Bess, Piglet and I recently formed a non-profit business, Ground Water International Solutions, to generate funds to purchase equipment, refurbish it and send it with the expertise to teach people in developing countries to drill water wells properly.

Being closest to the United States, our first goal is La Gonave, Haiti, a nearly forgotten island near mainland Haiti. With a population in excess of 130,000, people have very few working water wells and no rivers or streams. Because of very porous limestone, rain water immediately soaks into the ground. Any potable water must come from seasonal rain or catch basins. It is carried sometimes for miles by the women and children. Safe water will allow these people to raise animals, grow crops and survive healthier day to day.

My son Piglet has been to La Gonave several times this year to drill wells and wants to go back when we can get things together. There is drilling equipment there but it’s broken, unrepairable or the improper equipment for the formation.

Last month, Piglet and myself made a trip to the Northeast United States in search of a 22-W cable tool drill to refurbish and ship to La Gonave. We were also searching for 22-Ws for other developing countries.

Our trip took us to East West Machinery in Pennsylvania. After visiting their facilities, Piglet said that he felt like a kid in a candy store … they have everything related to drilling.

We visited Jeff and Milton Hyatt and saw their drilling equipment. They have three air rotaries and one cable tool drill. They are kept inside (except when drilling) and all are in excellent condition. Upon leaving there, we traveled to Boyd Artesian Well Company and surprised our longtime friends Henry and Julie Boyd. After a long visit and looking at Henry’s equipment, Henry took us to visit Dan Dempsey at Dempsey Steel Pipe Company in Walden, N.Y., to look at his cable tool rigs, of which he had many. Henry asked us if we would like to see more drills, and we agreed.

We traveled to Conneticut to visit Francis Bacon and his 22-W. It’s a nice rig. From there, Henry took Piglet and myself to dinner in a nice restaurant back in New York. Becoming late, we traveled back to Boyd’s headquarters, picked up our truck and headed for our motel.

Now that we have located the equipment, we must locate the donations, negotiate the purchase, get the equipment to the island and continue the drilling. There are several holes already drilled to 300 feet. However, with the existing equipment there and method of drilling, they could not drill deeper.

If any of readers have any ideas, please contact us.

For more Porky columns, visit www.thedriller.com/porky.