Private Well Owner Program in Northeastern Pennsylvania Help to Fix Private Wells

March 2, 2011 - PRLog -- The Pocono Northeast Resource Conservation & Development (RC&D) Council,  a non-profit organization committed to the preservation and protection of natural resources within a framework of economic growth, announced today its Household Water Well System Loan Program for homeowners within the Council’s service area.  The program provides education, resources, and low-interest loans to low to moderate income homeowners residing in rural areas needing to service, repair, or upgrade their household water well system including new well construction, if necessary.

The Household Water Well System Program has been established to assist low to moderate income homeowners in rural areas by providing education and outreach, technical resources, and financial assistance to enhance or rehabilitate household wells, thus providing clean water to these households. Under the direction of the RC&D Council, education and outreach about proper well placement, construction, and maintenance will be provided at workshops and through media outlets.  In addition to the educational aspect of the program, a loan program has been established to provide low interest loans to homeowners for the purposes of enhancing, rehabilitating, replacing, and/or constructing private water wells that have been adversely impacted through contamination or have ceased to function properly.

The RC&D Council will be hosting a series of workshops throughout northeast PA to educate and inform homeowners on household water wells.  The information provided at the workshops will include information on the geology and hydrology of the area, information on typical well and drinking water issues, and specifics of the RC&D Household Water Well Program. The training events will be held from 6:00 pm to 8:00 pm on the following dates and locations:

March 14- Monroe County Conservation District, 8050 Running Valley Road, Stroudsburg, PA  18360

March 21- Lake Township Municipal Building, 488 State Route 29, Harvey's Lake, PA 18618

March 22- Columbia County Agricultural Center, 702 Sawmill Road, Bloomsburg, PA  17815

March 23- Wayne County, Park Street Complex, 648 Park Street, Honesdale, PA  18431

Through the program, the RC&D Council will make loans available at 1% interest rate for up to 20 years. Loans cannot exceed $11,000 per household. Successful applications will be assessed an additional fee to cover loan closing costs. Eligible homeowners /households will be those located in a rural area and with a low to moderate income who need assistance with their private water well. Homeowners must reside in Carbon, Columbia, Lackawanna, Luzerne, Monroe, Montour, Northumberland, Pike, Schuylkill or Wayne county. The following website can be used to determine rural eligibility:  http://www.ruralpa2.org/rural_muni_sd.cfm. Other restrictions and underwriting requirements exist.

Applications for the Household Water Well Systems Loan will be accepted beginning March 1, 2011, and reviewed every two weeks beginning April 25, 2011. Interested homeowners are urged to attend a training program or call the Council at 570-282-8732 ext. 4.

About Poconos Northeast Resource Conservation & Development Council
The Pocono Northeast Resource Conservation and Development (RC&D) Council is a non-profit organization that has been active in northeast Pennsylvania since 1980. The Council is committed to the preservation and protection of natural resources within a framework of economic growth and is directed by a group of dedicated volunteers. The regional organization encompasses and serves the following ten counties: Carbon, Columbia, Lackawanna, Luzerne, Monroe, Montour, Northumberland, Pike, Schuylkill, and Wayne.  Find out more about the organization by visiting the website at

http://www.pnercd.org.

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A family owned business based in Northeastern Pennsylvania and providing professional geological soils hydrogeological environmental consulting services since 1985.