In my last column, we discussed the value triangle as it relates to developing a cost estimate. This month, let’s talk about another form of estimating: the ubiquitous “budget estimate.” As contractors, we all have been asked to provide this type of cost, which can also be termed a “ballpark estimate.” Before we go into more detail, let’s define the term; and, as always is the case, the definition is in the eye of the beholder.
At the end of my last column, I had discussed how to do a graduated sieve analysis of a sand and gravel aquifer and hinted at how we might select our screen openings from this. As you will recall, I described how we could plot the analysis of our formation on graph paper with slot openings or grain size in thousandths of an inch on the horizontal scale with zero at the far left. The vertical scale will list cumulative percent retained from zero at the bottom to 100 at the top. If we plot what our graduated sieves have retained, we will develop an S curve or we can simply connect the dots as a child might do.
Having discussed my experience with different well screen designs in former columns, if you get the idea I’m a proponent of stainless steel or bronze wire wound screens, you are right. Actually, I’m not sure bronze or brass screens are available anymore. I have not seen a new one in a lot of years. In my opinion, that is OK. Stainless steel works very well, at least in the waters we encounter here in the Midwest.
During my travels as a territory sales manager for CETCO, I often hear comments about the price of bentonite. Many companies offer bentonite-based products and they have many different price points. For example, bentonite chips used to seal and decommission boreholes are offered by many companies with a wide range of prices. Not all chips are created equal!
The deck I discussed last month is looking good although the boards have shrunk a little bit—it’s OK, though. It is time to get back to our discussion of well screens.
Recently, I went to a jobsite in the mountains to watch the drilling of a new well. Upon arriving, I saw some drilling equipment that I didn’t recognize.
Last month, we looked at using non-pressurized storage tanks with booster pumps to provide usable amounts of water when you have a slow-producing well. We mentioned several ways of communicating between the storage tank and well pump to tell the pump when to start filling the tank and when to stop. But, what if the tank is a half a mile away from the well up on a hill? That’s the issue we’ll discuss this month.
Water, the cliché says, is life. I think it’s clear from this month’s story (page 10) out of Baton Rouge, La., where drillers took a clever tactic to protect that city’s freshwater supply. We need freshwater for everything from irrigation to showers, and in some areas, we need creative problem solving to get it.
Most of us have heard the saying, “If you want something fast, good (high quality) and cheap—you only get to pick two.” Even if you have not heard this saying, you most likely have experienced this in real life. If you want to purchase the highest quality pickup truck this weekend, you should expect to pay a premium. However, if you are willing to wait a few months or go with a vehicle of lesser quality, you may get a price deal.
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