National Driller articles from December 2007

National Driller archives from December 2007

Biofuels straining our water resources.(For Openers: From Over the Transom)
December 1, 2007... Boosting ethanol production by growing more corn in the United States without considering the quality and availability of water by region could put a significant strain on water resources in some parts of the country, a committee of the...

Getting out is tough.(We've Got Mail From Readers--And Writers)(Letter to the editor)
December 1, 2007... Thank you for a most interesting and informative article that was published in National Driller ("Graceful Exiting Getting out of the contracting business can be harder than starting one," Oct. issue). My brother and I are going through the...

Support your industry.(We've Got Mail From Readers--And Writers)(Letter to the editor)
December 1, 2007... On Oct. 12, the Virginia Water Well Association presented an onsite water well drilling, well logging demonstration and barbeque at a residence in Virginia Beach, Va. Bundick Well & Pump Co., Painter, Va., and Creason Well and Pump Co., Zuni,...

WQA library expansion.(For Openers: From Over the Transom)
December 1, 2007... With the addition of five new publications, information about water well drilling, plumbing and engineering issues now is available through the Water Quality Association's (WQA) vast online Water Information Library, which allows professionals...

Drilling Book for kids.
December 1, 2007... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] A new book titled, Well... What's All That Drilling About? has been published by the American Ground Water Trust. The 40-page illustrated narrative is about two children watching the drilling of a home's water well...

What are contractors like? A marketer's question led to some soul-searching for an answer.(Smart Business)
December 1, 2007... Periodically, I get calls from market researchers asking for industry statistics or for me to explain our industry's lay of the land. One of them recently asked the question, "What are contractors like?" My initial response was to ask a...

Some expensive water.(BULLETIN BOARD)
December 1, 2007... A water treatment plant in Bethlehem, N.Y. (pop. 31,000), which cost more than $13 million to build, currently serves 28 customers. It's been nothing but problems (and the requisite lawsuits) from the beginning. The plant was to provide 6...

SSPMA gathering.(BULLETIN BOARD)
December 1, 2007... SJE-Rhombus, manufacturer of water, wastewater and industrial controls, hosted the annual Submersible Sump Pump Manufacturer's Association's (SSPMA) Fall Meeting in Detroit Lakes, Minn. The SSPMA annual meeting offers industry professionals...

Pump selection--Part 3: performance charts: the fundamentals of pumped water systems.(Tech Topics)
December 1, 2007... This is the third is a series on pump selection, and pump performance curves and charts. In the last two articles, we discussed factors that should be considered when selecting a ground water pump--when to use a jet pump vs. a submersible; how...

TEI Rock Drills' open house.
December 1, 2007... The open house hosted by TEI Rock Drills was almost as much fun as it was educational. The annual event took place Oct. 3-5 at the company's Montrose, Colo., facility. "We do this every year for our drilling contractor customers," explains Joe...

Coming events.(Calendar)
December 1, 2007... DECEMBER 4-7 National Ground Water Association Ground Water Expo Orlando, Fla. 800-551-7379 www.ngwa.org 9-11 Irrigation Association's ...

Using the earth's renewable energy: ground source heating and cooling seminars planned.
December 1, 2007... Today's ground source heating and cooling (GSHC) technology provides a proven method for saving significant amounts of energy for heating, cooling and hot water generation for any application. Thousands of homes, businesses and manufacturing...

Replacing a pressure tank: and fixing a small problem with the pressure switch.(Out in the Field)
December 1, 2007... It's no secret that well pumps can burn out prematurely if they are made to start and stop more than necessary. By using a holding tank, the water can be used in a leisurely manner over a long time, and the pump will run briefly to refill the...

Product showcase: what's new in 2008.
December 1, 2007... Yes, 2007m is drawing to a close. But the good news is that it's time to get out pen and paper, and make a wish list. Companies across the industry have sent in their new releases and product upgrades, and including everything from new well...

ONE DROP program launched.(BULLETIN BOARD)
December 1, 2007... Cirque de Soleil founder Guy Laliberte has announced the official launch of the ONE DROP Foundation to fight poverty in the world by giving everyone access to water. Laliberte will contribute $105 million to fund projects to rebuild water wells...

Direct-push environmental investigations--Part 2.
December 1, 2007... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Direct-push wells offer the potential to save significant amounts of money and time for environmental ground water monitoring. Equipment used to install such wells usually is smaller and lighter than conventional...

Post-construction evaluation of HDD installations--Part 4.(Cover story)
December 1, 2007... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Moisture content is defined as the ratio of the weight of the water to the weight of the solid particles in a soil medium. The moisture content in sands generally lies between 10 percent and 30 percent, while in clay...

Winterize your grouting equipment.
December 1, 2007... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] The good folks at Geo-Loop Inc., a leading geothermal and water well grouting equipment supplier, offer drilling contractors some sound advice to help in getting equipment ready for the cold weather ahead in most...

Peerless generosity.(BULLETIN BOARD)
December 1, 2007... Peerless Pump Co. recently transformed its Indianapolis headquarters parking lot into a construction zone. More than 120 Peerless employees worked in partnership with Habitat for Humanity to construct the frame of a 1,100 square foot home. The...

Water filter hero.(BULLETIN BOARD)
December 1, 2007... Abul Hussam, an associate professor of chemistry and biochemistry at Virginia's George Mason University who invented an arsenic-removing, point-of-use home water filter, has been named one of TIME Magazine's Heroes of the Environment for 2007....

Vermeer's third generation.(BULLETIN BOARD)
December 1, 2007... [ILLUSTRATIONS OMITTED] Vermeer Manufacturing Co. has announced that two members of the Vermeer family's third generation have joined the company. Jason Andringa, son of co-CEO Mary Vermeer-Andringa, is an environmental solutions segment...

We're becoming all tapped out.(BULLETIN BOARD)
December 1, 2007... With the firestorms that swept through Southern California having gotten under control, state officials are turning their attention to an even more serious, long-term problem that will most likely affect not only California but several states,...

Atlas Copco transaction.(BULLETIN BOARD)
December 1, 2007... Atlas Copco recently announced it has acquired the remaining 75 percent of shares in its joint venture company Shenyang Ruifeng Machinery Ltd., strengthening its production in China of core components for construction tools. The...

Mills machine honored.(BULLETIN BOARD)
December 1, 2007... Exports are big business for small- and mid-sized companies. That was the word from Congressman Wes Watkins, who recently presented Mills Machine Co. with the U. S. Commercial Service's Export Achievement Certificate. The award recognizes U. S....

Ground water exhibit on tour: groundbreaking exhibition on earth's most precious resource.(BULLETIN BOARD)
December 1, 2007... Wells and ground water will be an integral part of a traveling exhibit on water that will tour the world's leading science museums. The 7,000-square-foot exhibit, Water: [H.sub.2]O=Life, opened Nov. 3 at its first stop, the American Museum...

Better late than never.(BULLETIN BOARD)
December 1, 2007... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] The Frank Lloyd Wright-designed water dome at Florida Southern College finally has been activated. The three-story attraction was designed in the 1940s, and had nothing but problems for decades. Insufficient pumping...

Excellence in technology award for Aquatech.(BULLETIN BOARD)
December 1, 2007... Aquatech International Corp. has been honored with the 2007 North American Frost & Sullivan Award for Excellence in Technology in the Water Recycling and Reuse Systems Market. With its experience and expertise in integrated zero liquid...

Big sky state show.(BULLETIN BOARD)
December 1, 2007... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] The Montana Water Well Drillers Association is putting on its 63rd Annual Convention Feb. 6-8, 2008, at the Garden Hilton Inn in Missoula, Mont., and it's sure to be an enriching experience. You can get all the...

Traveling cross country.(The World According to Wayne)
December 1, 2007... The drilling industry lost a true lady and a good friend in late October. Marsha Eppler, business manager of Midway Perforating, and wife of Charlie Eppler, passed away at their home in Nephi, Utah, after a yearlong battle with cancer. Marsha...

Porky gets a brand-new knee.(Porky's Hole Thoughts)
December 1, 2007... Those of you who know me know that I've had a bad knee for years. That's the reason for my two-wheel scooter at the well shows. Well, I decided to have a complete knee replacement and retire my scooter. I wasn't an athlete, and my sports...

Mastering lost circulation problems in water wells.(Drilling Fluids)
December 1, 2007... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Lost circulation has been defined as the partial or total loss of drilling fluid into a formation through cracks, crevices or porous materials. It can be a driller's nightmare. There are a number of products and...

Pulliam gets a versa-drill.(TRADING POST)
December 1, 2007... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Pulliam Well Drilling, Napa, Calif., buys a new Versa-Drill V-100NG, mounted on a Peterbuilt 6-by-6 truck, from Laibe Corp. The rig comes equipped with a 3-by-4 centrifugal mud pump and an I-R 500/200 air compressor....

Singley construction selects AMS.(TRADING POST)
December 1, 2007... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Singley Construction of Columbia, Miss., acquires a new 9700D PowerProbe. The unit is mounted on an F550. Harold Blackmon, Dennis Byrd, Jim Mitchell, Lonnie Newsome, Glen Breeland, Thomas Daniels and John Matthews...

Preferred drilling works with rig source.(TRADING POST)
December 1, 2007... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] The father-and-son team, Dan and Danny Richards from Preferred Drilling, Clearwater, Fla., take a trip to Elburn, Ill., to pick up their newly refurbished Geoprobe 6610DT unit from Rig Source Inc.

Slater Inc. does business with Higgins.(TRADING POST)
December 1, 2007... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Bob Johnson of Slater Inc., Fontana, Calif., has purchased this 1980 Gus Pech HD48 from Higgins Rig Co., Hodgenville, Ky. His rig is mounted on a 1979 Ford truck.

Enviro test services buys from AMS.(TRADING POST)
December 1, 2007... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Enviro Test Services of Columbia, S.C., obtain a 9500 VTR PowerProbe. Enviro Test Services' Terry Teate, accompanied by Ken Lipscomb and Eric Saiz from AMS Inc., are pictured with the new unit.

O'Keefe Acquires a Foremost.(TRADING POST)
December 1, 2007... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Dan O'Keefe (l) of O'Keefe Drilling, Butte, Mont., and Mike Downey take delivery of a Foremost DR24--O'Keefe's second. The rig was purchased through J. Arden Godshall.

Laibe sells to Keithville.(TRADING POST)
December 1, 2007... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Keithville Well Drilling, Keithville, La., orders an new Versa-Drill V-100NG from Laibe Corp. Mounted on a Peterbuilt 6-by-6 truck, the rig is outfitted with two mud pumps and an I-R 300/200 air compressor.

Higgins ships to Honduras.(TRADING POST)
December 1, 2007... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Higgins Rig Co., Hodgenville, Ky., has delivered this 1978 Chicago Pneumatic 650 to Carlos Irias Peralta of Honduras. This is the second drill Peralta has purchased from the Higgins Rig Co. His unit is equipped with...

Water commission bill unanimously approved.(LEGISLATIVE UPDATE)
December 1, 2007... The House Natural Resource Committee unanimously approved a bill to establish a water commission that would study and develop recommendations for a comprehensive water strategy to address future water needs. The Twenty First Century Water...

New act to improve water management.(LEGISLATIVE UPDATE)
December 1, 2007... U.S. Senator Jeff Bingman has introduced legislation to establish the SECURE Water Act aimed to improve water management, and to increase the acquisition and analysis of water-related data to better understand critical water resources,...

Geologic sequestration regulations underway.(LEGISLATIVE UPDATE)
December 1, 2007... The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced plans to develop regulations to establish a clear path for geologic sequestration, a process of injection-captured carbon dioxide, a greenhouse gas, in deep rock formations for long-term...

Lead and copper regulations finalized.(LEGISLATIVE UPDATE)
December 1, 2007... EPA issued a final rule in September that will improve requirements in the areas of monitoring, customer awareness and lead service line replacement. Specifically, the agency will require water suppliers to provide consumers with information to...