Many of the enteric diseases in the Central Amazon basin are caused by unsanitary water. This prefeasibility study outlines a proposed effort by Fundacao Esperanca, a medical and public health project in the region, to dig wells and improve sanitation in the vicinity of Santarem, State of Para, Brazil. After noting Esperanca's origins (it was created by a Franciscan friar) and accomplishments to date and outlining water and sanitary conditions in the project area, the report discusses the Franciscan Order's program to develop and install locally adapted low-cost tube wells and pumping equipment. This program, according to researchers, can provide sanitary water supplies to Esperanca village health centers. A joint Franciscan/Esperanca program centered around the training of local people in drilling and sanitary waste disposal and the promotion of tube wells and waste disposal facilities is urged, as is commercialization of well construction to perpetuate project efforts.