The inspiration for Clean Water for the World came from Jerry and Judy Bohl of Otsego, a small town in Southwest Michigan. In 1995, the couple visited El Salvador, Central America, along with members of their church group. It wasn’t long before the Bohls began to realize how one of the poorest areas in the country was being affected by a lack of safe drinking water. As owner of a machine shop, Jerry had many contacts in the water industry. Back home, he researched various water purification systems, only to find that commercial equipment proved much too costly to consider for third world communities.

In 2002, Judy learned of Sarah Brownell, a mechanical engineering student, and Bill Larsen, Associate Professor of civil engineering—both of the Rochester Institute of Technology—who developed a simple, inexpensive drinking water disinfecting system that they installed in Haiti and Cambodia. The unit, which sanitized up to five gallons of water per minute (300 gallons per hour) was compact, easy to install and maintain, and ran on a 40-watt ultraviolet light bulb (it could also run on solar power, if necessary). After speaking with Professor Larsen, Jerry estimated that the cost for building and operating a water system for two years would be $737. Jerry designed and built a similar system to the one Bronwnell and Larsen built, and took it to El Salvador. He then showed a local resident how to install and maintain the system. A local lab tested the water periodically and each test revealed that the water was bacteria-free.

As news of the Bohl’s water project spread, funding for more units became available through various donors. As of June 2007, 25 units have been delivered and installed in El Salvador, Honduras, Guatemala, Nicaragua, Haiti, Africa (Ghana and Kenya), and Ecuador. All units are given free of charge. All that is required of the community’s residents is that they maintain the system according to the manual provided, and allow anyone in the community free and equal access to the water.

Soon after learning of the Bohls, Kalamazoo, Michigan resident Paul Flickinger, who now serves as Executive Director of Clean Water for the World, approached the couple about helping to launch their work into the non-profit realm.