I find the interest in these columns a bit surprising. My editor has sent me contact information for several drillers who want to talk about cable-tool drilling. A few days ago, I had a very pleasant phone conversation with a driller from Wyoming. He had recently switched from primarily rotary drilling to a cable-tool rig. He said he could make a lot of hole with the rotary, but had less-than-expected success in finding water. He had better results case using a spudder.
This is not to diminish or put down the use of any drilling method — certainly, a good water well can be drilled by several methods. Usually, the geology and the intended use of the well have a major effect on what method works best. You can do a good or bad job of drilling a water well by any of several methods. My friend in Wyoming runs a Walker-Neer, a rig brand made in Texas. As I recall, the Walker-Neer brand primarily served the oil and gas drilling markets.