Aquifer Drilling and Testing meets many challenges.
Put a drilling contractor to work in that environment and you quickly -- and correctly -- surmise that it's no place for the timid or feint of heart. And it's doubtful the people at Aquifer Drilling & Testing Inc. (ADT) would have it any other way at all. Company president Len Rexrode says, "Just the logistics of working in New York City with the traffic and utilities and access can make things complicated. And simply getting the permits to open the streets and sidewalks is not for the uninitiated. We have to get the maps and use surface geophysical instruments to make sure we're clear. We don't only rely on the one-call system. We double-check after the markouts already are done. God forbid you hit a 36-inch diameter water main. It's never happened to us, but we've seen it happen to others and the ensuing problems -- interruption of business, flood damage, foundation repairs -- and the accompanying lawsuits are just a horror. There's a lot of risk working in such a high-density area, and we assume all the liability."