FLOYD CO., Va. – Tristan Brown knows what it feels like to pour water jugs into the back of a toilet just to get it to flush.
For years, the Brown family in Floyd County has survived on a well that produces just 40 gallons of water a day — not enough to run a farm, bathe without a schedule, or run the dishwasher and washing machine at the same time.
That changed Tuesday, when Xylem Inc., the Water Well Trust, and the Chris Long Foundation partnered to drill a new well on the Brown family’s property in Willis.
A burden carried every day
The Browns moved to their Floyd County property with cows, sheep, pigs, and more than 100 birds. They were growing their own food and sustaining their family. The well had other plans.
“We said we can only use the water for us,” Tristan Brown said. “So we have since either sold or butchered all of our animals at this point.”
Inside the house, the family of five developed a system — staggered showers, laundry at midnight, and gallon jugs staged near toilets for when the well ran dry mid-flush.
“It happens in the middle of showers,” Brown said. “It happens when we have church friends over and we’re having dinner and the well runs dry.”
His wife, MerriLynn, said the sleepless nights added up.
“I can’t wait to not have to wake up through the night to start the dishwasher or get the clothes washed,” she said.
Tristan Brown is a Purple Heart recipient. The family also has health concerns that make consistent water access especially critical.
“It’s a huge thing,” Brown said. “It’s a heavy burden on me to know that MerriLynn and our children were having to truly ration this water — which is an unbelievable thought in the United States of America in 2026.”
How four organizations came together
The Water Well Trust, a nonprofit, connects homeowners who lack access to safe water with low-interest loans and other assistance. The Brown family applied, and the trust reached out to Xylem, a water technology company. Xylem then brought in the Chris Long Foundation and its Hometown H2O water initiative.
“The Water Well Trust reached out to Xylem. We reached out to our other corporate partner, which is the Chris Long Foundation,” said Alex Rodriguez, Xylem’s senior market development manager. “That’s why we’re here. That’s how we got on property.”
Elizabeth McClain, program director for the Water Well Trust, said the Brown family stood out.
“With Mr. Brown being a Purple Heart Vet and the health concerns within the family, they just really needed to have access to that clean, safe water to support the entire family,” McClain said.
Crews from Rorrer Well Drilling Inc. drilled the new well and the owner Eric Rorrer was a major donor and contributor to the project.
Rodriguez said the need for projects like this goes far beyond rural communities.
“It’s not a middle of nowhere problem,” he said. “This is something that affects all of America, all of the world, really.”
Millions of Americans lack safe water access
The scale of the problem is larger than most people realize, according to McClain.
“There are over two million people actually documented living without access to safe water,” she said. “But we really believe that the number is closer to eight to nine million Americans. So most likely, it is someone you know that is having problems with water.”
Nancy Hopkins, executive director of the Chris Long Foundation, said private well owners are especially vulnerable — even those who live close to public water systems.
“Folks like the Browns, they don’t live too far from the public water grid,” Hopkins said. “But when you’re on a private well and the well gets contaminated or collapses or starts to have a really low yield, it really affects families day to day. They spend a lot of mental energy, a lot of time rationing water, trying to figure out what is the best use of this scarce resource.”
Hopkins said the project will carry impact beyond the Brown property.
“This project is going to have a deep impact on the Brown family, but I think an even bigger impact on educating folks about the Clean Water Challenge,” she said.
What comes next for the Browns
With a functioning well now in the ground, the Browns are already thinking about what they can do.
MerriLynn Brown wants a garden — something she said she had to give up along with the animals.
“The garden to me is such a sweet place to be, to just watch something go from a seed to a little sprout to a plant that you can harvest and feed your family,” she said. “My grandma loved to garden. To be able to do that again is going to be such a sweet thing — and then to bring the kids into that.”
Tristan Brown said MerriLynn’s health makes the new well personal in another way.
“She has health issues with her back. To be able to soak in that bathtub with some salts and know that we have enough water — and we can still do things throughout the day — those are things I’m excited about, especially for her.”
He said the whole idea still feels surreal.
“It’s kind of crazy that that could be our future, that we don’t have to think about water anymore.”