.
By empowering communities with the right water infrastructure, they can focus on other important aspects of their lives. This helps them develop a stronger economic base while contributing to better sanitation and hygiene practices.
In addition to empowering families, water projects help reduce the impact of climate change by reducing water scarcity and reducing the amount of polluted water that needs to be boiled over open fires or bought packaged in cities. Additionally, many projects are designed to be self-sustainable and include education about how the community can continue to maintain and operate the project in the future.
If you’d like to empower children around the world with access to clean water, consider participating in the Global 6K for Water, a walk or run that funds water projects through made blue. Or, you can become a part of Team World Vision to make a long-term commitment to empower people with clean water.
