One columnist offers his perspective on the recent National Ground Water Association expo, including highlights and some misadventures. A good show with worthwhile seminars, but getting around, whether around town or in the hotel, wasn't easy.
See how contractors are doing in the treatment market. The point-of-use/point-of-entry treatment market has been beckoning the water well drilling professionals for some time, and contractors definitely are hearing the siren's song. As traditional markets tighten - and along with them, profit margins - drilling contractors increasingly are eyeing this easy-enough-to-enter market with a higher level of interest and commitment.
Cribley Drilling and its Champion Water Treatment division. The Clark family has been very careful to respect tradition while at the same time staying progressive to meet the needs of the water system industry's evolving marketplace.
Well designed and properly controlled mud. Method requirements and subsurface characteristics can dictate the need to use a drilling fluid, and some drilling methods require specific types of fluid.
High-tech sensors mean precise data. Researchers at Sandia National Laboratories have developed sensors that can be placed in hotter and higher-pressure underground environments than previous instruments, a capability that is allowing geologists worldwide to make more precise measurements of subterranean conditions before and after large earthquakes occur.
This year, I've seen several cases of differential sticking - or “wall stuck,” as a lot of drillers call it - but first I've got to tell you what my “idjit” brother Willard did at Thanksgiving.
Controlling costs to maximize production of enhanced geothermal systems. Work is being conducted to investigate the costs of drilling and completing wells and to relate those costs to the economic viability of enhanced geothermal systems (EGS).
Check out his month's “For Openers” column. The recent hurricanes, coupled with increased water quality concerns, are driving immediate demand for residential water treatment equipment.
“Porky's Hole Thoughts” recounts tales from the Cutters' most recent journey - I have a new job traveling several states, calling on drillers, irrigators and suppliers. Who would have thought there was a paying job out there, calling on clients, telling them about a fantastic product and finding new stories for “Porky's Hole Thoughts!”
This month, “Tech Topics” covers conventional and captive-air tanks. There are two primary reasons for having a pressure tank in a pumped water system.
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