Water Warriors: Episode 1
The Salazar family's need for a new well system came to a head when their resources began running low. See how our WATER WARRIORS H.W. Schwope & Sons were able to help the family solve their imminent water challenge.

Introducing the Salazars

Nancy Salazar
When the opportunity came to moving to this little place, I was delighted. Just moved here with whatever the world will give us here. It's been hard, but it's been good for the family, so we're grateful for this little land here. We've been here since  pretty much '94.

Nissi Salazar
I come from a family of six. There's three girls and one boy. I'm a twin sister and I have a little sister and an older brother. So we've lived here for, let's see, I'm 27 now. We've lived here for 24 years.

Nancy Salazar
We live very humbly, but to us family has always been a lot more important. I homeschool my kids in this little spot and it's very special to me. This was the little paradise. It was good to have roaming room, safe roaming room, so we love it here.

Nissi Salazar
I spent many, many a hot day in the sun. Lost in the backyard or the front yard as a kid. This place is where I find my inspiration. It's not just a place I call my house, it's my home. Of course, it's the people that make it. That everybody around here knows who I am, and so it makes it easier for me and it gives me a sense of independence.

The Water Challenge

Nancy Salazar

We moved here with nothing and the first thing we could finance was a mobile home and we managed to get a septic tank, but we were never able to finance a well because of the expense.

Nissi Salazar

I've never known what it's like to have water, really good water pressure. Never in my house, ever. I've never known what it's like to take a nice hot shower, like a really nice hot shower in my house. It's not a part of my life and it hasn't been easy. It’s a start of many an argument with my parents. It's extremely stressful for especially my mom and dad. For me, I don't know anything else.

Michael Frazee

In my part of the world, people drive every day thousands of miles a year to haul water from a coin operated water machine to their homes. And if their water station is broke or there's bad weather conditions, you might have to go several days without water.

Luis Salazar

We share our, my in-laws, they share the water with us. 

Nancy Salazar

We've been here 24 years and even though my parents have been gracious, they have their limits. They're always watching. 

Luis Salazar

Well, that's limited. And when you're limited, then you don't be able to do anything really. I mean, my wife, as you can tell, she loves her flowers. 

Nancy Salazar

We're not allowed to water our plants too much. We're not allowed to plant a garden. So it's been that uncomfortable yoke around your neck.  But I'm glad to have it, but it's yet, how long do you go borrowing water from somebody else until they get irritated and wonder and everybody else, the family looks at us like we're leaning way too much on parents for water and why don't we get our well? It's been kind of like a little thing. 

Luis Salazar

Like I said, there's a limit when they say, hey, no more water, what do you do? 

Nancy Salazar

We're concerned that the water well is going to break using it too. And there was just that always over our head.

The Water Solution

Ryan Arnett – Austin Pump Supply

Goulds Water Technology contacted me with this opportunity to help this family, and so I coordinated my team, the Goulds team, the drillers, and several manufacturers who donated product. 

Luis Salazar

My amazing wife, she was the one that surprised me. She goes, “Honey, we gonna get a water well." "Well," I said, "really?" I'm like, "from where?" She's like, "Honey, don't worry. Everything's going to be done right." You need special tools. You need special equipment. You need everything to be right. 

Ryan Arnett – Austin Pump Supply

It's just amazing. And again, we had manufacturers, not just Goulds, jump to the front and want to donate product for this job and I'm really happy about that. It was surprising how easy it was to contact people and how many people were just looking for an opportunity to help. 

The Water Warriors

Jimmy Schwope - H.W. Schwope & Sons

They need help. They don't have the money to do it, and it's awesome to be able to help 'em out with a partnership of Goulds and Austin Pump and everybody else. So everybody's putting their share in. So that's a good thing.

John Schwope - H.W. Schwope & Sons

I think the main thing mom and dad taught us from little on, that's the way they ran the business. Treat people the way that you'd expect to be treated. If anything comes up, if you got any kind of a warranty issue they say, well, just put yourself in another man's shoes and see what you would expect. And worked good for them all those years. And that's the way we've kept doing it. So do it right. Do it right the first time. 

Larry Schwope - H.W. Schwope & Sons

We try to do it where it'll last. We just had a customer in, and I think we drilled his well back in the mid 1960s and the pressure tank is still original pressure tank from 1965. We told him he thought he got his money out of it.

Jimmy Schwope - H.W. Schwope & Sons

If you put it in and install it, you try to do the right thing to where everything works right Goulds pumps, Goulds tanks, jet stream pipe, the best. The Goulds pumps are the best in the market, I feel. We've been selling them a long, long time, hadn't had a problem with 'em. So you stick with what you know works good. Time and experience, it's hard to replace it. Time and experience. You just do it so much and so often everybody knows their deal.

The Impact

Luis Salazar

It's amazing. It's just amazing to see that people really care. People really have the heart to help. I'm like, it is hard to believe. I mean, it's like a dream come true.

Nancy Salazar

Water is freedom. Oh my gosh. I mean freedom and independence and riches. This brings riches to us.

Nissi Salazar

I would have to say thank you. Thank you so much for not letting life allow you to not minister to other people. And thank you so much for just being selfless. 

Nancy Salazar

Just doing something like this can bless so many people and just bring so much joy to somebody and meet such need. It’s just almost supernatural. I said supernatural goodness.

Jimmy Schwope - H.W. Schwope & Sons

Doing a better service for them. It is kind of awesome. I don't know. I've done this all my life, so it doesn't seem like it's real hard work. So when you can help somebody out like that, it gives you a real good feeling of gratitude that you're able to help somebody.

Susan O’Grady - Senior Director of Marketing at Xylem/Goulds Water Technology

It's been an amazing week. We are able to help with family in need. They're extremely grateful for that, and we did what we set out to do. We solved water.

AMERICA IS IN A WATER CRISIS…

Over 2 million Americans living in rural communities do not have access to safe, clean drinking water. In partnership with the Chris Long Foundation and the Water Well Trust, Goulds Water Technology and its WATER WARRIORS are committed to fighting this crisis one deserving family at a time. 

Learn more about the water crisis in rural America and how you can help

MAKE YOUR WATERMARK

Xylem Watermark, Xylem’s social responsibility program, will match all donations – click on this link to support struggling American families.

Donate Now

 

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