January 2014 by David Evener

Here’s a look at what’s in store with the Affordable Care Act, page 30

JOURNAL

January 2014

A PUBLICATION OF THE NATIONAL GROUND WATER ASSOCIATION

Plumbness and Alignment Standards Analysis and recommendations, page 22

Inside: — Benefits of keeping a well active, page 19

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I’m NGWA

How does NGWA help you professionally? It keeps me up to date on the industry. I enjoy Water Well Journal®. I like what it does for the industry . . . keeping us informed . . . letting us know what other people are doing.

Would you recommend NGWA membership to others in the industry? Oh, absolutely. I think it’s important to be involved in an organization that is looking out for us and trying to move the industry forward.

Find out more about what being a member of NGWA can do for you and your business today! www.NGWA.org/membership t 800 551.7379 t 614 898.7791

JOURNAL

Vol. 68, No. 1 January 2014 www.waterwelljournal.com

A PUBLICATION OF THE NATIONAL GROUND WATER ASSOCIATION

FEATURED ARTICLES 19 Benefits of Keeping a Well Active By Mike Schnieders, PG, PH-GW

22 Plumbness and Alignment Standards By Jersy DePonty, RG, Marvin Glotfelty, RG, Shane DePinto, and Grant Kornrumph

Analysis and recommendations 28 Exit Your Business on Your Terms By Tim McDaniel

Plan in advance if you want a smooth exit process from your firm.

DEPARTMENTS 8 Guest Editorial Upper Kittitas County: A Driller’s Point of View 10 In This Issue 12 Industry Newsline 16 The Log 17 Web Notes 49 Coming Events 50 Featured Products 52 Newsmakers 53 Classified Marketplace 63 Index of Advertisers 64 Closing Time ge 30

IN EVERY ISSUE 6 Editor’s Note Three Scary Letters

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The Water Well Journal (ISSN #0043-1443) is published monthly by the National Ground Water Association, 601 Dempsey Rd., Westerville, OH 43081. Printed and mailed at Beaver Dam, Wisconsin, and additional mailing offices. Postal acceptance: Periodical (requester subscription circulation) postage paid at Westerville, Ohio, and at additional mailing offices. Postmaster: Send address changes to Water Well Journal, 601 Dempsey Rd., Westerville, OH 43081. Canada Post/ Publications Mail Agreement #40739533. Return address: 4960-2 Walker Rd., Windsor, ON N9A 6J3.

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Water Well Journal January 2014 3/

JOURNAL A PUBLICATION OF THE NATIONAL GROUND WATER ASSOCIATION

Advancing the expertise of groundwater professionals and furthering groundwater awareness.

Chief Executive Officer Kevin McCray, CAE kmccray@ngwa.org NGWA President Griffin Crosby Jr., CWD/PI Director of Information Products/Editor Thad Plumley tplumley@ngwa.org Water Well Journal Editorial Review Board Art Becker, MGWC, CPG; Tom Christopherson; Don Harvard; Dan Milan; Roger Renner, MGWC; John Schnieders, Ph.D., and Robert Sterrett, Ph.D. Senior Editor Mike Price

mprice@ngwa.org

Copyeditor Wayne Beatty

wbeatty@ngwa.org

Production and Design Janelle McClary jmcclary@ngwa.org Advertising Shelby Fleck Vickie Crosby

Page 19

FEATURED COLUMNISTS 30 Safety Matters by Grant Lahmann The Affordable Care Act Here’s a look at what’s in store for small businesses.

sfleck@ngwa.org vcrosby@ngwa.org

Circulation Coordinator Katie Neer kneer@ngwa.org Contributing Writers Ed Butts, PE, CPI; Donald W. Gregory; William J. Lynott; Julie Hansen; Christine Reimer; Al Rickard, CAE; Ron Slee; Lana Straub; Jennifer Strawn; and Alexandra Walsh Editorial, Advertising, & Publishing Offices 601 Dempsey Rd., Westerville, OH 43081 (800) 551-7379 Fax: (614) 898-7786 Selected content from Water Well Journal is indexed on Ground Water On-Line™ at www.NGWA.org/gwonline ©Copyright 2014 by the National Ground Water Association. All rights reserved.

32 The Water Works by Ed Butts, PE, CPI Engineering of Water Systems Part 11(b)—The Source: The Well, Part 2

38 People at Work by Alexandra Walsh Developing Online Guidelines Your company needs to have e-policies to save time, money, and potential headaches.

40 ACT Like a Sales Pro by Julie Hansen What’s Your Selling Style? Take a tip from acting’s finest and you’ll see your sales grow.

42 The After Market by Ron Slee Back to Work with a Purpose Let’s turn resolutions into actions.

An APEX award winner 11 consecutive years with 24 total awards, most in the groundwater industry.

44 Engineering Your Business by Ed Butts, PE, CPI Through the Years All Those Well Pumps Ago Part 2: Jet Pumps The views expressed in the columns are the authors’ opinions based on their professional experience.

4/ January 2014 Water Well Journal

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EDITOR’S

NOTE

Three Scary Letters here are acronyms that can make life hectic for a groundwater contractor. If there is an accident at a job site, pairing together the letters O-S-H-A can strike fear in a driller envisioning a painstaking audit. DEQ . . . DOT . . . EPA, and a host of others can equally cause the gnawing of fingernails and pulling out of hair. However, let me tell you the three letters you really need to focus on. They’re three you’ve heard before, and perhaps even chuckled about. But hey, they’re no laughing matter today. If you dismiss them, all I say is “Good luck.” D-I-Y. What you ask? Fret over Joe Homebuilder. Mr. Honey-do. The Weekend Warrior. Worry about him? Believe it. As our economy has approached its new normal, a new type of competition has developed. And it’s scary because you can’t see it. The new competition is the customer who never picks up the phone to call and never fires off an e-mail to your inbox. He or she gets in their car or truck, heads to the nearest big box store, and purchases a pump so that they can install it themselves. Let me add that up for you. The equation is: one potential customer plus one big box store equals no phone call to you. And no phone call is always equal to no revenue. I don’t know if that’s what they call new math, but it’s not good. So what can you do? Get it front of the customer and let them know honey-do lists are strictly for

mulching flower beds and moving furniture, while safe family water supplies are for groundwater professionals exactly like you. It’s imperative to be in front of your community more than ever today. Everyone is bombarded with information, so constantly stressing why you’re the best choice when it comes to servicing a water supply has to be part of your job. Participate in career days. Talk to civic associations and at city council meetings. Write letters to newspapers and talk to radio stations about the importance of clean water. Do you do any of that? You should. Are you active in your community during the National Ground Water Association’s Groundwater Awareness Week and Protect Your Groundwater Day? You should be. What about your certifications and years of experience? Is it on all of your advertising? What about on your business cards, in all of the e-mails you send, and on your Web site? It should be. Do you offer maintenance contracts? You should. They can be a great equalizer and lock up customers for life. Some acronyms can never be completely avoided in the groundwater industry, and that’s OK. But it’s imperative you make sure your potential customers’ D-I-Y lists stick to lawn care and paint chips.

Thad Plumley is the editor of WWJ and director of information products at the National Ground Water Association. He can be reached at tplumley@ngwa.org and on Twitter @WaterWellJournl.

Advertise your products and services to the groundwater industry’s most influential readership. Call Shelby Fleck and Vickie Crosby in the NGWA sales department at (800) 551-7379. ● ● ●

Shelby Fleck

Approximately 25,000 readers every month. More than 19,000 are groundwater contractors. Approximately 4000 reside in professions also allied to the field. Readers reside in every state, Canada, and other international locations.

Disclaimer Water Well Journal and the National Ground Water Association provide information for guidance and information purposes only. This publication is not intended to provide investment, tax, or legal advice. The information contained herein has been compiled from sources deemed reliable and it is accurate to the best of our knowledge and belief; however, Water Well Journal and the National Ground Water Association cannot guarantee as to its accuracy, completeness, and validity and cannot be held liable for any errors or omissions. All information contained herein should be independently verified and confirmed. Water Well Journal and the National Ground Water Association do not accept any liability for any loss or damage howsoever caused in reliance upon such information. Reader agrees to assume all risk resulting from the application of any of the information provided by Water Well Journal and the National Ground Water Association. Trademarks and copyrights mentioned within Water Well Journal are the ownership of their respective companies. The names of products and services presented are used only in an educational fashion and to the benefit of the trademark and copyright owner, with no intention of infringing on trademarks or copyrights. No endorsement of any third-party products or services is expressed or implied by any information, material, or content referred to in the Water Well Journal. Subscriptions/Back Issues For questions, changes or problems with your subscription call Katie Neer. Subscriptions: Water well contractors and other qualified groundwater industry personnel in U.S. and Canada — free; others in U.S. — $115 per year; $15 per copy. Canada – $135 per year; $24 per copy. International: $150 per year; $35 per copy. Subscriptions available through NGWA offices only. We reserve the right to refuse subscriptions to anyone not directly engaged in the groundwater industry. Claims for missing issues must be made in writing within three months of publication and will be subject to the availability of back issues. Advertising Disclaimer Advertisers and advertising agencies assume liability for all content (including text, representation, and illustrations) of advertisements printed and also assume responsibility for any claims arising therefrom made against the publisher. The publisher reserves the right to reject any advertising that it believes is not in keeping with the publication's standards or is deemed unsuitable or misleading.

Vickie Crosby

6/ January 2014 Water Well Journal

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By Jeremy Bach

Upper Kittitas County: A Driller’s Point of View began my involvement in the battle for the protection of the exempt well six years ago in Kittitas County, Washington. After hearing about a shutdown of all domestic well drilling from a customer, I contacted my state association, the Washington State Ground Water Association. Before this, the only thing a groundwater association meant to me was a long, never-ending day of classes on a sunny day I could have been drilling. But after alerting my association representatives, I never imagined the long road ahead full of meetings and hours of research. Our family-run drilling company, Bach Drilling Co., has been in operation in central Washington for five generations, three in Kittitas County. Like you, we understand being a part of a family drilling business has different responsibilities— answering calls after hours, working long weeks, and most of all, earning your reputation. Obviously, the last thing you want to do is add to the endless mound of responsibilities or take on time-consuming projects. At least that’s the way I used to think before making the exempt well issues in my county a top priority and part of my everyday work.

Getting Involved My involvement began in September 2007, in response to a concerned citizens group filing a petition with the Washington State Department of Ecology, requesting permanent basin closure to all domestic/exempt well drilling. Soon many public meetings started and it became crystal clear that these citizen groups were really anti-development and good at manipulating state laws to benefit their goal of halting building by stopping exempt well drilling. The groups had open access to attorneys and were well organized. Times like this are where an active groundwater association becomes extremely valuable. Throughout these meetings, it was apparent this issue was going statewide and our little battle would move to the frontlines of a long multiyear front. Drillers are extreme multi-taskers. We file paperwork and permits, balance bills, perform customer service, deal with Jeremy Bach is a fifth-generation water well contractor and vice president of his family water well drilling business, Bach Drilling Co. in Ellensburg, Washington. He is also the vice president of the Washington State Ground Water Association. He can be reached at (509) 899-7777 and jeremy@bachdrilling.com.

8/ January 2014 Water Well Journal

Knowing your elected officials makes it easier to get heard when exempt well issues pop up. Officials see a group of professionals devoted to protecting groundwater. employees, and finally work at the drill site. Getting involved with the regulation process and creating long-term relationships with your elected officials have to be added to that list. Simply waiting until there is a problem and then introducing yourself to the decision makers doesn’t cut it anymore. I didn’t have a clue who my key officials were and which stakeholder groups were driller friendly when I got involved, and that was difficult. Knowing your elected officials makes it easier to get heard when exempt well issues pop up. Instead of looking at a driller as a glorified backhoe operator, the officials see a group of professionals devoted to protecting access to groundwater. Of all the stakeholders involved, water well drillers have the most significant role to play in molding ideas and preserving a pathway for customers to have drinking water. Nobody knows more about what’s going on underground than the local driller.

A Strong Backing Another key component in this equation is a strong association there to back you up. I feel lucky and more confident when going into a public meeting, knowing I have access to the most dedicated and knowledgeable group of professionals around. This knowledge base has led to a multitude of ideas and concepts that Kittitas County may someday use to solve our exempt well issues. Ideas include using mitigation as a tool to offset any perceived impacts to senior water right holders and nearby stream flows. This single idea alone could one day make basin closures a thing of the past. Much has changed since the start of our exempt well dilemma six years ago. Customers are worried about changing water issues. They require reliable, accurate information when purchasing land and want to know if they can pump legal water out of their well. waterwelljournal.com

Customers in Upper Kittitas County now re-examine their previous budgets due to the price of privately-held mitigation water. Those 350 gallons per day can cost anywhere from $8000 to $10,000 and the price can change at any time as it is based on demand and whatever someone feels like charging that day. This is why I feel public water banks will be the overall answer and part of the solution someday. Domestic drinking water is too precious to be treated as a commodity; a countyrun mitigation program creates an even playing field. Elected officials are more obligated to the voters than unelected private water bank owners. If a public water banking system isn’t being run effectively, elected officials can be voted out of office. In the future, a county program can also create funding to address other forms of direct mitigation such as stream augmentation, deep wells, storage, etc. This could be a real game changer for areas that have no access to mitigation water. Kittitas County’s exempt well issue has spread to the rest of the Yakima Basin and may someday reach across the state. With the “one molecule theory” setting the standard for impairment, it will be hard to imagine any county in Washington going under the radar concerning future growth with exempt wells. In conclusion, the best thing to remember is that any involvement from the drilling community makes a positive change. In my case an active statewide association with a lobbyist, hydrogeologists, and a dedicated legislative group

Twitter @WaterWellJournl

NGWA Provides Information Briefs The National Ground Water Association developed information briefs on exempt wells in the western United States. Western states (with the exception of Utah and California) exempt small groundwater uses, such as for domestic or livestock purposes, from certain provisions of the states’ water withdrawal permitting, adjudication procedures, or both. In Utah small groundwater users must go through the water withdrawal permitting process and California does not have a comprehensive, statewide groundwater permitting process. NGWA’s information briefs are titled: • “The Regulation of Exempt Wells in the West” • “Domestic Water Well Exemption in the Western United States” To view these information briefs and others, click on “Information briefs” under the “Media Center” tab at www.NGWA.org. has led to great ideas that one day will protect the public’s access to drinking water. Groundwater professionals getting involved in everyday exempt well regulations is simply the best form of customer service for today and the future. WWJ

Water Well Journal January 2014 9/

IN THIS

ISSUE

elcome to the 68th volume of Water Well Journal. We begin 2014 with a January 2014 issue focusing on well maintenance.

The topic is addressed in a feature story titled “Benefits of Keeping a Well Active” on page 19 by Michael Schnieders, PG, PH-GW. He points out each well is a collection, drawing in different characteristics from the watershed that recharges the aquifer, upper soil horizons, non-producing units, and even the Michael Schnieders, PG, borehole itself. This can mean varied water PH-GW chemistry with different levels of ions including calcium and iron, drastically different water quality, sediment, and a variety of biological species. How the well is constructed, developed, operated, monitored, and maintained is critical and he explains how some simple changes can have significant impacts on the well system. Post-construction deviation of completed water supply wells is discussed in the feature article “Plumbness and Alignment Standards” on page 22. The article is authored by Jersy DePonty, RG, Marvin Glotfelty, RG, Shane DePinto, and Grant Kornrumph, and recaps a study of water supply wells in the Phoenix, Arizona, area. The objective of the assessment was to augment technical specifications used by well designers with a revision of the plumbness and alignment requirements that is achievable for practical operating condi-

tions. The authors conclude by sharing four standards and recommendations that came as a result of their research. A timely subject is tackled in the latest installment of the Safety Matters column by Grant Lahmann. “The Affordable Care Act” on page 30 details the health care law that has the bulk of its provisions now in effect. Lahmann emphasizes there are key provisions those working at small businesses need to understand and tries to explain them. Among those are requireGrant Lahmann ments for businesses with more than 50 employees as well as those for businesses with less than 50, the Small Business Health Options Program, the medical loss ratio rule, and individual responsibility requirements. A topic critical to many company owners in the groundwater industry is properly leaving their firm when they are ready to retire. Author Tim McDaniel covers it in “Exit Your Business on Your Terms” on page 28. McDaniel points out there are four options when it is time to leave the business: selling it to outside investors, gifting it to family members, retaining it by hiring professional managers, or liquidating it. Figuring out which Tim McDaniel one is right for you can be a complex legal and financial issue, so McDaniel warns readers to develop an exit plan early. He writes it is a good idea to take some time

Thank you, Franklin Electric, for making a difference. Thanks to Franklin Electric’s generous financial support of NGWREF’s William A. McEllhiney Distinguished Lecture Series in Water Well Technology, tens of thousands of water well contractors and pump installers—and their customers— have benefitted from the knowledge shared during these presentations. And this tradition continues in 2014. Learn how you can use spreadsheets—in simple form without any programming or complex mathematics—to solve a wide range of groundwater problems during the 2014 NGWREF McEllhiney Lecture, “Groundwater Spreadsheets: Efficient and Practical Resource for Solving Simple and Complex Flow, Pollution, and Environmental Problems,” presented by Carlos E. Molano, PE. Visit www.NGWA.org/NGWREF to view this year’s lecture schedule as well as learn more about NGWREF and how you, too, can make a difference. Benefactor since 2006 of the NGWREF William A. McEllhiney Distinguished Lecture Series.

10/ January 2014 Water Well Journal

Operated by NGWA, NGWREF is a 501(c)(3) public foundation focused on conducting educational, research, and other charitable activities related to a broader public understanding of groundwater.

waterwelljournal.com

IN THIS

ISSUE

each quarter to analyze what will be the best plan for you. He then provides questions that should be a part of the analysis. Columnist Ed Butts, PE, CPI, continues his series on pumps from the past in his latest installment of Engineering Your Business. In “Through the Years: All Those Well Pumps Ago” on page 44, he discusses jet pumps. He explains in detail the concept and functionality of the pumps, noting they are in reality two different types of fluid transfer devices combined and made to function as one. Butts adds they were a good Ed Butts, PE, CPI concept for their time and the most logical alternative to deep-well rod pumps from the 1920s to the 1960s. He concludes the article with some of his most memorable experiences from his career working on the pumps. Sales skills are also critical to the success of any business in the groundwater industry and the newest ACT Like a Sales Pro column tackles the subject in an entertaining way. Columnist Julie Hansen compares various sales styles to actors in “What’s Your Selling Style?” on page 40. She challenges readers to figure out their style so they can adapt and expand it when meeting with prospective customers. She goes over the styles of Robin Williams (someone who craves an audience), Tom Hanks (an everyman), Daniel Day-Lewis (one who asks questions), and the Road Runner (someone always moving and adjusting).

Twitter @WaterWellJournl

Water Well Journal January 2014 11/

NEWSLINE

NASP Launches Industryâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s First 24-inch Restrained-Joint PVC Well Casing North American Specialty Products, a provider of innovative PVC pipe for the water well industry, introduced the industryâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s first 24-inch restrained-joint PVC well casing at the 2013 National Ground Water AssociationÂŽ Groundwater Expo and Annual Meeting on December 4 in Nashville, Tennessee. The new offering further expands NASPâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s industry-leading line of well casing and drop pipe featuring the time- and contractor-proven Certa-Lok mechanical restrained-joint system. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Recognition for the benefits of restrained-joint PVC in the water well industry continues to grow and we are excited to expand our line of specialty pipe products to larger diameters,â&#x20AC;? says Mark DaSilva, senior product manager of NASP (formerly CertainTeed Corporationâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Pipe & Foundations Group). â&#x20AC;&#x153;The 24-inch well casing with the new PVC coupling will bring the efficiency

of the Certa-Lok system to a greater number of projects, helping contractors save time and money.â&#x20AC;? Certa-Lok PVC well casing is used for lining potable drinking water wells. Certa-Lok uses a proprietary splinelocking design to form a full strength joint instantly in all weather conditions without the use of solvents, arc welding, or reinforcement screw attachments. In addition to its ease of installation, Certa-Lok well casing is smooth and corrosion proof, which lowers friction loss compared to other casing materials and reduces energy costs. The new 24-inch well casing comes in standard 20-foot lengths and is available with a PVC or fiberglass coupling to extend installation depth. At the NGWA conference, NASP also was recognized as part of the NGWA Awards of Excellence with well products national sales manager Mike Benet receiving the Manufacturers Division Special Recognition Award. The award is given annually to honor an

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EPA Offers Funding to Reduce Pollution from Diesel Engines The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has made available $2 million in funding for rebates to help public and private construction equipment owners replace or retrofit older diesel construction engines. The rebates will reduce harmful pollution and improve air quality in local areas. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Exhaust from diesel construction equipment affects children, senior citizens, and others in neighborhoods across the country,â&#x20AC;? says Janet McCabe, acting assistant administrator for EPAâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Office of Air and Radiation. â&#x20AC;&#x153;These rebates will help equipment owners protect public health and improve air quality near construction sites while updating their fleets.â&#x20AC;?

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Rebates will be offered as part of the Diesel Emissions Reduction Act. This is the second rebate program offered since Congress reauthorized DERA in 2010 to allow rebates in addition to grants and revolving loans. The rebates will support the program’s effort to replace and update existing diesel vehicles, and will target where people are exposed to unhealthy air. Since 2008, DERA has awarded more than $500 million to grant recipients across the country to retrofit, replace, or repower more than 50,000 vehicles. By cutting air pollution and preventing thousands of asthma attacks, emergency room visits, and premature deaths, these clean diesel projects are projected to generate health benefits worth up to $8.2 billion. Public and private construction equipment owners in eligible counties that are facing air quality challenges are encouraged to apply for rebates for the replacement or retrofit of construction equipment engines. The EPA is accepting applications until January 15 and anticipates awarding the rebates in February. To learn more about the rebate program, the list of eligible counties, applicant eligibility, and selection process, visit www.epa.gov/cleandiesel/derarebate-construction.htm.

First USA Groundwater Fund Recipient Plans to Construct Wells in Georgia The Water Well Trust was selected as the first grant recipient of the USA Groundwater Fund by the National Ground Water Research and Educational Foundation. This fund was established in 2012 to help meet groundwater needs in the United States. The fund has a three-part purpose: education and training of groundwater professionals, public education and awareness, and to support the Water Wells for America program. “An aspect of the USA Groundwater Fund is to get safe water supplies to those in need here in the United States,” says Kevin McCray, CAE, chief executive officer of NGWA and liaison to NGWREF. “The Water Well Trust is a program, like others in the industry, helping achieve getting safe and plentiful groundwater to those who lack effecTwitter @WaterWellJournl

tive means of their own.” The national non-profit, created by the Water Systems Council, helps lowincome households with wells that no longer function properly, that have contamination issues that render the well unsafe, or have no well or other safe water source. The objective of the Water Well Trust is “to provide wells to those in the United States who do not have a safe drinking water supply.” It is currently the only organization where its sole mission is to provide a safe water supply to disadvantaged Americans. Based in Davidson, North Carolina, the Water Well Trust completed its first two pilot projects in 2012 in Rogers, Arkansas, and Milledgeville, Georgia. Because of the success of its Milledgeville project, the state of Georgia is recommending other counties partner with the Water Well Trust to assist their citizens who are living without a safe drinking water supply. Also, because of the resulting publicity from both projects, the Water Well Trust now has 38 households. “The Water Well Trust is excited about our latest project in Ben Hill County, Georgia, where we will be replacing a failing public water supply with wells,” says Water Systems Council executive director Margaret Martens. “These wells will provide the residents with a sustainable, cost effective, safe source for their drinking water needs and will at the same time result in an 85 percent cost savings for the county.”

Schramm Acquires Air Drill and Sister Company in Australia In association with GenNx360 Capital Partners, Schramm Inc. announced in late 2013 that it has acquired Air Drill Hammers and Bits Pty Ltd., in addition to Air Drill Pty Ltd. based in Perth, Australia. Air Drill Hammers and Bits is a global manufacturer of drill hammers and percussion bits used in reverse circulation mineral exploration and mining applications. This technology product complements Schramm’s drill rig product range. Since the 1990s, Air Drill has been Schramm’s exclusive distributor for hydraulic top drive drill rigs in Australia, developing major market share for its rigs in mineral exploration, coal seam gas, and water well drilling.

“The combination of Schramm and Air Drill brings together a long-standing partnership which has delivered innovation, service, and the highest quality products to our customers in the mining exploration and oil and gas drilling industries. We look forward to continuing to raise our performance together and deliver outstanding products and services on a global scale,” said Edward Breiner, Schramm’s president and CEO. “This is an exciting opportunity to bring together two companies that complement each other to provide an exceptional platform to meet the growing demands of our customers,” said Andrew Gilbert, CEO of Air Drill.

Colorado Flood Increases Nebraska Groundwater Levels The Associated Press reports Nebraska will see some lasting benefits from the Colorado floodwaters that flowed into the state this fall in the South Platte and Platte rivers. The Kearney Hub reports the floodwaters diverted into irrigation canals along the river will help boost groundwater levels in the area and help the Platte and Republican rivers. The Nebraska Department of Natural Resources worked with six irrigation districts along the South Platte, North Platte, and Platte rivers to divert water once it became clear flooding was imminent because of the massive amount of rain that fell in September in Colorado. John Thorburn of the Tri-Basin Natural Resources District said capturing some of the floodwaters in the midst of a drought was a great opportunity. “That was an opportunity too good to pass up to get that amount of water in the middle of a drought,” he said. The flooding set records in western and central Nebraska in late September, but few major problems were reported as mostly rural areas were affected. Most of the benefit from diverting the floodwaters comes in the form of recharging depleted groundwater in the area. Thorburn said the Republican and Platte rivers may not see the benefit for years. The amount of water diverted into canals exceeded what officials expected. For example, enough water flowed into

NEWS/continues on page 14 Water Well Journal January 2014 13/

NEWS/from page 13 Elmwood Reservoir to raise the level of the lake by 12.3 feet. Cory Steinke, a civil engineer with the Central Nebraska Public Power and Irrigation District, said more water could have been diverted, but officials ran out of storage space in canals and lakes along the flooded rivers. “People in the eastern part of the state always ask why we let so much water leave Nebraska. This shows what we can do,” Steinke said. “If it’s important, then the state needs to get funds set aside for events just like this.”

One other benefit of the flooding was that it provided a rare opportunity to study the effects of high river flows along the South Platte and North Platte rivers. Scientists were able to study how having high water in meadows near Fort Kearny and Shoemaker Island affected flows into the rivers, said Jerry Kenny, executive director of the Platte River Recovery Implementation Program. “From the beginning, we have adopted a very opportunistic approach about what nature provides and learn from it,” Kenny said.

The

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Largest UV Disinfection Treatment Plant Opens in North America The Greater Cincinnati Water Works added a new layer to its drinking water treatment process in October by opening an ultraviolet disinfection plant. “Water will reach the treatment plant’s ultraviolet reactors and bulbs after going through the processes of sand filtration and granular activated carbon absorption,” The Associated Press reported. The $30 million treatment plant makes this utility “the largest in North America to use UV disinfection along with sand filtration and carbon absorption,” Gannett’s Cincinnati Ohio News reported. The upside of UV disinfection is that it cleans water without adding chemicals, odors, or taste to the water supply, nor does it remove beneficial chemicals. Gannett provided a short description of the technology. “Ultraviolet (UV) rays are energy-rich electromagnetic rays found in the natural spectrum of sunlight. They are in the range of the invisible shortwave light, having a wavelength ranging from 100 to 400 nanometers. How small is a nanometer? By comparison, the diameter of a human hair is 50,000 to 100,000 nanometers.” Here’s how it works. “When the ultraviolet energy hits the reproductive mechanisms of bacteria and viruses, the genetic material (both DNA and RNA) is rearranged. The result: the pathogens can no longer reproduce and effectively are dead.” According to the Associated Press, the new plant will help Cincinnati comply with EPA standards for drinking water. UV disinfection, as a water treatment process, still faces a lot of misconceptions, according to the International Ultraviolet Association. Myths include that “adding a UV system does not make financial sense unless required.” According to the EPA, UV disinfection is not as cost-effective as chlorination, “but costs are competitive when dechlorination is used and fire codes are met.” On the positive side, UV disinfection is user-friendly and space efficient, the EPA said.

waterwelljournal.com

THE

LOG

NEWS FROM THE NATIONAL GROUND WATER ASSOCIATION

â&#x20AC;˘ Certified Well Driller (CWD) â&#x20AC;˘ Certified Pump Installer (CPI) â&#x20AC;˘ Certified Well Driller/Pump Installer (CWD/PI) â&#x20AC;˘ Certified Vertical Closed Loop Driller (CVCLD) â&#x20AC;˘ Certified Sales Professional (CSP). If you have questions about the NGWA certification programs, contact

Diversify Your Professional Experience, Become a CVCLD Advances in ground source heat pump technology have emphasized the need for a voluntary certification designation for ground source heat pump drillers. Thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s why ABILITY EXPERIENCE KNOWLEDGE NGWA has been proud to offer the designation CERTIFIED VERTICAL CLOSED LOOP DRILLER of Certified Vertical Closed Loop Driller (CVCLD). This designation reflects an individual who has proven knowledge, skills, and experience in the construction of a closed loop well system for ground source heat pump applications. By becoming a CVCLD, you will increase your professional expertise. -2 01 4

There were a total of 429 NGWA certification tests taken through October last year. The tests were taken for participation in NGWAâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Voluntary Certification Program or state licensing. Of the tests, 115 were taken for NGWA certification and 48 received passing grades (42%). A total of 314 were taken for licensing with 141 passing (45%). NGWAâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s program offers certification designations of

Jessica Rhoads, NGWA industry practices administrator/certification coordinator, at jrhoads@ngwa.org, or call (800) 551-7379, ext. 511. If outside the United States, call (614) 898-7791, ext. 511.

CV CLD

More Than 400 NGWA Certification Tests Taken Through October

national ground water association

Exams for the CVCLD designation can be scheduled by calling PSI LaserGrade at (800) 211-2754 (360-896-9111 outside the United States). The 75 questions on the exam encompass the skills and competencies that are needed for geothermal vertical closed loop drilling operations. For more information about the CVCLD certification, visit NGWAâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Web site at www.NGWA.org/ Certification.

NGWA Adds 233 New Members in October NGWA added 233 new members in October 2013. The total consisted of 103 scientists and engineers, 71 contractors, 30 students, 15 manufacturers, 12 suppliers, and two associates. A total of 697 members renewed their membership as well. To learn more about NGWA and how to become a member, visit www.NGWA .org/Membership.

2014 Pacific Northwest Ground Water Exposition .BSDI t 1PSUMBOE 0SFHPO

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WEB

NOTES

FIND IT ON THE NGWA WEB SITE, NGWA.ORG

NGWA Provides Industry Best Practices on Water Quality and Treatment Issues NGWA has a variety of industry “best suggested practices” for issues with water quality and treatment, including: • Reducing Problematic Concentrations of Arsenic in Residential Water Well Systems • Reducing Problematic Concentrations of Boron in Residential Water Well Systems • Reducing Problematic Concentrations of Fluoride in Residential Water Well Systems • Reducing Problematic Concentrations of Hydrogen Sulfide in Residential Water Well Systems • Reducing Problematic Concentrations of Iron and Manganese in Residential Water Well Systems • Reducing Problematic Concentrations of Nitrates in Residential Water Well Systems. NGWA’s BSPs are designed to aid groundwater professionals at industry job sites. They are not standards, but practices that have been demonstrated to show superior results. NGWA members can download all BSPs for free as a member benefit under the “Member exclusives” section at www.NGWA.org. Nonmembers can purchase the BSPs.

NGWA’s Phone App for iPhone Provides Groundwater Glossary A glossary of groundwater and water well terms is available from NGWA as an iPhone application downloadable online in the App Store at www.apple.com/iphone/appsfor-iphone. The application for Apple’s iPhone is $4.99 and educational institutions can receive a discounted rate for multiple purchases. The glossary is based on NGWA’s Lexicon of Groundwater and Water Well System Terms. NGWA’s Lexicon was selected by a task force of industry professionals and contains terms most relevant to the various groundwater professions and to the use, protection, remediation, and management of groundwater. While there are often regional differences in the use of some terms, the lexicon is certainly an ideal collection of the definitions that relate to groundwater and its professionals. The glossary is also available as a downloadable PDF file from NGWA. To learn more or to purchase this product, visit the NGWA Online Bookstore at www.NGWA.org, or call (800) 551-7379 or (614) 898-7791.

• Allows you to control how and when you receive messages from the groups • Uses your NGWA.org Web site login to access your groups • Has an enhanced member directory to allow member-tomember networking • Allows you to post documents, videos, and links. You can log on to the NGWA Community site by going to http://community.ngwa.org and signing in with your NGWA.org user name and password. To become a member, visit www.NGWA.org.

NGWA Career Center Connects Those in Groundwater Industry Start your job search by visiting the NGWA Career Center at http://careers.ngwa.org, where job seekers can post their resume, view jobs, create a personal job alert, and set up a job seeker account and access it. The NGWA Career Center has been enhanced with new features to help connect members with new employment opportunities. Employers and recruiters now have access to job seekers’ specialized niche. Among other things, employers and recruiters can view resumes, post jobs, and create an employer account and access it. Make use of the NGWA Career Center to meet all of your needs in today’s job market.

We still manufacture and stock DeepRock style equipment from swivels to drillpipe.

NGWA’s Community Makes Sharing Ideas and Communicating Easier The NGWA Community is a discussion group that makes it much easier to share ideas and communicate with other NGWA members. The upgraded discussion group: • Has an area to post messages and still receive discussion posts in your e-mail inbox Twitter @WaterWellJournl

Water Well Journal January 2014 17/

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Benefits of Keeping a Well Active By Michael Schnieders, PG, PH-GW

ater well systems are designed to pump water for a variety of needs in a variety of locations. Design, construction, and pumping rates can all vary with location and seasonal demand. Wells are often designed to meet the needs of the customers, with little respect paid to the needs of the well. But one thing to remember is each well is more than just a hole in the ground with a limited number of influences. Each well is a great collector, drawing in different characteristics from each water-bearing unitâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;the watershed that recharges the aquifer, upper soil horizons, non-producing units, and even the borehole itself.

Michael Schnieders, PG, PH-GW, is the president and principal hydrogeologist at Water Systems Engineering Inc. He has an extensive background in groundwater geochemistry, geomicrobiology, and water resource investigation and management. He specializes in the diagnosis and treatment of fouled wells and potable water systems. He can be reached at mschnieders@h2osystems.com.

Twitter @WaterWellJournl

As anaerobic conditions develop, the growth and development of anaerobic bacterial populations increase. In the simplest sense, this can mean varied water chemistry with different levels of ions including calcium and iron, but it can also mean drastically different water quality, sediment, and a variety of biological species. How the well is constructed, developed, operated, monitored, and maintained will dictate how each of these variables impacts the operational life of the well system. Research has shown that during periods of flow in and around a well system, bacterial communities and the biofilm they have produced contract as a near constant supply of nutrients are delivered to the well. As the flow decreases, the biofilm expands as the need for nutrient capture grows. It is during this time period when we often see population sizes within a given system expand greatly. Bacteria

Initial discharge from an idle well. Heavy anaerobic growth, sulfatereducing bacteria influence, and high turbidity are evident in the produced water. can be active initially in stagnant water situations as they seek to capture nutrients necessary for their growth and propagation. Similarly, as the flow of a well system decreases, the entrance and influence of oxygen on the system decreases. This can lead to more anoxic or anaerobic environments to develop. As anaerobic conditions develop, the growth and development of anaerobic bacterial populations increase.

Troublesome Bacteria Anaerobic bacteria are often the more troublesome bacteria. Anaerobic bacteria create fouling problems as they produce a dense slime coating (biofilm) to block oxygen and allow for the anaerobic community to flourish. As the dense biofilm expands, the inflow of water into the well system can be im-

ACTIVE/continues on page 20 Water Well Journal January 2014 19/

ACTIVE/from page 19 pacted. This is particularly true of lower producing zones. Anaerobic growth is often found in the lower extensions of the well, including sumps. Anaerobic bacteria are evaluated in the laboratory through growth occurring in sealed tubes inoculated with the sampled water. If present, these tubes will show signs of slime growth or discoloration, which in turn allows for the evaluation of the presence and fouling potential of the anaerobes present. Anaerobic bacteria are reported by labs as a percentage of the overall bacterial population. Percentages of 5% to 10% of the total population are common. However, when the level of anaerobic activity nears 20%, fouling problems develop rapidly. A second problem with anaerobic growth is the presence of sulfatereducing bacteria, a common nuisance organism often identified in fouled or stagnant well systems. SRBs are identified through a presence-absence test. However, their presence is readily identifiable by the distinctive rotten egg (hydrogen sulfide gas) that is produced by the bacteria. SRBs obtain energy by oxidizing organic compounds and reducing sulfate (SO2â&#x2C6;&#x2019;4) to hydrogen sulfide (H2S). As the hydrogen sulfide is released, the environment often turns acidic and corrosion can develop as the H2S is mobilized up the well column.

Relationship with Coliforms Also of concern is the relationship of anaerobic bacteria and coliforms. Many coliform bacteria are facultative anaerobes, meaning they grow primarily in anaerobic environments but can survive in aerobic conditions. As facultative anaerobes, coliforms can remain in well systems, existing in the lower regions until disrupted. Once disrupted, coliforms may disperse into the rest of the well and result in a positive total coliform test. Disruption can be a result of physical work being performed on the well or simply a cycling of the well following a period of inactivity. Specific testing can determine if the offending coliform is environmental, which indicates a naturally occurring bacteria common to soils 20/ January 2014 Water Well Journal

Test tubes exhibiting varying levels of anaerobic and sulfate-reducing bacteria growth.

and water, or if the coliform is fecal related and reflects contamination of the well environment. If a coliform presence is detected, speciation (identification) and enumeration (count) is recommended as is an evaluation of the level of anaerobic activity. In addition to limiting anaerobic conditions, operational wells continually purge debris from the system, reducing the likelihood of accumulations developing within the borehole. Hardness loss, geochemical congestion, and sediment accumulation are also limited in active well systems. While it is true that pumping draws different water chemistry as well as sediment towards the borehole, it also purges the bulk of these materials from the well in a properly designed well. In our work in fouled well systems, regularly operated wells see scale and sediment accumulation at a slower rate. Exceptions include wells with higher average water temperatures, compromised structures, lack of or poor sizing of gravel pack, and improperly developed wells. With the increased rate of foreclosures in recent years, a significant number of home well systems have sat idle. When the home is purchased, required water testing has identified an increasing number of coliform-positive well systems. When tested, these wells often exhibit higher rates of anaerobic growth, higher dissolved solids, and increased turbidity from biomass and sediment. In the coliform-positive residential wells weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve worked on in the past four years, coliform occurrence has been the

Screen capture from a well video of a shallow potable water supply well. The new well sat idle for 10 months prior to pump installation, only to identify significant anaerobic and sulfate-reducing bacteria populations had developed, impacting water quality.

result of the high anaerobic percentages and not septic influences as is often assumed. Each of these troublesome wells sat idle and out of service for a minimum of six months prior to testing. In some areas, well use is restricted due to water rights and regional aquifer conditions. Oftentimes in these restricted use wells, fouling occurs at a faster rate and well owners are forced to clean or disinfect their wells more frequently. While the restrictions are a valid concern, taking the time to understand the well and the costs associated with the extra effort, and discussing this information with those overseeing water governance, is vital. The required cleaning efforts can often result in a greater loss of available water than the amount conserved. In a similar phenomenon, changes in pump size from design can have a significant impact on the well for much the same reason. A client in Missouri changed from a vertical line-shaft turbine pump to a submersible pump, which was sized to operate at a higher capacity. This change allowed for a shorter pumping schedule, reducing the wellâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s activity from 16 hours a day to an average of eight hours a day. In the additional time the well sat idle, the quality of the water dropped significantly with odors and discoloration noted at startup, and a sharp increase in the chlorine demand. As it turns out, the extended idle period led to a significant increase in the level of anaerobic growth, including waterwelljournal.com

sulfate-reducing bacteria. While this case is an extreme example of rapid fouling, it clearly illustrates the unintended results of a well-meaning change.

BOREHOLE GEOPHYSICAL LOGGING SYSTEMS

Simple Changes

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Simple changes in the operation of new and old wells alike can have large and drastic effects on the downhole environment. Responding to this information is a bigger challenge than just leaving the well running. Each well needs to be evaluated on an individual basis as well as being an integral part of a water system. In evaluating the well, the specific capacity, well efficiency, pump or intake placement, maintenance schedule, and structural integrity should be examined. In a similar sense, wellfield conditions, recharge, aquifer behavior, and the operational history should be evaluated. As part of a larger water system plan, the demand placed on each well should be balanced with the needs, quality, and treatment efforts. Keeping an active well will aid in improving the operational lifespan of the system by reducing fouling potential, limiting maintenance requirements, and reducing corrosion potential. However, all parameters need to be considered before making decisions on well use and maintenance applications. WWJ

Use NGWAâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Best Suggested Practices The National Ground Water Association has published 15 Best Suggested Practices. Among the topics are reducing problematic concentrations of iron and manganese, residential well cleaning, water well system inspection, and more. The BSPs are not standards, but practices that have been demonstrated to show superior results. They are prepared by a consensus of groundwater professionals. NGWA members can download the BSPs for free as a benefit of membership. Go to www.NGWA.org for more information.

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(COVER STORY)

Plumbness and Alignment Standards Analysis and recommendations By Jersy DePonty, RG, Marvin Glotfelty, RG, Shane DePinto, and Grant Kornrumph

echnical specifications commonly include plumbness and alignment standards for water well installations equipped with lineshaft vertical turbine pumps. Penalties for failure to achieve plumbness and alignment standards range from compensation to the well

Jersy DePonty, RG, is a senior geohydrologist with the Salt River Project in Phoenix, Arizona, and Marvin Glotfelty, RG, is a principal hydrogeologist with Clear Creek Associates in Scottsdale, Arizona. Shane DePinto of Northern Arizona University and Grant Kornrumph of the University of Arizona were 2013 interns with the Salt River Project.

22/ January 2014 Water Well Journal

owner for calculated damages (additional operational costs and loss of equipment longevity) to a requirement that the contractor completely replace the well at his or her own cost. In Arizona, an increased frequency of plumbness and alignment problems was noted by the Salt River Project (SRP) and other water purveyors during recent years, prompting an investigation of possible causes. To seek resolution of the issue, the technical directors of the Arizona Water Well Association (Marvin Glotfelty of Clear Creek Associates and Jersy DePonty of SRP) undertook a plumbness and alignment evaluation with the assistance of two SRP summer

(Above) A technician prepares to conduct a video and gyroscopic survey of a water well near Phoenix, Arizona. Photo courtesy Clear Creek Associates. interns, Shane DePinto and Grant Kornrumph. SRP is one of Arizonaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s largest water suppliers, owning and operating 267 large diameter (18- to 24-inch) water wells in the Phoenix metropolitan area. Nine recently installed (between 2005 and 2013) SRP wells with similar hydrogeologic environments and drilling contractors were selected for this evaluation. waterwelljournal.com

Figure 1. Plumbness and alignment concepts.

A primary objective of the assessment was to augment the current well drilling technical specifications used by well designers (such as SRP and Clear Creek Associates), by revising the plumbness and alignment requirements in a manner that is achievable, measureable, and provides for consideration of practical operating conditions. This plumbness and alignment investigation involved verbal and written communication with pump companies and pump suppliers with a long history of knowledge and expertise on how crooked wells impact the ultimate performance and longevity of pump equipment. We also discussed the issue with geophysical logging companies who are responsible for measuring the wellâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s plumbness and alignment with gyroscopic surveys, with drilling companies who must comply with the well construction standards, and with well owners who are impacted by the cost and long-term performance of the wells.

Plumbness and Alignment Well Standards The two most common water well standards for plumbness and alignment criteria in the southwestern United States are the American Water Works Association Standard for Water Wells (A100-06) and the standard detailed in the Handbook of Ground Water Development (Roscoe Moss Co. 1990). Twitter @WaterWellJournl

The plumbness of a well is determined by the horizontal deviation from the center point at the top of the well to the center point at the bottom of the well. The AWWA standard is widely used by municipalities, private utilities, industry, and consultants. The Roscoe Moss standard is also used by some water purveyors, including SRP. Both of these standards are appropriate for large-diameter water production wells, and both are applicable to the use of line-shaft vertical turbine pumps. It should be understood that plumbness and alignment are two distinct characteristics of a water well.

Plumbness Plumbness is defined as the quality of being plumb and vertical with an orientation toward the gravitational center of the earth. The plumbness of a well is determined by the horizontal deviation (drift) from the center point at the top of the well to the center point at the bottom of the well. A well casing is considered plumb if its center does not deviate from an imaginary vertical line (plumb line) running from the land surface to the center of the earth (Groundwater & Wells 2007). The plumbness tolerance of AWWA Standard A100 generally allows a maxi-

mum horizontal drift of two-thirds the inside diameter of the well casing per 100 feet of well depth. The AWWA standard is equivalent to approximately onehalf a degree of drift from a vertical plumb line for most water well casing diameters. In comparison, the Roscoe Moss standard has a maximum plumbness allowance of 6 inches per 100 feet of well depth, regardless of the diameter of the well casing. This correlates to almost one-fourth a degree of drift from a vertical plumb line for a large diameter (20-inch) well, which is about half of the maximum allowable drift of the AWWA standard.

Alignment Alignment is defined as the state of being arranged in a straight line or in a correct relative position. Alignment of a water well refers to the path a wellâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s casing and screen takes from the top of the well to the bottom of the well. The primary goal for alignment is to have a straight well in which each casing section is connected to adjacent casing sections to maintain perfect axial alignment (Groundwater & Wells 2007). Generally speaking, a well may be aligned (straight) and plumb, straight but not plumb (consistent drift), or neither straight nor plumb (non-vertical with inconsistent drift and doglegs) as illustrated in Figure 1.

PLUMBNESS/continues on page 24 Water Well Journal January 2014 23/

Figure 2. Gyroscopic drift compared to AWWA standard and SRP specification.

PLUMBNESS/from page 23 The alignment tolerance in the AWWA standard requires the free passage of a 40-foot-long section of pipe (called a dummy) with a width no more than one-half an inch less than the inside diameter of the well. This dummy test requires the dummy to be freely passed throughout the portion of the well where the pump may be set with no binding or obstructions. This test is intended to determine the maximum degree of misalignment (or doglegs) allowable in the well to accommodate the installation and operation of a lineshaft pump. The Roscoe Moss alignment standard calls for the proper axial alignment (straight line installation with no bends) of a line-shaft pump installed from the center of the well at the land surface to the center of the well at a specified depth, which is referenced as a connecting line (see Figure 1). The AWWA standard includes an alternate alignment tolerance in place of the dummy test that also involves an axial alignment evaluation by use of a pump centerline, which is the minimum distance between the centerline of the line-shaft pump and the well centerline (similar to a best-fit regression line on a graph). The relationship between the well centerline (usually measured with a gyroscopic survey), the connecting line, 24/ January 2014 Water Well Journal

and the pump centerline is illustrated in Figure 1.

Well Plumbness Plumbness (also termed drift) was the initial focus of this study due to a recent trend of increased drift in recently installed SRP wells. The increased drift trend is shown in Figure 2, which provides a comparison between the AWWA standard, the SRP specification (Roscoe Moss standard), and the measured drift (based on gyroscopic surveys) in nine SRP wells drilled between 2005 and 2013. The wells are labeled in the chronological order in which they were drilled. The total well depths ranged from 640 to 1310 feet, with an average of 988 feet. The pump setting depth in these wells ranged from 260 to 580 feet, with an average of 372 feet. As shown in Figure 2, the drift for Wells 1–5 (drilled between 2005 and 2010) is no more than about 1 foot. However, Wells 6–9 (drilled between 2011 and 2013) have significantly greater drift, ranging from 2 to 5 feet. The drift in Well 9 was just within the SRP specification and Well 8 exceeded the SRP specification by 1.3 feet. To assess the drift exceedance in Well 8, three separate gyroscopic surveys were conducted by two separate logging companies. The gyroscopic survey results indicated drift values of

4.9 feet, 5.5 feet, and 7.7 feet at a total well depth of 720 feet. The variability between the drift results was 2.8 feet, which almost equals the allowable drift tolerance in the SRP specification of 3.6 feet at 720 feet of depth. The variability in gyroscopically surveyed drifts may result from technological differences between logging tools of various ages or from inherent limitations of gyroscopic survey technology. The inclinometer instrument in these logging tools is reportedly accurate with a precision typically within about 0.1°. However, the gyroscopic instrument in the tools that measures the azimuthal direction and magnitude is much less accurate in near-vertical conditions (steeper than about 5°) that typically occur in water wells.

Penetration Rate Conventional wisdom is crooked holes result from excessive drilling rates where too much weight is put on the drilling bit, so the drill string is in compression rather than tension, causing the borehole to deviate. Drilling rates for the nine SRP wells were analyzed to assess any relationship between penetration rate and drift. All the wells were drilled using the flooded reverse rotary drilling method in similar formations (unconsolidated alluvial sediments), and the wells were installed by three differwaterwelljournal.com

Figure 3. Pump response to well alignment.

ent drilling companies. Different depth intervals of each well were also evaluated, but no correlation between increased penetration rate and increased well drift was identified.

Well Alignment During this study, shallow doglegs and axial alignment issues emerged as the primary practical operating concern. Based on discussions with pump companies and suppliers, the impact of a wellâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s axial alignment on the operation and longevity of line-shaft vertical turbine pump equipment is much greater than the impact of a wellâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s plumbness (drift). For example, one pump supplier indicated a line-shaft vertical turbine pump could operate properly in an aligned well, even if it has a drift angle of up to 30Â°. Gyroscopic data from the nine SRP wells showed relatively shallow doglegs (around 200 feet in depth) were problematic for proper axial alignment of line-shaft pumps. Doglegs in the borehole will generally result in associated doglegs in the cased well, which will then ultimately limit the available free clearance for the pump to be installed. For example, if a 14-inch outside diameter pump is installed into a 20-inch inside diameter well casing, there will be 3 inches of clearance on each side of the pump in a perTwitter @WaterWellJournl

Doglegs in the borehole will generally result in associated doglegs in the cased well.

fectly plumb and aligned scenario, as shown in Figure 3a. A vertical turbine pump can still operate properly in a nonplumb well as long as there are no doglegs, provided the motor base at the land surface is shimmed (wedged at an angle) to align it with the downhole pump equipment (Figure 3b). If the well has doglegs, however, the bearings in the lineshaft of the pump may experience wear and tear, which will reduce the pump life and efficiency (Figure 3c). SRP developed a spreadsheet to evaluate axial alignment using inputs of pump setting depth, well diameter, and column pipe diameter. The spreadsheet uses closure distance and azimuth bearing data measured by the gyroscopic survey of a well to plot the well centerline (Figure 4) in the north/south view and the east/west view. The spreadsheet then calculates the distance from the well centerline to the pump centerline (AWWA standard) and from the well centerline to the connecting line (Roscoe Moss standard) for each depth interval of the gyroscopic survey. It compares the difference between these distances with the maximum allowable tolerance defined by the well diameter and column pipe diameter inputs. If the difference exceeds the tolerance, then the well is out of axial alignment and the column pipe will not be straight and must bend through that portion of the well. The spreadsheet calculations are automatically adjusted to accommodate user-defined depths and diameters. This is important because axial misalignment of the well centerline at total depth may be irrelevant if that misalignment is below the pump setting depth. Figure 4 shows axial alignment plots from the spreadsheet for SRP Well 9 in the north/south view and the east/west view. The solid black line represents the well centerline (from the gyroscopic survey), the dotted red line is the pump centerline (AWWA standard), and the dashed blue line is the connecting line (Roscoe Moss standard). The two perspectives of SRP Well 9 show dramatically different plumbness and alignment scenarios. In the north/south view, the well is plumb in the first 100 feet and then deviates consistently to the south. It eventually reaches almost 5 feet of horizontal drift, but due to alignment consistency, the connecting line, pump centerline, and well centerline are plotted close to each other, indicating acceptable well alignment. By contrast, in the east/west view, the well drifts only 2 feet to the east in the upper 200 feet and then maintains that drift as the well shifts to an almost vertical orientation from about 200 feet to its total depth of 1090 feet. The shift toward increased plumbness at 200 feet results in a dogleg at that depth, and a large spatial difference between the well centerline and the two specification lines. This demonstrates that relatively high amounts of drift over a large vertical distance can be inconsequential, whereas an appreciable change in the drift orientation in the upper part of the well (within the pump setting zone) can have considerable

PLUMBNESS/continues on page 26 Water Well Journal January 2014 25/

Figure 4. Well 9 axial alignment plots.

PLUMBNESS/from page 25 impact on the wellâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s axial alignment, even with relatively small amounts of drift. The nine SRP wells were evaluated with the axial alignment spreadsheet based on final well diameter, column pipe diameter, and pump setting depth. Based on the spreadsheet analysis, each of the nine SRP wells are within acceptable axial alignment for the installation of a line-shaft vertical turbine pump. Well 9 was extremely close to axial alignment constraints and benefited greatly from a relatively shallow pump setting depth of 290 feet (just below the dogleg). Well 8 was the only well evaluated to exceed the maximum allowable SRP drift tolerance, but was easily within acceptable axial alignment tolerances at a pump setting depth of 340 feet. This further emphasizes the importance of axial alignment vs. drift, as shown in Figure 4.

Future Actions and Additional Studies The initial goal of the plumbness and alignment study was to develop a revised technical specification for plumbness and alignment that is achievable, measureable, and considers practical operating conditions. Based on the study results, SRP and Clear Creek Associates will adjust future plumbness and alignment requirements in their well drilling technical specifications. Although the SRP specifications for plumbness and alignment are currently under development and subject to change, some details of those requirements and additional details of this study are presented in an expanded article in Well Said, the newsletter of the Arizona Water Well Association available at www.azwwa.org. During the course of this investigation, several topics requiring further studies emerged. It is important to reliably measure the plumbness and alignment of water wells, so additional evaluations need to be conducted to assess available logging tool technology and capabilities. The importance of this was highlighted by the variability of gyroscopic survey results for SRP Well 8, using separate logging tools.

26/ January 2014 Water Well Journal

SRP will continue to use the axial alignment spreadsheet developed during the study to evaluate pump setting depths and pump diameters in existing SRP wells. Due to the legal considerations and public responsibility of SRP as a utility, the spreadsheet is proprietary and will be unavailable for non-SRP distribution. However, the conceptual descriptions provided here should enable other entities to develop similar well evaluation analytical tools. Spreadsheets such as the one developed by SRP provide the ability for well owners to assess appropriate pump settings and column pipe diameters to achieve optimal axial alignment and operational efficiency. Also, an independently developed spreadsheet for analysis of water well alignment is currently under development by Clear Creek Associates. The plumbness and alignment study yielded unexpected but extremely valuable results. They support our primary goal of developing a more robust and applicable technical specification for plumbness and alignment in new wells, and it will also enable the evaluation of pump setting depths and axial alignment in older active wells. Informed decisions can then be made for possible modification of existing pump equipment or the conversion of current submersible pump sites to line-shaft pump sites. Insight realized from this study will enable well owners such as SRP to avoid premature pump wear and unnecessary pump maintenance, which will provide significant cost savings and increased well system reliability in the future. WWJ

Acknowledgments and Citations American Turbine Pump Co. American Water Works Association Water Wells Standard A100-06 Groundwater & Wells, Third Edition (Johnson Screens, 2007) Handbook of Ground Water Development (Roscoe Moss Co., 1990) National Pump Co. SRP Groundwater Construction and Maintenance Department Weber Water Resources Inc.

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Exit Your Business on Your Terms Plan in advance if you want a smooth exit from your firm. By Tim McDaniel ou probably have a difficult question to answer that will have a big impact on your future. It is a question easy to avoid and defer down the road. And many people do this to their detriment. The question is “How can I exit my business on my terms?” In the article “Do You Treat Your Business Like an Investment?” in the September issue of Water Well Journal, I discussed why it is important to do just that. This mind-set is critical to your success. One of the most important steps in treating your business like an investment is determining how and when you will exit the business. This is an important decision that could impact you and your family for decades.

Choosing an Exit Strategy There are only four basic exit strategies for any business owner. Each strategy requires a different game plan and timeline to accomplish successfully. Tim McDaniel is director of business valuations at Rea & Associates in Columbus, Ohio. He specializes in business valuation and succession planning. A recognized leader in the field, he has been involved in more than 2000 valuation engagements. McDaniel prides himself on using plain English to teach business owners the value of their most prized asset and how to increase that value. He is the author of Know and Grow the Value of Your Business: An Owner’s Guide to Retiring Rich.

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Determining a plan on how to best leave your business can be a hard decision. The strategies are listed in their order of popularity on page 29. The majority of business owners desire to sell their business at top dollar when they leave. However, many would also love to see their legacy continue with family members or employees operating the business once they’re gone. In recent years, more business owners are deciding to retain the business and let someone else have the headaches of the day-to-day operations. If you do nothing, then the liquidation strategy will be forced upon you or your family. The typical business owner puts a lot of blood, sweat, and tears into their business. If you are like that typical owner, you have sacrificed a lot to get where you are and have a huge emotional attachment to your business. You may be good at solving problems, at growing the business, and dealing with customers. Fine, but determining a plan on how to best leave your business is unchartered waters and can be a hard decision. It’s not always a hard decision for all owners. For those who want to die at their desk, exit planning is easy. It’s also easier for those who plan to sell their business to the highest bidder, move to

a tropical island, and forget about the business forever. They only have to worry about building value in the business and exiting at the right time. For owners who want the business to continue once they leave, it is not such an easy process. There are complex legal and financial issues to figure out. Matters like estate plans, retirement needs, and legal documents. Owners face equally complex emotional issues like choosing the next leaders, sibling rivalry, and giving up control. They must figure out a way to leave and have the business thrive without them, and find fulfillment outside of the business.

Sorting Conflicting Goals The owner who wants their business to continue must be willing to face hard business, personal, and family issues. There are conflicting goals. What is good for you personally may not be best for the business and other family members. In addition, there are other stakeholder needs that must be addressed during the exit planning process. We’re talking about employees, other shareholders, customers, and the IRS. To be successful, you have to sort out your own personal desires, make sure the business can continue without you, and maintain family harmony. In addition to tricky family issues, the business owner must face some difficult personal issues during the exit planning process. For many owners, much of their life’s work and personal identity is tied waterwelljournal.com

up with the business. Difficult questions—for one, thinking about what life will be like without the business—will have to be answered and addressed during this process. There are many hard questions that every business owner will have to face. “What am I going to do with myself once I leave the business?” “How will my decisions impact my relationship with my spouse and kids?” “Will I have enough money to live the lifestyle I desire?” “Will I be happy playing golf every day? How will I spend my newfound free time?”

Better Sooner Than Later It’s important to develop exit plans early. If you want to sell, you want to sell when your business is most attractive to sellers. If you want to gift it to your children, then you have to make sure they are ready to run the business and your retirement needs are funded. No matter which way you proceed, it’s a long process and it is never too soon to start planning for your exit from the business. You will eventually leave your business, and it’s better to do so before a life-changing event forces you out. The sooner you plan, the more options you will have. What if you don’t know your exit strategy? How can you make a decision in this important area? If you take the following steps during the next 12 to 18 months, you will be closer to having a well-defined exit strategy and succession plan. • Study the various exit strategies and understand both the advantages and disadvantages of each strategy to your situation. • Estimate the net after-tax proceeds that you will obtain from each exit strategy. • Reflect on how your exit will impact the future of your family and the employees of your company. • Know how you will spend your time once you leave your business. • Have a conversation with family members, key employees, and advisers about your preferred exit strategy and how it will impact them. A family strategic plan is a useful tool.

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The four basic exit options for a business owner.

• Finally, select the strategy that best meets your personal, financial, and family goals. It is critical that you take seriously those first two bullet points. Each of the six steps will provide you with different levels of after-tax proceeds if implemented. In some cases the difference is significant. With a major decision such as selecting an exit strategy, it is important that you rely on more than just your “gut feeling.” Get a professional opinion on what your business is really worth and take the time or hire someone to provide you with an in-depth analysis of what you really will put into your pockets and be able to spend or invest once you put your chosen exit strategy into action.

When you see it on paper, it makes a big difference in your decision process. The last four bullet points deal with more of the soft issues surrounding your exit and succession planning. But these items are just as important and should not be ignored while you are determining when and how to exit your business. I strongly suggest you schedule one day each business quarter to work on your exit strategy and succession plan. Also, discuss your thoughts and plans with well qualified advisers and your family members. You will be much better off if you start this process years before you intend to exit. Exiting your business on your terms can be both fruitful and fulfilling. WWJ

How valuable is your water? For Eddie, it was worth an entire cotton crop. Eddie’s crop was burning up. He needed more water and his well was not able to keep up. So he asked his well contractor to clean his well using Cotey Chemical products. “Cotey Chemical saved my crop! That’s money in the bank. I’m using their products in all of my wells and I recommend them to all my friends.” Eddie G. - West Texas Farmer

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Need more water? Call today for a FREE information packet 800-457-2096 coteychemical.com Water Well Journal January 2014 29/

By Grant Lahmann

The Affordable Care Act Here’s a look at what’s in store for small businesses. he Affordable Care Act was signed into law nearly four years ago, yet it continues to be the subject of much discussion and controversy. The bulk of the health care law’s provisions are in effect—many of which will have a real impact on small business owners, their employees, and their families. The online health marketplaces opened on October 1, 2013, but due to the technical difficulties surrounding the marketplace Web site, some small businesses still haven’t been able to enroll online. However, they can begin the process on paper until online enrollment is fully functional. Despite the delays, it’s absolutely imperative small businesses get as much information as possible about their health care options so they can make use of online enrollment as soon as it’s available. While the delays have been front and center in the news in recent months, the politics surrounding health care reform get far more attention than the real-life implications it will have—on small businesses in particular. In fact, most small employers I’ve talked to around the nation know little about this wellknown piece of legislation. And, unfortunately, some of the things they do know are wrong. There are key small business provisions that companies should be prepared to understand and address in 2014.

Grant Lahmann is outreach director for Small Business Majority, an advocacy group focused on solving issues facing small businesses today. He can be reached at glahmann @smallbusinessmajority.org.

30/ January 2014 Water Well Journal

It’s absolutely imperative small businesses get as much information as possible about their health care options. The More Than 50 Crowd The most talked about provision in the law is the requirement that every American have health insurance. Many people also think the law requires any business with more than 50 employees to provide insurance to their employees. That is not the case. If you have 50 or more full-time employees but none of your workers receive a tax credit or cost-sharing reduction to buy coverage through a state exchange (commonly called a health insurance marketplace), there’s no penalty whether you offer health insurance or not. What’s more, 96% of all businesses in America have fewer than 50 employees. And 80% of all businesses have fewer than 10 employees. That leaves only 4% of businesses in the “more than 50 crowd.” And of that 4% of businesses, another 96% of them already offer insurance. That means a mere 0.02% of businesses in this country have more than 50 employees and are not offering insurance. So it stands to reason that the vast majority of small businesses simply won’t be impacted by this provision of the law. But if you are a business owner with 50 or more full-time employees who does not offer insurance and one of your employees receives a government subsidy to purchase insurance, under the

law you must pay $2000 per full-time employee, not counting the first 30 workers. Figuring out how many full-time employees you have might not be easy when you’ve got part-timers, contractors, seasonal employees, or “1099 workers.” For some employers it might be as simple as multiplying $2000 by the number of full-time employees minus 30. But to help with the math, the Small Business Majority has a comprehensive FAQ that goes over how to figure it all out. You can view it at www.smallbusinessmajority.org/hcreform-faq. Through the countless small business owners my colleagues and I at the Small Business Majority have talked to through the years and the numerous opinion polls we’ve conducted, we know small business owners want to offer insurance. There are a variety of reasons for this: 1. It makes them more competitive. It helps them recruit talented employees and keep those employees. 2. Being able to provide insurance means they’ve made it. Many an employer has told me they knew they had made it as an entrepreneur when they could afford to offer their employees insurance. 3. It’s the right thing to do. Small business owners often think of their employees as family, so it makes sense they want to do right by them.

Small Business, Big Buying Power As mentioned, the “more than 50 crowd” is the segment of small businesses that have been getting most of waterwelljournal.com

the attention. But in the grand scheme of things, a small percentage of small businesses will not be required to do anything under the law. So let’s take a look at the myriad ways it’s going to affect the average small business owner across the nation. There are a number of provisions aimed at making it easier for small businesses to offer their employees coverage if they so choose. Most small businesses won’t have to do anything different under the law in 2014, other than telling employees about the most critical part of the law for small businesses— state health insurance marketplaces. The small business exchange, the SHOP exchange or Small Business Health Options Program, will allow small businesses with fewer than 50 employees to band together when buying coverage. That will give them the kind of purchasing clout large businesses enjoy (think Costco vs. the boutique organic market). Under the law, each state will operate its own exchange. Some states, like Colorado, are operating their exchange independently, while others, like Illinois, are doing it in partnership with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. And still others decided not to set up a marketplace at all, so the federal government will run it for them. To learn about the marketplace in your state, visit www .healthcare.gov.

Taking Aim at Rising Costs Small Business Majority’s polling has shown time and time again that while the majority of small businesses want to offer health insurance, many cannot afford to do so. Curbing skyrocketing costs is the top priority. The health care law has and will continue to put reforms in place in an attempt to bend the cost curve so premiums are more affordable to employers and individuals. Provisions in effect such as rate review and medical loss ratio (MLR) already have resulted in lower premium costs and cash back for small employers. Millions of small businesses in 42 states received rebates for part of their coverage costs last August because their insurers failed to spend 80% of their premium dollars on patient care and quality improvement as required by the MLR rule. The individual responsibility requirement will also help curb costs by getting rid of what’s known as the “hidden tax.” When an individual without insurance sought medical care they couldn’t fully pay for in the past, government or charity picked up some of the cost and some remained unpaid. To cover that cost, insurers charged higher rates when insured individuals received care and these increases got shifted to those with private insurance in the form of higher premiums ($1000 per family a year). The more people in the system with insurance means fewer costs will get passed on as a hidden tax. Additional provisions—including Medicare and Medicaid reforms as well as investments in primary care and programs to crack down on waste, fraud, and abuse—will go into effect over the next year and should all help reduce costs throughout the system. These reforms, coupled with state exchanges and other small business provisions like tax credits for providing employees insurance, will work together to curb rising premium prices. Twitter @WaterWellJournl

Manage Safety at Your Company The health of employees in your company is critical as it can impact production, morale, and eventually, revenue. Making sure each employee returns home safely each night is important too. One way to help ensure that is with a properly organized safety program designed specifically for those working in the groundwater industry. The National Ground Water Association has published a program titled Model Environmental Health and Safety (EHS) Manual. It is a CD and can be viewed on a computer or printed and stored in a three-ring binder. It also contains a version that can be edited so specific company information can be added. The manual contains sections on having a code of safe work practices, inspection and auditing, incident and accident reporting, confined space operations, electrical safety, employee training, fire prevention, fall prevention, hazard communication, hearing conservation, and respiratory protection. The manual is designed to promote safe practices and reduce worker injuries, potential fatalities, and financial loss. Go to the bookstore at NGWA’s Web site at www.NGWA.org for more information. There certainly is still more that can be done to contain costs, but the law provides improved access to affordable, quality care for small business owners and their employees. But small businesses need to know about the provisions in order to take advantage of them. WWJ

Water Well Journal January 2014 31/

By Ed Butts, PE, CPI

Engineering of Water Systems Part 11(b)—The Source: The Well, Part 2

n the first part of our series on using a water well as a potential source for a larger water system, we started with the definition of what a water well is as well as an introduction to the basic technical terms used to describe the components and hydraulics of aquifers. In this second part, we will discuss the basic types of rocks encountered during a groundwater investigation and expand upon the aquifer terms introduced in Part 1. Although some of you will find this information repetitive, to those with limited experience it will provide an open door to the water well industry and the needed knowledge of the terminology those of us who work in the business use on a regular basis. An overview of the technical and theoretical aspects of water well and aquifer hydraulics and design could go on for 15 to 20 full articles in Water Well Journal, but that is not what “The Water Works” is all about. The world continues to require more and more from us worker bees, with an eye towards improving the technical knowledge of everyone in the industry. This column was started with one goal in mind. I wanted to blend together the basics from theory, the knowledge from study, and the practical application from experience to provide some of the tools needed to help you improve your daily tasks.

Getting Water into the Well: Unlocking the Mystery

When I was young, there was a great deal of mystery associated with the functions of a water well. Just how does water flow through the ground anyway? Beginning at virtually the youngest age, I remember peering down into newly constructed wells and not being able to see anything—but then dropping a pebble and hearing a splash. As I matured to the ripe old age of 10, I slowly began to understand much more about the science of groundwater and water well hydraulics and soon found the fallacies were rapidly eroding away and being replaced with facts. For example, by my early teens I no longer believed groundwater was actuEd Butts, PE, CPI, is the chief engineer at 4B Engineering & Consulting, Salem, Oregon. He has more than 30 years experience in the water well business, specializing in engineering and business management. He can be reached at epbpe@juno.com.

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ally contained within massive subterranean lakes or rivers or that a drill bit simply penetrated and fell through the roof of one of these underground structures and into stored water upon encountering it. In fact, by the time I was 14 or so I had pushed out all the fairy tales and fables associated with groundwater and water wells and replaced them with some of the basic science concepts, along with a strong correlation to hydrogeology and well hydraulics. And that definitely made my future career as an engineer in the water well business easier to traverse. The truth is there really isn’t any mystery to groundwater storage and flow, and aquifer and water well hydraulics. But obviously there are different formulas and variables in those formulas used to compute the characteristics of these elements. Much of the so-called mystery can be easily countermanded by deliberate application of the work performed by industry pioneers such as Henry Darcy and countless others. In fact, there is no mystery in how groundwater ends up in a well. As I have touted in my past columns numerous times, it all comes down to energy and energy loss. The energy is the head of water generated from the recharge zone for confined aquifers and from atmospheric pressure and differential head for unconfined aquifers. The energy loss is from the losses within the aquifer materials and the losses at the well itself. Each will be discussed separately.

Types of Aquifer Material

As some of us may remember from our high school science class, there are three major groups of rocks (Figure 1): 1. Igneous rocks that have cooled and solidified from an originally molten mass 2. Sedimentary rocks that resulted from the deposition of sediments due to the effects from water, wind, and chemical precipitation followed by consolidation 3. Metamorphic rocks that were comprised from either of the first two groups which may have been further altered by heat, pressure, chemical solutions, or other causes.

Igneous Rocks

The igneous rock groups include those with coarse grains such as granite as well as fine-grained types such as basalt. Coarse-grained rocks developed at great depths under the waterwelljournal.com

Figure 1. The major groups of rocks.

earth’s surface, followed by cooling and solidifying. Finegrained rocks, such as those resulting from a lava flow (basalt or cinders), cooled at or near the earth’s surface. In aquifer material such as granite, water is found within the joints or fractures in the rock as well as occasionally within the weathered areas. Typically, a small amount of water can be realized from igneous rocks. Rocks developed from lava flow, particularly basalt and cinders, can become quite porous and permeable due to the significant disjointing associated with the cooling and fracturing actions—resulting in aquifers capable of producing considerable yields.

Sedimentary Rocks

Sedimentary rocks include shale, sandstone, limestone, conglomerate, dolomite, and gypsum. These are the result of compaction and consolidation of loose sediments such as sand, gravel, clay, fossil shells, chemical precipitates, or from the effects of evaporation. Although terms such as clay, silt, and sand properly refer to the size of the particles that comprise a sediment, they are often incorrectly used to imply the composition of the sediment as well. An example is using the term “sand” when actually referring to particles of silica. As an aquifer material, water is often readily found in abundance in porous openings between the particles of the medium- and coarse-grained (unconsolidated) sediments such as sand, gravel, and sand and gravel. Although moisture may be found within finer-grained sediments, such as clay, the relatively small size and the lack of porosity between these particles makes it difficult to use as a productive aquifer. When sedimentary particles become consolidated and form a sedimentary rock from the effects of pressure, heat, and other forces (sand becoming sandstone, clay becoming claystone or shale, and gravel becoming conglomerate), the revised material retains much of its water-holding characteristics. However, due to the actions of compaction and cementation of the material, a great amount of the original porosity and permeability of the native material is lost. Twitter @WaterWellJournl

The Willamette Valley of Oregon is a good example of an area with sedimentary particles such as sand, gravel, and a blending of both as well as sedimentary rocks such as sandstone and claystone (shale). The sedimentary particles were mostly deposited during past flood events in shallower depths next to rivers and low-lying drainage basins. Sedimentary rocks are generally found in upper elevations at deeper depths where the higher pressure exerted from overlying geological material and greater time provided the forces necessary to consolidate the particles. Depending on the specific area, it is not uncommon to develop a new domestic water well in the local sedimentary rocks, particularly claystone and sandstone, with yields in excess of 30 gpm. Unfortunately, due to the lower recharge rate and porosity, these wells do not historically fare well. With continued use, well production usually decreases in a few years until the well is often capable of less than 5-10 gpm. In some cases, new wells drilled in the upper regions between the Willamette Valley and the Coast Mountain Range permeate perched aquifers. Initially, they are capable of producing between 5-10 gpm of freshwater, but with continued withdrawal over time the reservoir of freshwater is depleted and replaced with an underlying supply of brackish water or even saltwater. Due to this seemingly uniform trend, wells in these areas are often developed with a reservoir system to enable lower pumping rates from the well. In some cases this compromise has helped delay or even totally offset the inevitable loss of a freshwater supply. Limestone and dolomite, although not commonly found in the Willamette Valley, are commonly found in other regions of the United States and are often potentially used as lowto high-volume aquifers. Limestone is a sedimentary rock composed primarily of calcium carbonate (lime) which was formed by the precipitation of lime mud, the accumulation of animal shells in or near oceans or lakes, or by other methods. Dolomite is similar in most respects to limestone, but contains both calcium and magnesium carbonates. Productive aquifers in limestone and dolomite are generally the result of the solubility of limestone and dolomite. Over time and contact with water, groundwater can dissolve these materials and form large caverns or caves capable of storing large volumes of freshwater. Depending on the volume of these openings, the actual rate of withdrawal, and the recharge rate, productive aquifers can be developed from these formations.

Metamorphic Rocks

The classes of metamorphic rocks include slate, marble, and schist and are the result of the long-term action of heat, pressure, and water/chemical solutions working on sedimentary and igneous rocks. With the possible exception of marble (which is actually a metamorphosed type of limestone), almost all rocks in this group are quite dense and without any meaningful volume of cracks or joints—and are therefore not capable of yielding even small quantities of water. As a possible exception, marble often contains large numbers and sizes

WATER WORKS/continues on page 34 Water Well Journal January 2014 33/

Inches

Millimeters

the term whenever working with it. The information contained in the Unified Soil Classification (Table 2) can assist in the proper identification and classification of samples obtained from test or production wells.

Boulders

More than 12˝

More than 305 mm

Aquifer Parameters: An Expanded Definition

Cobbles

3˝ to12˝

76 to 305 mm

Coarse Gravel

0.75˝ to 3˝

19 to 76 mm

Fine Gravel

0.187˝ to 0.75˝

4.76 to 19 mm

Coarse Sand

0.079˝ to 0.187˝

2.00 to 4.76 mm

Medium Sand

0.016˝ to 0.079˝

0.42 to 2.00 mm

Fine Sand

0.003˝ to 0.079˝

0.074 to 0.42 mm

Silt and Clay

Less than 0.003˝

Less than 0.074 mm

Table 1. Soil classification by particle size Particle Size Range Designation

WATER WORKS/from page 33

of pore space and cracks and can possibly yield high flow rates and volumes. Soil particles are classified by their size. The data contained in Table 1 can be used to estimate the classification of a specific soil group by the range of particle size. Rock groups and units are often referred to as formations by geologists, which are usually applied to specific types of aquifers adjacent to the origin or region of the aquifer. For example, the Troutdale Formation is a highly productive sand and gravel aquifer that takes its name from its region of origin, Troutdale, Oregon. In order to provide uniformity in classifying geologic units and formations, well drillers, engineers, and others involved with mapping, identifying, or simply working with underground geologic units should familiarize themselves with the proper name of the associated formation and endeavor to use

We define three fundamental hydraulic parameters required in an aquifer: 1. To provide adequate pore space or voids between the aquifer material (porosity) 2. To store an adequate volume of water for delivery to a water well (specific yield for unconfined aquifers or storativity for confined aquifers) 3. To move an adequate volume of water to a water well (hydraulic conductivity or permeability and transmissivity). Estimating the permeability of an aquifer is possible through the information contained in Figure 2.

Let’s expand the definition as well as provide the formula associated with each term. Porosity and specific yield/storativity define the water storage properties of an aquifer. Hydraulic conductivity (permeability) and transmissivity define the ability of the aquifer to transmit groundwater. The porosity of soil or fractured/fissured rock is defined as the ratio of the volume of voids as opposed to the total volume. This is expressed as: Porosity (n) = VV where:

VV = Volume of voids within the soil or rock sample V = Total volume of the representative soil sample.

Table 2. Unified soil classification

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Figure 2. Estimating permeability from effective grain size. These estimations are based on the use of the effective size (D10) of a soil sample. The D10 size is the grain diameter for which 10% of the sample by weight is finer.

Table 3. Estimates of specific yield Specific Yield (%) Material

min

avg

max

Unconsolidated deposits Clay

Sandy clay (mud)

Silt

Fine sand

Medium sand

Coarse sand

Gravelly sand

Fine gravel

Medium gravel

Coarse gravel

Consolidated deposits Fine-grained sandstone

Medium-grained sandstone

Limestone

Schist

Siltstone

Tuff

21 Other deposits

The storage coefficient (S) can be defined as the volume of water an aquifer either releases or absorbs per unit surface area of aquifer per unit change of head. The storage coefficient of an unconfined aquifer is almost equal to the specific yield (Sy), which is related to the amount of water that can be released by gravity drainage. In a confined aquifer, the storage coefficient is related to the compressibility of the aquifer, the fluid contained within the aquifer, and the thickness of the aquifer. S for confined aquifers ranges from .00001 to 0.001. The specific storage (Ss) is related to the storage coefficient and is also known as the elastic storage coefficient, defined as: Ss = pwg(ε + nB)

where:

pw = Density of the water (temperature dependent) g = Acceleration of gravity constant (32.2 ft/sec2) ε = Compressibility of the aquifer skeleton n = Porosity B = Compressibility of water (specific storage has units of 1/L). Twitter @WaterWellJournl

Dune sand

Loess

Peat

Till, predominantly silt

Till, predominantly sand

Till, predominantly gravel

The storage coefficient for an unconfined aquifer is expressed as: S = Sy + hSs ~ Sy

where:

h = Saturated thickness of the aquifer.

Estimates of the specific yield for different types of aquifer material in both confined and unconfined aquifers are shown in Table 3. Transmissivity is the capacity of an aquifer to transmit water. It is the product of the hydraulic conductivity or permeability (K) multiplied by the aquifer’s saturated thickness (b): T = Kb

where: T = Transmissivity (gpd/ft), ft2/day, m2/day, cm2/s K = Permeability (gpd/ft2), ft/day, m/day, cm/s (see Table 4) b = Thickness of aquifer, feet or meter

WATER WORKS/continues on page 36 Water Well Journal January 2014 35/

Table 4. Estimates of permeability (K)

Table 5. Estimating a well’s specific capacity from transmissivity

WATER WORKS/from page 35

A rough estimation of T can be made by multiplying the well’s specific capacity (gpm/ft of drawdown) by 2000 or by using Table 5 which indicates estimates for the specific capacity of a well for both confined and unconfined wells by using an assumed transmissivity. This table should be used with prudent caution and as an estimate only as the data is based on 100% well efficiency, which is generally an unrealistic figure. 36/ January 2014 Water Well Journal

But even with these limitations, the use of the information in this table can provide helpful estimates for predicting a well’s potential capacity. As an example, a proposed well with a diameter of 12 inches in an unconfined aquifer with a transmissivity of 50,000 gpd/ft will have a theoretical specific capacity of 27.9 gpm/ft of drawdown (at 10 days production). This would translate to a full-rated capacity of roughly 1 million gallons per day or 694 gpm if the well demonstrated a 25-foot drawdown at stabilized conditions. waterwelljournal.com

Obviously, there are several assumptions that must be employed when using these estimates, but their use can be helpful for preliminary planning. To be perfectly fair, there are obviously other important functions the aquifer must or can also perform, such as providing:

• Protective environment for the water to reside and travel through, thus preventing its possible exposure to any kind of contamination • Means of removing contamination from the water through straining or biological (in-situ disinfection) processes when the contamination is already present • Local access point to retrieve the stored water.

Many of you may think this definition is the same as storing and transmitting the water (porosity and permeability). But this is actually a related function because many aquifers are capable of storing and transmitting water in volume and rates far beyond that needed for the primary function of basic daily water supply. In these cases, the aquifer serves a dual purpose because it provides an additional storage basin, just as an elevated or ground-level water storage reservoir would for the peak and fire demands. Assuming the recharge rate and well production are both adequate, excess water can be stored in the aquifer at the higher volume and then pumped at a higher rate into the water system to provide peak hour or fire demands, effectively eliminating the need for a water storage and reservoir or

a booster pumping station to handle the higher demands, with the primary risk being the reliability of the pumping unit. In today’s world of variable speed pumping, this option is a distinct reality and can potentially eliminate the alternate expenditure of millions of dollars for reservoirs. Personally, I have used this concept for more than 35 years for a water system that serves more than 35,000 people with less than 3 million gallons of reserve water storage through the use of strategically placed and operated medium and high production wells. But in order to fully use this potential function, the following must all be evaluated for each application: • Specific characteristics of the aquifer, including the longand short-term recharge • Reaction of the aquifer from the additional strain placed on it for the higher pumping demand • Potential impact on water rights and well interference • Possible impact on water quality from exposing the aquifer to higher pumping rates • Elevated risk for contaminant draw towards the wells over time and through higher pumping rates. So concludes this second part. We will next discuss the specific losses associated in the aquifer and at the well and provide basic criteria for designing and selecting a well diameter and type of construction. Until then, keep them pumping! WWJ

Stay up to date on construction laws impacting your business. The Associated General Contractors of America’s Construction State Law Matrix is the most comprehensive, concise, and regularly updated resource available for locating information on state laws affecting public or private construction practices. And as an NGWA member, you can receive a 10% discount on a 12-month subscription that provides you with easy access to all 50 U.S. matrixes, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico.

www.NGWA.org/state-law-matrix

Twitter @WaterWellJournl

Water Well Journal January 2014 37/

By Alexandra Walsh

Developing Online Guidelines Your company needs to have e-policies to save time, money, and potential headaches.

he proliferation of electronic communication programs at work—e-mail, instant messaging, weblogs, peer-to-peer software, Voice over Internet Protocol— may put company assets at risk. An employee’s accidental misuse or intentional abuse of these technologies could create costly and time-consuming legal, regulatory, security, and productivity headaches for companies. Establishing electronic policies (e-policies) and procedures outlining the proper use of these technologies will save businesses time, money, and effort in the short and long run. Monitoring voicemail, e-mail, and Internet use is generally legal so long as the employer establishes an appropriate policy and effectively communicates it to all workers. The policy must be nondiscriminatory and should prohibit all forms of non-business-related communications. The policy must also be uniformly enforced through employee education, ongoing monitoring, and suitable discipline. Obtaining prior consent also serves to diminish an employee’s expectation of privacy and will generally protect employers from liability. The most important goal for an employer’s policy is to eliminate any expectations by any employee that electronic communications are confidential. The policy should not be imple-

Alexandra Walsh is the vice president of Association Vision, a Washington, D.C.–area communications company. She has extensive experience in management positions with a range of organizations.

38/ January 2014 Water Well Journal

Monitoring use is generally legal so long as the employer establishes an appropriate policy and effectively communicates it. mented without advice of your legal counsel or other qualified human resource professionals. Here are some tips to developing a company policy on employees using an employer’s electronic communications and computer information systems.

Put electronic policies in writing and distribute to all employees. Companies should make sure all employees sign and date each policy and retain a signed copy in the employee’s HR personnel file. Signing the document acknowledges that employees have read it, understand it, and agree to comply with the policy or accept disciplinary action up to and including termination.

Educate employees about e-policies and consequences of noncompliance. Executives can’t assume employees understand the risks associated with use of the Internet at work and shouldn’t expect them to comply with corporate policies without training. After all, companies may need to demonstrate their commitment to e-policy training in court one day. Therefore, businesses must make sure everyone in the company who attends training signs an ac-

knowledgment form stating he or she has been trained, understands the policy, and knows the consequences of noncompliance and risky online behavior.

Develop guidelines for keeping electronic messages. Company e-policies should state all digital communication exchanges— e-mails, instant messages (IM), weblog posts, Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) calls—will be treated as business records. As a result, e-policies and procedures should outline the proper steps to retain and archive all electronic business records.

Set rules for personal use. The e-policies must say exactly how much personal use is allowed for each program or application and use specific language that isn’t open to individual interpretation.

Restate sexual harassment and discrimination policies. Make sure employees understand that the rules and policies governing sexual and racial harassment and discrimination also apply to their use of the company’s computer system.

Address ownership and privacy issues. HR departments and supervisors should inform employees they have no reasonable expectation of privacy when using the computer system. For example, if the company chooses to monitor Internet activity, the policy should clearly say so. waterwelljournal.com

Organizations also need to be sure their monitoring activities are lawful. In the United States, the Electronic Communications Privacy Act of 1986 gives employers the right to monitor all activity and transmissions on a company’s computer system. As a result, employers should check to make sure their e-policies are compliant with the laws and regulations governing workplace computer use.

companies should consider backing up their e-policies with software that is designed to monitor content and block inappropriate use.

Don’t create separate policies for different employees. Establish electronic rules, policies, and procedures that apply to all employees equally. Companies should never create separate policies for executives or allow individual offices to set their own Internet, e-mail, weblog, VoIP, or IM policies. Allowing each division or office to establish its own policy or applying different discipline rules for different employees might suggest the organization doesn’t take its policy seriously. Furthermore, it might suggest the company would be willing to overlook some policy violations or illegalities, depending on the offender’s title or rank.

Offer guidelines on language and content. The e-policies should stipulate approved and banned language and content, as well as the proper business etiquette to follow when communicating online. By way of example, how to draft proper e-mails being sent through the company’s e-mail exchange server.

Support all e-policies with technology.

Don’t enforce e-policies lightly.

Because accidents happen and rogue employees occasionally trigger intentional disasters, it is almost impossible to ensure 100% compliance. As a result,

A team of upper-level employees should develop, implement, and enforce all e-policies. The company also needs to establish specific penalties for policy

violations and should enforce penalties consistently. Managing an organization’s electronic liabilities today is preferable to responding to disaster tomorrow. These best practices will help companies develop and implement effective e-policies and procedures. In the process, such practices enable compliant, safe, and secure electronic communications less likely to trigger a workplace lawsuit, regulatory investigation, a security breach, or some other electronic disaster. Using these best practices as guidelines when reviewing corporate policies and procedures will help organizations enhance work productivity and create a more secure online work environment. WWJ

Use NGWA’s Business Tools NGWA has cost calculators on drilling, pump installation, and geothermal so you know the true cost of doing business and how to achieve the profits you need. They are free to NGWA members. Go to www.NGWA.org for more information.

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Water Well Journal January 2014 39/

By Julie Hansen

What’s Your Selling Style? Take a tip from acting’s finest and you’ll see your sales grow.

M ( ( ( (

atch the style to the right actor . . . or bird:

) Robin Williams ) Tom Hanks ) Daniel-Day Lewis ) Road Runner

(A) Easy-going (B) Empathetic (C) Engaging (D) Anticipating Whether you’re an actor or a seller, having as much information about yourself as possible is critical to your success. We all have a style of communication and interaction and each one comes with its own set of advantages and disadvantages. If you know your go-to style, you can adjust it when it simply doesn’t fit the part. So what’s your style?

(C) Robin Williams Here’s someone who craves an audience. He’s perpetually “on” and has created a million characters as a way of connecting with his audience and making them laugh. Williams never stops talking, which is funny . . . until it’s exhausting. If you have the sales extrovert gene, it’s important to remind yourself to stop, to pause, to listen. At the end of every appointment, you’ve either walked away knowing Julie Hansen is a professional sales trainer, speaker, and author. She authored the book ACT Like a Sales Pro in 2011 and has been featured in Selling Power, Entrepreneur, and Sales and Service Excellence magazines. She can be reached at julie@actingforsales.com and www.actingforsales.com.

40/ January 2014 Water Well Journal

Think about what it would be like to walk in your customer’s shoes. more or knowing less than when you arrived. Never settle for less! If you’re prone to jumping in and taking over the show whenever there’s a down moment, you may find yourself missing valuable information. Make an effort to leave some space for your audience. Your customer may need time to catch up, reflect on what you said, or formulate their thoughts or questions. Take a page from the performer’s handbook and learn to be a good scene partner by shifting the focus to your prospect. Make the scene more about them and less about you or getting a laugh. By slowing down and listening, you may discover a new angle into your customer’s challenges and end up laughing together.

(A) Tom Hanks This actor’s cheerful everyman persona has landed him numerous leading roles and positioned him where he is today as one of America’s favorite actors. While he has certainly taken on weightier roles of late (his most recent in Captain Phillips, for example), Hanks still projects an image of “a guy you could go have a beer with.” As a selling style, the friend first/ salesperson second style can be effective. After all, it’s low pressure and comfortable for both parties. Problems can occur when the salesperson is hesitant to make waves,

disagree, or even ask for the business for fear of hurting the friendship. If you find yourself being more of a buddy than a salesperson, more reactive than proactive, remember even friends can have different opinions and interests. Take full ownership of your business. Don’t be sheepish about being a cheerleader for your product or service. A true friendship can survive the test.

(B) Daniel Day-Lewis Now here is one of the most revered character actors ever, but why? Easy— questions. He poses a lot of questions about a particular role. He wants and needs to know all the pieces of his character’s puzzle. His talent lies in his ability to unearth every nuance. If you recognize yourself in this style, consider yourself extremely fortunate! If you’re like the rest of us mere mortals, take a tip from method actors like Day-Lewis. Think about what it would be like to walk in your customer’s shoes. Ask yourself some questions. What’s on your prospect’s agenda? What’s in their mind? In their heart? What would you most like to hear from a salesperson if you were a customer today? Study a customer’s body language, but also go beyond what you see. Listen for clues in the way your customer speaks, the words they choose, the tone they use. The best actors and the best salespeople are those who are keen observers of the human condition. Studying and grasping another person’s character will change how you listen and respond to your customers. waterwelljournal.com

(D) Road Runner No time to talk when you have to avoid falling pianos! Road Runner has to keep moving to survive and constantly adjusts and re-adjusts the road he runs, based on what he sees or hears. A quick, to-the-point style and the ability to adjust at a moment’s notice can be an effective skill in sales. But don’t get so caught up in anticipating your customer’s next move that you cut yourself short. Try targeting a few key places in your meeting to slow down and make sure you have understood clearly what’s been said or that you’ve communicated your point as fully as possible. Wait for a confirmation, verbal or nonverbal, from your prospect before moving on. These pauses may seem like an eternity if you’re a Road Runner type, but they can serve as a refreshing and muchneeded change of pace for your customer. If you consistently find yourself speeding through a conversation or a presentation, chances are you’re not staying in the moment. Give the present 100% of your focus. Do you have another meeting to prepare for or an appointment to get to? Try and channel your best Scarlett O’Hara and repeat after me: “I’ll think about that tomorrow.” Expand your range of selling styles, avoid style pitfalls, and you’ll watch your sales expand. And remember to watch out for those falling pianos . . . Meep-Meep! WWJ

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National Groundwater Awareness Week Promote the resource that provides your livelihood! Educate your customers about the importance of annual water testing and well maintenance during National Groundwater Awareness Week, March 9-15, 2014. You will be helping them, yourself, your business, your industry, and the resource. NGWA is here to help you spread the word! From sample letters to the editor and radio spots to print ads, posters, and fliers, NGWA has materials for you to use.

www.NGWA.org/AwarenessWeek 800 551.7379 t 614 898.7791 Twitter @WaterWellJournl

March 9-15, 2014 Water Well Journal January 2014 41/

By Ron Slee

Back to Work with a Purpose Let’s turn resolutions into actions. et me start with a sincere Happy New Year to each and every one of you. I wish you nothing but happiness, health, and success. So we’ve made it through another holiday and are now getting reminders of how much we spent in the mail. With that, let’s turn our thoughts to the resolutions we made and think about goals and objectives we want for our businesses. First, though, let’s deal with some facts. In America, 90% of businesses fail to implement their strategy. The primary reason why is 95% of employees cannot tell anyone what the strategy is for their business or department. A little bit of “back to basics” seems to be appropriate here. Everything we do comes down to communication. If 95% of employees in America cannot tell us what the strategy is for their company or department, we have a communication problem. Let’s deal with communication with the following three steps: (1) understanding, (2) acceptance, (3) commitment. First in communication comes understanding what we’re saying. Understanding is rather simple, isn’t it? I can ask a question with a yes or no answer regarding understanding. My audience either understands or doesn’t understand me. If it doesn’t and it’s important they do, I can continue to explain until they do understand.

Ron Slee is the founder of R.J. Slee & Associates in Rancho Mirage, California, a consulting firm that specializes in dealership operations. He also operates Quest Learning Centers, which provides training services specializing in product support, and Insight (M&R) Institute, which operates “Dealer Twenty” Groups. He can be reached at ron@rjslee.com.

42/ January 2014 Water Well Journal

The second step is the critical one to me. It is accepting the understanding as the right thing. We can get into either passionate or calm debates about acceptance of the understanding. Do you understand what I am saying? Do you accept that understanding it is the right thing for us to be doing? I believe this is where we often fail. We communicate something we are going to do. Everyone understands what we’re saying, but everyone doesn’t accept this is something they should do. And in this scenario I will never get a commitment to accomplish the understanding. If I am communicating our goals for the coming year, I’ve already lost. Until I get agreement it is the right thing to do, I am stuck in a position where I will fail to accomplish my goals. When I get both understanding and acceptance, the last step should be easy: commitment to make it happen. So there’s my formula for success at accomplishing goals and objectives in a departmental or business setting. So what are some of the goals to consider for 2014? Depending on your business, what about these?

䡲 Determine a sustainable competitive

advantage for each competitor. 䡲 Train employees on the approach to

take on the competitive advantages. 䡲 Review selling skills with the employees.

Review pricing for product lines represented. ● Adjust your pricing to address the

competition and your sustainable competitive advantages. ● Hold sufficient gross profit to allow the business to make money. ● Review your policies and procedures on discounting. ● Review any loyalty programs in place for continued benefits.

Manage inventory for stronger returns on capital employed. 䡲 Recalculate your replenishment

cycles. 䡲 Review the customer service per䡲䡲䡲

Grow sales revenue in each department. 䡲 Review the market segmentation

structures you use. 䡲 Calculate the customer retention rate

for each segment. 䡲 Determine where the sales gaps are with each customer. 䡲 Train employees on the features and benefits of your products. 䡲 Conduct reviews of the strengths and weaknesses of the competition.

䡲

formance of your main brands. Conduct a back order analysis. Review your stocking criteria (rules to stock and drop from stock). Review the sourcing rules for expediting on customer back orders. Conduct returns to suppliers to eliminate surplus unnecessary inventory on hand.

Review labor efficiency in service operations. ● Establish a minimum performance

level. ● Review your inspection programs that are conducted by specially trained inspectors.

waterwelljournal.com

● Segment the work to be performed to

●

● ●

●

be no less than 30 minutes and no more than 8 hours for any one piece of work required on a work order. Assign labor to the technical work force such that 8 hours of work is assigned for each day of work. Minimize interruptions of the technical staff. Adjust the level of supervision of the technical staff to be no more than 10 technicians for each supervisor. Recover the supervisory and clerical time by applying time to a special employee number that will be used for the supervisory and clerical charges. I recommend about 10% of the hours of labor performed on the work order. That is 15 minutes of direct supervision for each technician in the morning and 15 minutes in the afternoon. I also apply 15 minutes per day of clerical support. That is 45 minutes of supervisory and clerical time applied to each 8 hours of technician labor.

Twitter @WaterWellJournl

Adjust labor rates.

● Review capital tool expense and

recovery rates.

䡲 Review the degree of difficulty of the 䡲䡲

䡲䡲

work done in service. Review the skill set inventory of all technicians. Develop training programs to better align the skills of the technicians with the needs of the work to be done. Review tooling required to do the work with the tooling on hand. Adjust the labor rates to reflect the three levels of work you do—the skills, the degree of difficulty, and the tooling.

Examine operating standards. 䡲 Review the operating standards for

䡲䡲

parts and service departments. ● Gross profit ● Personnel expenses ● Operating expenses ● Fixed expenses ● Net income Staff levels and sales per employee standards Asset turnover ● Gross turnover ● True turnover Personnel development Customer retention

Manage standard charges in parts and service.

䡲

● Review parts freight—inbound and

䡲

outbound and recovery rates and methods. ● Review shop supplies for expenses and recovery rates. ● Review environmental charges for expenses and recovery rates. ● Review any field truck expense and recovery rates.

This list is strictly a series of things for you to consider. Once you make your selections, then you have to return to the understanding, acceptance, and commitment of each of the items with each of the employees. I think the approach will enhance your likelihood of success. The time is now. WWJ

Water Well Journal January 2014 43/

By Ed Butts, PE, CPI

Through the Years

s is often the custom during this time of year, it’s a privilege to travel back through our memories to all of those pumps—yes I said pumps—that so many years ago resulted in many of our broken backs, crushed toes, and pinched fingers. You remember these, don’t you? I’m sure you do. Many were caused from working on those dang jet pumps. Now not every jet pump repair job ended with a visit to the local emergency room, nor did they result in lifelong injuries and deformities. It just seems that way to me as working on any jet pump, but especially the deep well type, was never my favorite assignment. Although I got pretty good at figuring out what was wrong and fixing the most stubborn, plugged, or ancient models, it always seemed we had to pull the same ejector time and time again until we got it to run and build more than 20 psi. I’m sure you remember that magic number of 20 psi, don’t you? This month, in the second part of our three-part looking-back series, we will take the time to express our gratitude to the Jacuzzi Brothers and the many others for this most unusual and seemingly contradictory method we often used to push, pull, or just plain suck water out of a 30-foot or deeper well.

Ed Butts, PE, CPI, is the chief engineer at 4B Engineering & Consulting, Salem, Oregon. He has more than 35 years experience in the water well business, specializing in engineering and business management. He can be reached at epbpe@juno.com.

44/ January 2014 Water Well Journal

All Those Well Pumps Ago Part 2: Jet Pumps

The jet pump was a pretty good concept when it was introduced as a replacement for the limited number of alternative deep well pumps. What Hath God Wrought?

I am sure you may have a fairly good idea of my true feelings for jet pumps, specifically deep well jet pumps of more than 40 feet or so in a setting depth in a water well. More than once did I hear myself or a coworker exclaim jet pumps had to be the creation of an unworldly and sadistic power sent to Earth simply to make life rough on unsuspecting pumpmen. Actually, it was never the fact I had to work on the pump itself that caused me so much angst. It was only during the times when the injector (or ejector, take your pick)—almost always found hanging on the bottom of what usually seemed to be an endless string of two side-by-side runs of stiff, cold, and slimy polyethylene pipe—had to be pulled from the well to fix the problem. It seemed as if every jet pump I had to pull from a well was a vertical type with the pump and motor attached directly to and over the drop pipe— and situated under a fruit shelf, inside a closet, or in the corner of a garage packed with old clothes or furniture. Many of them were actually crammed into the middle of a 3- or 4-foot-square pumphouse with no door and many gallons of herbicide or insecticide sitting next to the well.

Fluid Transfer Devices

The jet pump is in reality two different types of fluid transfer devices combined and made to function as one. It was actually a pretty good concept when it was introduced as a replacement for the limited number of alternative deep well pumps available at the time. Although the jet pump was extremely limited in overall capacity and pressure capability, from the mid-1920s through the early 1960s it provided the most logical alternative to the deep well rod pump. It was the most accepted as a suitable stopgap solution—for pumping water for most residences and small farms from deeper wells (usually defined as wells more than 25 to 30 feet in depth)—between the function of those older rod pumps and the technology soon to take over we call submersible pumps. In actuality, a jet pump does not necessarily limit the technology to use in just deep wells, as the basic principle is the same for shallow well (Figure 1) and deep well (Figure 2) applications. Jet pumps are commonly used in shallow well settings (those traditionally under 25 to 30 feet in pump setting depth) even in today’s market through the use of an ejector bolted onto the side or front of an ordinary jet type of centrifugal pump. A pump that can be used for either shallow or deep wells, depending on the location of the ejector, is known as a convertible style of jet pump. Steel and plastic pipe, generally polyethylene, can both be used for each type of installation, but plastic is typically preferred and used far more often than steel in current jet pump applications. waterwelljournal.com

Figure 1. Typical shallow well installation.

Although the injector was invented in 1858 in France by Henri Giffard (see Figure 3a), it is believed the first practical application of a domestic jet pump was invented and patented by the Jacuzzi Brothers in the mid-1920s. Their creation consisted of using a modified steam injector installed in a water well with a standard centrifugal pump placed on the surface. The operation behind adding an ejector to a standard centrifugal pump for deep well water pumping is fairly simple. Upon the start-up of a fully primed centrifugal pump, which is required to begin the function of water transfer Twitter @WaterWellJournl

(pumping), a percentage (a ratio dependent on the design capacity and head, drop pipe sizes, and depth to water) of the pump’s rated capacity is diverted from the pump outlet and forced back down the well through the smaller of two parallel pipes, called the pressure or drive pipe. This water travels to the bottom of the two-pipe assembly into an ejector, which consists of three basic components—a nozzle, a venturi tube, and an inlet—usually connected to a foot valve designed to admit water into the ejector from a water well or other water source. For general residential water de-

mand, the returned water is forced through the nozzle, usually a small gradually tapered circular opening measuring roughly 7/32 of an inch in diameter for a ¼ hp (capable of a maximum flow around 6 gpm from a 50-foot well lift and 3.5 gpm from an 80-foot well lift) to a ½-inch diameter for a 5 hp unit (capable of a maximum flow up to 85 gpm from a 50-foot well lift and about 32 gpm from a 120-foot well lift). This water accelerates in speed as it moves through the interior of the tapered ejector and through the nozzle. It encounters a larger and longer type of tubular opening immediately downstream of the nozzle, which gradually flares out and exits through a much larger opening around 6 to18 inches above the nozzle. This tube, referred to as a venturi tube, ranges in size from 11/32 of an inch for a ¼ hp unit to ¾ of an inch for a 5 hp unit. The venturi tube is designed to convert the high speed of water exiting the nozzle into pressure. This sudden conversion results in a significant change of velocity resulting in a pressure drop, or suction, within the inlet region between the nozzle and the tube. This region of lowered pressure is relieved from the force of atmospheric pressure pushing water into this void to relieve this loss of pressure. The now combined water from the pressure pipe and the new water from the well travels up the well in the generally larger suction pipe back to the centrifugal pump, where a portion of the water is diverted once more back down the well and the cycle repeats itself indefinitely or until the pumping action stops at the shutoff pressure of the pump or is suspended due to plugging of the nozzle (see Figure 3b and Figure 4 for simplified sketches of this action). When it was introduced, the jet pump provided a viable alternative to rod pumps for deep wells since it provided greater flow and head at comparable horsepower (was more efficient), was simpler in operation because it used no moving parts in the well, and eliminated the pulsation surges accompanying the cyclical stroke action of rod pumps, one of the most serious drawbacks that was associated with rod pumps in deep well settings.

ENGINEERING/continues on page 46 Water Well Journal January 2014 45/

Figure 2. Installation of double-pipe deep well pump systems with plastic or steel.

ENGINEERING/from page 45

The primary disadvantage with jet pumps was that the most sensitive component needed for sustained operation was a relatively inaccessible part located within the ejector at the bottom of the installation. This part, the nozzle, is generally ¼-inch or so in diameter and prone to plugging from any scale emanating from the inside surface of either one of the drop pipes or even from a small piece of gravel that may be swept up from the well during pumping. It is arguably the most critical component in the entire ejector and, aside from the pump impeller, the second most critical component in the entire pumping assembly. There is virtually no 46/ January 2014 Water Well Journal

question a pumpman cannot truly call himself a bona fide graduate of Pump University until he has had the misfortune of first diagnosing a plugged jet, a pump that will generally not build more than 20 psi. You must disassemble the pump from the drop pipe and pull the pipe from the well to clean the nozzle. If this action happened to include the additional task of finding and digging up a buried wellhead in order to access the drop pipe and ejector, consider yourself a true Pumpman Ph.D.

Oh the Memories

Now, I would guess the number of old-time deep well jet pumps has fallen dramatically the last 30 years. But I still recall a few of the most memorable

ones. Allow me to cite a few examples. My first jet pump memory involved a 15 hp jet pump. That’s right, 15 hp! Even though I had been on several service calls for 1-5 hp units, I had never been exposed to any jet pump as immense as this one. In fact, I was positive it was a small turbine pump on first glance until I saw the air control tubing running from the side of the pump to the adjacent 315-gallon pressure tank. After disconnecting the unit from the motor starter and tank piping and hooking onto it with the hoist truck, I gently picked up the beast, unsure of what to expect. As the pump base cleared the wellhead, my helper and I examined the underside of the pump only to see the normal two-pipe setup—only these were 4-inch and 3-inch galvanized steel pipes. The hoist truck we were using at the time was only a single-line machine, so we had to devise an ingenious method of pulling these pipes from the well without killing ourselves. We decided to tie off the top of each joint of the smaller 3-inch pipe onto the 4-inch pipe and then cut both pipes at ground level with a torch. Eventually we were able to retrieve the entire assembly right down to the 200-pound bronze jet body with the name “Jacuzzi” boldly imprinted on the side. I sure wish I had the equivalent scrap value of that thing today! Another jet pump job involved a deep setting of a 5 hp jet pump that supplied water to the local 4H camp in our area. This monster was set on almost 200 feet of 2½-inch × 2-inch poly pipe. When full of water, it took four men to pull it from its well. I was involved in that pull three different times. It was a job that never had any volunteers. My final example was not an extraordinary type of jet pump. It wasn’t exceptionally deep or large, but it is a good example of how vexing these pumps can be. It was actually just a 2 hp jet pump that supplied water to a rural school and was only set on 100 feet or so of 1½-inch × 1¼-inch poly pipe. I was assigned to troubleshoot the unit in the middle of the summer, which as it turned out was fortunate as school was not in session and the need for water was not in high demand. The unit was a Universal jet pump and was an old style of pump complete waterwelljournal.com

Figure 3a. Section of Henri Giffard’s injector.

Figure 3b. Injector as applied to a deep well application.

A- Steam from boiler, B- Needle valve, C- Needle valve handle, D- Steam and water combine, E- Water feed, F- Combining cone, G- Delivery nozzle and cone, H- Delivery chamber and pipe, K- Check valve, L- Overflow

with string packing and a “C” frame motor (the kind with a ¾-inch keyed shaft). The pump was a vertical type, as most of the larger horsepower units were, and occupied a position of honor in the basement of the school next to the boiler. The location meant it had to be pulled up from the well, snaked out of the basement, up the stairs, and out the front door to get it out of the building. That’s not too unusual for a jet pump, but a pain in the you know where. Now that you know the facts of the installation I will move on to the problem. The pump was reported to be running constantly and not building more than 30-35 psi to its normal shutoff pressure of 55 psi. Although it would pump a little water at 20-30 psi, the output volume was nowhere near what it should have been at that pressure. In order to eliminate the easiest issues, I first disassembled the air charger tubing from the tank and plugged it off to verify that air was not being drawn through the air charger. This had no effect whatsoever and the pump’s performance did not change. To be on the safe side and check the simple things first, I next removed the motor and disassembled the pump from the base to check the impeller. As I inspected the impeller, I noted a slightly worn wearing surface on the impeller and case (there were no wear rings on this artifact), but nothing severe enough to Twitter @WaterWellJournl

cause this much of a drop in performance and certainly no more than should be expected from a vintage 1950s pump. As I looked down the suction pipe, I observed the pump held a prime without any problem. I then suspected I probably had a plugged nozzle even though the shutoff pressure appeared to be a little higher than I thought it should have been with this condition (roughly 20 psi being the normal shutoff pressure for a plugged ejector). We (by now I had help) went ahead and pulled the two-pipe jet assembly

from the well, snaked it out through the stairs and front door, and laid it out on the grass. We disassembled the jet body from the drop pipe and removed the venturi tube to inspect the nozzle. To my surprise, the nozzle was fully intact and was not plugged. It had been changed out previously to a plastic nozzle, so the common problem associated with erosion of the nozzle tip was not possible. Thinking it was possible the source of whatever was plugging the nozzle

ENGINEERING/continues on page 48

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Figure 4. Ejector operation in a deep well application.

Although we finally had a successful outcome, this was simply too much of a Twilight Zone episode for us. We had to know what didn’t work in the ejector we replaced. Shining a flashlight down any of the three openings didn’t show anything. So with nothing to lose, we placed the ejector in the shop’s power saw and cut it in half. And there it was. A small and almost invisible erosion hole of around ⅛-inch in diameter was found down deep inside the ejector between the nozzle inlet port and the inlet port of the ejector. This was causing recirculation between the two sides and a complete breakdown of the action of the nozzle.

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ENGINEERING/from page 47

could have come loose while removing the pipe from the well, we proceeded to flush out both pipes with water brought in from a neighbor.

The Twilight Zone

By this time in my life I had been fooled, bamboozled, and taken to the cleaners by far too many jet pumps. So we checked and rechecked each and every part including the nozzle, venturi tube, foot valve, adapters, and pipe before reinstalling everything back into the well. I reassembled the pump, primed it, and started it up with crossed fingers. To my surprise and a few choice words, the pump still would not build more than 35 psi. So once again we pulled the entire well assembly out of the well and conducted yet another full inspection. This time we verified the drop pipes by pressurizing them above ground to make 48/ January 2014 Water Well Journal

sure there were no splits or leaks in either pipe. Both checked out fine. I double-checked the ejector, completely disassembled and reassembled it, ran water through the nozzle, doublechecked the nozzle and venturi size (Hey, I was getting desperate by now!), and the pump itself. Once again, everything was verified as good to go. So we reinstalled everything one more time . . . and once again it would not deliver more than 35 psi. By now everyone was getting frustrated, including my boss. With nothing else to do and given the fact we had pulled the unit twice with no acceptable results, we opted to replace the entire ejector, even though it had checked out. Once the new ejector was installed in the well and the unit primed, I flipped the switch and—lo and behold!—she took off and pumped! The unit now had more than 90 psi of shutoff head and actually pumped more than the rated performance curve indicated it should.

None of us had seen anything like this. My supervisor, Gene, had more than 40 years in the pump business and admitted he had never run into this situation. In fact, that cut-in-half ejector body occupied a place of honor on Gene’s desk from that date on until he retired years later. It was often the prompting of the beginning of a discussion with salesmen and other pump people who would wander in from time to time, pick it up, look it over, and wonder what the story was behind this chopped up ejector body. Upon Gene’s retirement, the small chunk of bronze left with him and occupied a similar place of honor at his home. This seemingly insignificant event in the lives of four to five pump people is how I remember Gene as I worked alongside him for more than 20 years. After I moved from the field into the office, I occupied an office adjacent to his and found I was relying on his skills and experience far more than when I was working in the field. More than once did I rely on his extensive experience and background in jet and turbine pumps. More often than once did he bail me out of a difficult or unusual problem to make me look good to the customer. I will always be grateful to the person I regard as the best “true pumpman” I ever knew. This ejector was but one of the many problems Gene helped me solve, so I tip my hard hat to him. Next month, we will wrap up this series with examples of older submersible pumps. So until next month, work safe and smart. WWJ waterwelljournal.com

COMING

EVENTS

January 7–8/ Louisiana Ground Water Association Convention and Trade Show/ Marksville, Louisiana. Web: www.lgwa .org/events.html

February 5–7/ Montana Water Well Drillers Association 69th Annual Convention/ Billings, Montana. E-mail: contactus@mwwda.org

March 9–11/ 2014 South Dakota Well Drillers Association/North Dakota Well Drillers Association Convention/ Bismarck, North Dakota. Web: www.ndwda.com

January 8–10/ 2014 Wisconsin Ground Water Conference/ Wisconsin Dells, Wisconsin. Web: www.wisconsinwaterwell .com/convention.html

February 6–7/ Mountain States Ground Water Expo/ Laughlin, Nevada. Web: www.mountainstatesgroundwater.com

March 9–15/ National Groundwater Awareness Week/ PH: (800) 551-7379, Fax: (614) 898-7786, E-mail: customer service@ngwa.org, Web: www.NGWA.org/ AwarenessWeek

January 9–10/ Utah Ground Water Association Conference and Expo/ Mesquite, Nevada. Web: www.utahground water.org January 9–11/ 2014 Colorado Water Well Contractors Association Annual Conference/ Denver, Colorado. Web: www.cwwca.org January 14–15/ Empire State Water Well Drillers Association Annual Meeting/ Rome, New York. Web: www .nywelldriller.org January 14–16/ Oklahoma Ground Water Association Conference and Tradeshow/ Norman, Oklahoma. Web: www.okground water.org January 22–24/ Wyoming Water Well Association Convention/ Casper, Wyoming. PH: (307) 788-1530, E-mail: wywaterwell@wyobraska.com January 23–24/ Kansas Ground Water Association Annual Convention and Trade Show/ Hutchinson, Kansas. PH: (620) 548-2669, E-mail: ksground water@gmail.com January 26–28/ 92nd Annual Minnesota Water Well Association Trade Show and Convention/ Alexandria, Minnesota. Web: www.mwwa.org/eweb/startpage.aspx January 29–30/ Idaho Ground Water Association 2014 Annual Convention and Trade Show/ Boise, Idaho. Web: www .igwa.info/index.html January 29–31/ Texas Ground Water Association Annual Convention and Trade Show/ Lubbock, Texas. PH: (512) 472-7437, Fax: (512) 472-0537, E-mail: lgoodson@twca.org, Web: www.tgwa.org/ meetings/2014/annual

February 7/ South Carolina Ground Water Association Winter Meeting and Trade Show/ Columbia, South Carolina. PH: (803) 356-6809 February 13–14/ Illinois Association of Groundwater Professionals Expo and Annual Meeting/ East Peoria, Illinois. Web: http://iagp.org/?page_id=27 February 13–14/ MarylandDelaware Water Well Association 2014 Annual Convention/ Location TBA. Web: www.mdwwa.org/newsandevents.html February 18–20/ 2014 Nebraska Water Industry Annual Convention and Trade Show/ Kearney, Nebraska. PH: (402) 4760162, E-mail: jason@h2oboy.net February 19–21/ Virginia Water Well Association Winter Conference/ Richmond, Virginia. PH: (804) 387-8395, E-mail: info@vawaterwellassociation.org February 20–21/ Alaska Water Well Association Annual Convention/ Anchorage, Alaska. E-mail: denali@ak.net February 24–25/ Michigan Ground Water Association 86th Annual Convention/ Acme, Michigan. Web: www.michigan groundwater.com February 24–26/ Missouri Water Well Association Annual Convention/ Lake Ozark, Missouri. Web: http://missouri waterwellassociation.com/Page_5.html February 25–26/ NGWA Conference on Hydrology and Water Scarcity in the Rio Grande Basin/ Albuquerque, New Mexico. PH: (800) 551-7379, Fax: (614) 898-7786, E-mail: customerservice@ngwa.org, Web: www.NGWA.org/RioGrande February 28–March 1/ New England Water Well Expo/ Marlborough, Massachusetts. Web: http://newwassociation.org

January 30–31/ Iowa Water Well Association 85th Annual Convention and Trade Show/ Coralville, Iowa. Web: www.iwwa .org

February 28–March 1/ Oregon Ground Water Association Spring Technical Seminar/ Wilsonville, Oregon. PH: (503) 3907080, E-mail: nancy@ogwa.org

January 31–February 1/ North Carolina Ground Water Association Trade Show and Convention/ Greensboro, North Carolina. PH: (919) 876-0867, E-mail: elaine@execman.net, Web: www.ncgwa .org/trade_show.shtml

March 3/ Get Ready for the NGWA Congressional Drive-in (online brown bag session)/ 12 p.m. ET. PH: (800) 551-7379, Fax: (614) 898-7786, E-mail: customer service@ngwa.org, Web: www.NGWA.org

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March 18–24/ WQA Aquatech USA/ Orlando, Florida. Web: http://s36.a2zinc .net/clients/WQA/WQA2014/public/enter .aspx March 20–22/ Tennessee Water Well Association Annual Meeting and Trade Show/ Gatlinburg, Tennessee. Web: http://tnwaterwellassociation.org March 28–29/ 2014 Pacific Northwest Ground Water Expo/ Portland, Oregon. Web: www.pnwgwa.org April 3–5/ Ontario Ground Water Association 62nd Annual Convention and Trade Show/ Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario, Canada. Web: http://ogwa.ca April 25–26/ Empire State Water Well Drillers Association Spring Meeting/ Middletown, New York. Web: www.ny welldriller.org May 1–3/ Florida Ground Water Association Annual Convention and Trade Show/ Orlando, Florida. Web: www.fgwa.org/ calendar.php May 4–7/ 2014 NGWA Groundwater Summit/ Denver, Colorado. PH: (800) 551-7379, Fax: (614) 898-7786, E-mail: customerservice@ngwa.org, Web: www.groundwatersummit.org May 8/ NGWA Conference on Characterization of Deep Groundwater/ Denver, Colorado. PH: (800) 551-7379, Fax: (614) 898-7786, E-mail: customerservice @ngwa.org, Web: www.NGWA.org/ DeepGW *Dates shown in red are National Ground Water Association events. *Dates shown with are events where the National Ground Water Research and Educational Foundation’s McEllhiney Lecture will be presented. Lecture schedules are subject to change. Check www.NGWA.org for the latest information.

Water Well Journal January 2014 49/

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Solinst’s Interface Meter Shows Improved Design and Performance

The new Solinst Model 122 interface meter features a redesigned probe, reel electronics, and laser-marked PVDF flat tape, making it even more accurate and reliable when measuring floating or sinking product layers in water (LNAPL and DNAPL). The standard model 122 interface meter uses Solinst PVDF flat tape precisely laser marked every 1/100 feet or millimeter. PVDF is extremely durable, highly chemical-resistant, and easy to decontaminate. Tape lengths up to 1000 feet are available. Each reel is provided with a grounding clip, carrying bag, and tape guide. The redesigned ⅝-inch-diameter probe is pressure-proof up to 500 psi, and the reel electronics are more efficient, needing only one 9V battery to operate. Solinst interface meters are certified intrinsically safe for use in explosive environments. The compact 122M mini interface meter with narrow polyethylene flat tape, 65 feet in length, is also an option. www.solinst.com

ABB Drive Shows Versatility in Pumping Applications

The ACQ550, ABB’s water and wastewater industry-specific drive, which is designed for quick and easy setup, is available from 1 hp to 550 hp. Manufactured in New Berlin, Wisconsin, for responsive production and delivery to local users in the United States and Canada, the ACQ550 seamlessly integrates as a NEMA 1, NEMA 12, or 50/ January 2014 Water Well Journal

outdoor-rated NEMA 3R solution. A library of pre-programmed startup assistants provide commissioning for submersible, centrifugal, or positivedisplacement pumps. Application macros simplify configuration of inputs, outputs, and parameters. Based on the affinity laws of physics, which define the relationship between pumps and the power they require, the drive is well-suited for the simplest pumping through the most demanding application, resulting in significant cost savings. On centrifugal pump applications, the power requirement of the pump varies by the cube of the speed. Electronically reducing the pump speed by 20% via the drive will typically cut energy costs in half. www.abb.us

Eno Scientific Well Watch Comes with Variety of Options

The Eno Scientific Well Watch 600 Series is a line of sonic water level meters designed for semi-permanent installation. These units use sound waves and adaptive sensor technology to learn the makeup of a particular well, allowing for the most accurate readings. Well Watch meters were designed to be a solution for the long-term monitoring needs of residential, environmental, or production well operators. The Well Watch 600 Series comes in a variety of options, which are interchangeable to best fit the user’s application. The Well Watch 610 is a base unit without a display or keypad, designed to be an output-only device. This makes it the ideal economical choice for use with a SCADA system. The Well Watch 660 includes a built-in display with keypad that allows the user to view real-time data and to control the internal settings. The Well Watch 660DL also comes complete with an internal memory that is capable of storing up to 25 million time/date-stamped data points. www.enoscientific.com

Solinst Offers Shallow Groundwater Monitoring

Solinst drive-point piezometers are excellent permanent or temporary wells used to monitor shallow groundwater, soil, and gas up to 25 feet below surface. These well points are ideal for initial site investigations and for long- or short-term applications. Installation is seamless using NPT carbon steel extensions and any direct push or drilling technology, including a convenient manual slide hammer. The piezometer tip and screen are stainless steel, and a barbed fitting allows a sample tube to be attached to obtain representative samples. A tubing bypass is used so that the tubing is not damaged while the piezometer is installed to depth. Where an airtight connection is most desirable, a compression fitting option is available. The 615 N, designed without a tubing barb, is to be used for water level measurements. To ensure the screen does not clog or smear, shielded versions are available for sites with high silt or clay content. www.solinst.com

New Level TROLL 400 Data Logger Offers Convenience

In-Situ Inc. introduces the new Level TROLL 400 data logger, which offers all the advantages of solid titanium construction in a narrow-diameter housing (0.72 inch). This absolute (non-vented) water level data logger is ideal for sealed well applications, corrosive environments, and long-term monitoring. Comprehensive, NIST-traceable calibration procedures are performed across the full pressure and temperature range to ensure accuracy of ±0.05% full scale. Quickly program the instrument, automate level corrections, and download data with intuitive software. Easily intewaterwelljournal.com

FEATURED grate the Level TROLL 400 with radios, telemetry systems, or control systems. It is available for rent or purchase. www.in-situ.com

AquaLocate Creates Improved Technology for Groundwater Assessment

AquaLocateâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s GF6 receiver is designed to map aquifers by measuring the seismoelectric signals produced by them. Seismoelectric (or electrokinetic) signals are produced whenever water is forced to move by the pressure changes associated with a seismic shot. As the sound wave from the shot moves through the ground, it squashes the rock matrix rather like a sponge. The lesscompressible water is forced to move

relative to the rock matrix. Although the distance moved is small, typically much less than a millimeter, the water carries free ionic charges away from their partners bound to pore surfaces. The resulting charge separation disturbs the electromagnetic field. The disturbance propagates to the surface at the speed of light and is detected by the antenna array, whenever the pressure pulse wave front crosses an interface separating rocks of differing properties, usually at bedding planes. www.aqualocate.com

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Global Waterâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s WL650 sonic water level meter is a self-contained, batteryoperated meter that uses sound waves to measure a water well level. Fast, accurate measurements are possible in the field or anywhere without the use of downhole water level meters. The sonic water level meters are lightweight, compact, versatile, and easy to operate.

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The water level meter allows you to measure crooked wells, wells with cascading water, partially cased rock wells, wells with submersible pumps, capped or uncapped wells, and wells with pipes and wires inside. You can even measure the length of coiled pipe with the water level meter. As long as the obstructions take up no more than half of the bore area, the meter will not suffer any loss of accuracy. The sonic water level meter should only be used on wells under 10 inches in diameter, as the accuracy decreases with larger diameter wells. www.globalw.com If you have a product that you would like considered, send a release to Mike Price, Water Well Journal, 601 Dempsey Rd., Westerville, OH 43081. E-mail: mprice@ngwa.org.

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NEWSMAKERS NEW ADDITION Ashland Water Technologies, a commercial unit of Ashland Inc., announced it has hired Jeﬀ Fulgham as vice president, marketing. Fulgham brings more than 30 years of sales and marketing experience, primarily in industrial water treatment, to this role. He most recently served as chief sales and strategy officer for Banyan Water, which is based in San Francisco, California. BUSINESS GROWTH

The Drives & Motion Division of Yaskawa America Inc. signed DRV Inc. of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, as its first medium voltage drive distributor in the United States. DRV, a respected Yaskawa low voltage drive and motion control distributor over the past 10 years, will now partner with Yaskawa to promote the company’s new MV1000 medium voltage drive. Osaka Gas Chemicals Co. Ltd., a wholly owned subsidiary of Osaka Gas Co. Ltd., announced it has entered into an agreement with AddSorb Holding AB to acquire all the shares of Jacobi Carbons AB, the world’s largest manufacturer and distributor of coconut shell activated carbon, headquartered in Kalmar, Sweden. The transaction is expected to close this month. Activated carbons are used in varied purification processes including, among others, drinking and process water filtration, air and gas purification, recovery of precious metals, and purification of a wide range of food products. Universal Valve Co., a monitoring well products manufacturer, announced the appointment of DJB Sales of Hamburg, New Jersey, as its exclusive sales representative for monitoring well products in the Mid-Atlantic region. David Bulkowski, president of DJB Sales, will 52/ January 2014 Water Well Journal

MEMORIAM/

National Ground Water Association Past President Ron Hiddleston, CWD, passed away on November 14, 2013. He was 74. Hiddleston was president of NGWA in 1992. In 1999, NGWA presented him with the Ross L. Oliver Award, established in honor of Ross L. Oliver by his Ron Hiddleston, family. It is the most CWD prestigious award given by NGWA and is presented to a member who has made outstanding contributions to the groundwater industry. He was also presented with the NGWA Life Member Award in 1999, presented to retired members, or members of retirement age, who have contributed a special service in the furtherance of the groundwater industry or to NGWA. In 1961, Hiddleston bought a cable tool rig and a work truck to become a partner with his father, C.L. “Doc” Hiddleston, in Hiddleston & Son Inc. in Mountain Home, Idaho. He served two separate terms as president of the Idaho Ground Water Association and was later honored with a lifetime membership. “Ron was a tough guy who would drop everything to help a friend,” said NGWA Past President Scott Fowler,

CWD/PI. “He was a great resource of knowledge when it came to drilling, and if he didn’t have the answer he would find someone who would know.” Hiddleston was an active member of NGWA. Among other activities, he served on the NGWA board of directors, the NGWA publishing and information products committee, and the Pacific Northwest Ground Water Exposition committee. Ron’s son, Mark Hiddleston, CWD/PI, is president of Hiddleston Drilling & Pump Co. in Mountain Home, Idaho.

be covering the states of New Jersey, Maryland, Delaware, and parts of Pennsylvania. For more than 80 years Universal Valve has produced monitoring well products, pipe guards, bollards, and bollard covers.

father, Frank J., began the company in 1914.

CELEBRATIONS Haupt Well & Pump Co. Inc. in Auburndale, Wisconsin, is celebrating its 100th year in business in 2014. David Haupt, MGWC, general manager, is the last of the second generation after his brother, Don, passed way in September 2013. The third generation is working in the business with Greg and Al Haupt. David’s daughter, Rachael, oversees and helps with the electronic bookkeeping end of the business. David’s

Kathryn Mae (Sample) Hansen, of Camas, Washington, the longtime secretary for the Washington State Ground Water Association, passed away on November 15, 2013. She was 91. Hansen was influential Kathryn Mae in helping the Associa- (Sample) tion get bills passed Hansen in the state legislature that improved the drilling industry. She was married to well driller Joe Hansen who influenced her life, keeping her involved in the well drilling business for nearly 40 years after his passing.

Grundfos USA celebrated 40 years of operations in the United States on November 14, 2013 with a ceremony at its facility in Fresno, California. Denmark-based Grundfos expanded to the United States in 1973. Since then, Grundfos USA has grown from one small office in Fresno to more than 1300 employees in five major facilities nationwide. “This milestone is incredibly significant because in only 40 years Grundfos has grown into a strong competitor in the U.S. pump market,” said Niels Due Jensen, chairman of the Poul Due Jensen Foundation and the son of Grundfos’ founder. waterwelljournal.com

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/ 8 7

Portable, truck or trailermounted Retrofit your existing vehicle New Zoom feature for 2013 360Â° side wall viewing color cameras Inspection depths up to 5,000 feet

Contact us at: Toll Free: (800) 671-0383 (559) 291-0383 ext.111 Fax: (559) 291-0463 Email: jim.lozano@ariesindustries.com Or visit us at: www.ariesindustries.com

75 Electric Motors EQUIPMENT WANTED:â&#x20AC;&#x201A;Electric motors wanted. Vertical hollow shaft pump motors. 20 to 500 hp good or bad, will pick up. PH:â&#x20AC;&#x2C6;(800) 541-1562.

See what youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re missing . . .

, / 0 1 . 0 1 ,, 2 #"" 1 " 3 4

, 5 1 6 . , /% 1% / . 7

, 1 ,. . 7 * , 9, * 8 , : * , , * , !!"#$ %&'!!"( #) #! * +&'!!"( #) !$)# *, -* ,.

Didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t find what you were looking for? Try NGWAâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Career Center at www.careers.ngwa.org for more opportunities. Whether you are looking for the right job or the right employee, the NGWA Career Center can provide you with an industry-specific listing to hone your search. Questions? Call Rachel at 800 551.7379, ext 504, or e-mail rgeddes@ngwa.org.

71 Drilling Equipment

54/ January 2014 Water Well Journal

waterwelljournal.com

76 Elevators J & K To o l C o m p a n y I n c .

Kwik Klamps 1 & 2 (adjustable 1 –2 or 21⁄2 – 4 ) NEW – Kwik Klamp 3 (for 6 PVC) Elevators for PVC well casing (sizes 1 –16 ) Heavy Duty PVC Elevators (sizes 4 –8 ) Flush Joint PVC Pipe Clamps (sizes 4 –24 ) www.jktool.com sales@jktool.com Tel 320-563-4967 Fax 320-563-8051

1 – 16 Elevators All steel with safety latch. SEMCO of Lamar 800-541-1562 Fax 719-336-2402

Credit Cards Accepted

Standard Manufacturing

Largest water well pipe elevator manufacturing company in the United States.

Phone:

(936) 336-6200 (800) 337-0163 Fax: (936) 336-6212 E-Mail: StandardManufacturing @yahoo.com Web site: www.standardmfg.com

Dealers Wanted

"We are the heat shrink people" - Heat shrink kits for #14 to 4/0 wire - Volume pricing - Custom kits made to order - Private labeling available - Quick shipping - Four types of heat shrink tubing in stock - Large selection of installation accessories including pressure gauges, tapes, valves and tank ﬁttings packages Supplying "Made in USA" heat shrink tubing to pump and well installers since 1994. 800-593-9403

Did you know? Water Well Journal classified advertisements appear online (at no additional cost) each month at www.waterwelljournal.com.

Check it out! Twitter @WaterWellJournl

2 thru 36 Also lightweight PVC elevators Now Available!

“Complete Reverse Circulation Drill Strings”

Rex McFadden 7931 19th Lubbock, TX 70407

Ph (806) 791-3731 Fax (806) 791-3755 www.rexmcfadden.com

106 Installation Accessories Heat Shrink from B&B Wholesale

SkyRex Water Well Elevators

80 Employment HELP WANTED: Experienced (min. 5 years). Hollow stem auger/mud rotary driller. St. Louis area. Valid Class A CDL license. Pre-employment drug screen. Contact Sherri Marlo at (618) 286-3800 or smarlo@bulldogdrilling.com

Driller/Drilling Crew

For temporary hire With or without drill rig Willing to travel 30+ years experience 484-225-8729 610-791-9500

Rig transportation also available.

Pump Repair Supervisor & Specialist The Missouri Department of Conservation is accepting applications for pump repair supervisor and pump repair specialist domiciled out of Jefferson City with extensive state-wide travel. Experience in pump installation, maintenance and repair field to include submersible, vertical turbine, centrifugal, propeller and hydraulic pumps; electrical controls; piping and valves for water supply systems. Welding, fabrication, equipment operation and electrical experience and knowledge are required. Beginning salary will be commensurate with experience. Position offers generous benefits and opportunity to work outdoors on Conservation Areas all across the state of Missouri. For information regarding duties, qualifications and to apply, go online at: www.mdc.mo.gov/about/jobs. Submit online application by January 9, 2014. EOE Water Well Journal January 2014 55/

115 Mud Pumps

112 Miscellaneous

Hydraulic drive mud pumps â&#x20AC;&#x201D;small and lightweightâ&#x20AC;&#x201D; DRILLING EQUIPMENT

LIGHTING SYSTEMS Â&#x2021; 6WDQGDUG :DWW KDOLGH ODPSV Â&#x2021; 3DWHQWHG WRZHU ORFNLQJ V\VWHP Â&#x2021; $XWRPDWLF SURWHFWLYH VKXWGRZQV Â&#x2021; 7HOHVFRSLQJ PDVW ZLWK URWDWLRQ Â&#x2021; $YDLODEOH ZLWK N: *HQHUDWRU Â&#x2021; )XOO\ JDOYDQL]HG VWHHO WRZHU

71/2 10 duplex pump â&#x20AC;˘ Fits in the place of a 5 6 â&#x20AC;˘ Pumps 300 GPM at up to 800 PSI â&#x20AC;˘ Weighs 1000 lbs. less than a 5 6 â&#x20AC;˘ Single and three cylinder models also available

Centerline Manufacturing U.S Pat. #6,769,884 and others pending

903-725-6978

www.centerlinemanufacturing.com

Â&#x2021; QRODQGGULOOLQJ FRP Â&#x2021; QRODQGGULOO#QRODQG FRP

90 Equipment New Low Prices

Low yield well? Get more water without overpumping. www.wellmanager.com â&#x153;&#x201D; Use on wells yielding as little as 0.10 gpm. â&#x153;&#x201D; Turn-key collection and delivery system. â&#x153;&#x201D; Fits through 24â&#x20AC;? doors. â&#x153;&#x201D; Good money from bad wells. For more information, log-on or call 800-211-8070. ÂŠ Reid Plumbing Products, LLC

Well Manager Ad ad for only $49. Add a color to yourClassified displayDisplay classified â&#x20AC;&#x153;Overpumpingâ&#x20AC;? Please call Shelby to make Water Well Journalarrangements B&W 2 col 4.25â&#x20AC;?ext. x 2â&#x20AC;? 523 1-800-551-7379 1-2-12 1570 WM

56/ January 2014 Water Well Journal

waterwelljournal.com

125 Pump Hoists 2013 Ford Trucks Available

S4,000 Pump Hoist, 8,000# cap., 35 telescoping mast, 30 gal. oil tank, hydro pump, 5T safety hook, hydro controls and variable speed engine control . . . . . . . . . . . . $14,245

S6,000 Pump Hoist, 16,000# 3L cap., 35 telescoping mast, 30 gal. oil tank, hydro pump, 5T safety hook, hydro controls and variable speed engine control . . . . . $16,445

S8,000 Pump Hoist, 22,000# 3L cap., 36 telescoping mast, 30 gal. oil tank, hydro pump, 7T safety hook, hydro controls and variable speed engine control . . . . . $20,845

S10,000 Pump Hoist, 30,000# 3L cap., 40 telescoping mast, 30 gal. oil tank, hydro pump, 9T safety hook, hydro controls and variable speed engine control . . . . . $28,545 S12,000 Pump Hoist, 48,000# 4L cap., 44 telescoping mast, 6000# tail out line, 72 gal. oil tank, hydro pump, 11T safety hook, hydro controls and variable speed engine control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $32,945

S15,000 Pump Hoist, 60,000# 4L cap., 48 telescoping mast, 6000# tail out line, 72 gal. oil tank, hydro pump, 13T safety hook, hydro controls and variable speed engine control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $40,645

S20,000 Pump Hoist, 80,000# 4L cap., 40 telescoping mast, 6000# tail out line, 72 gal. oil tank, hydro pump, 13T safety hook, hydro controls and variable speed engine control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $53,845 S25,000 Pump Hoist, 100,000# 4L cap., 40 telescoping mast, 6000# tail out line, 100 gal.

oil tank, hydro pump, 15T safety hook, hydro control and variable speed engine control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $61,545 S30,000 Pump Hoist, 120,000# 4L cap., 40 telescoping mast, 6000# tail out line, 100 gal. oil tank, hydro pump, 15T safety hook, hydro control and variable speed engine control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $76,945

Equipment in Stock

5T Smeal, PR, bed, toolboxes, 2004 Ford F-650, Cummins . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $34,950

FOR SALE: 2003 Ford F-550 diesel 4 4, 11 utility bed, 82K mi. w/Cyclone F-40 Hoist w/spudder. Very good condition. $30,000. Call (812) 882-8053 or ryan@ hackerplumbing.com.

128 Pump Pullers

S8,000H SEMCO, 36 , 2 spd., RC, 2-PR, aux., SB w/platform, w/1998 International 4700 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $48,950

S6,000 SEMCO, 35 , 16,000# cap., 2 spd., RC, sand-reel, oil cooler, deck engine, 2-96 boxes, 2-PR, 11 bed, 2011 Ford F-350 gas, auto., 4 4 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $59,410

S8,000 SEMCO, 44 , 22,000# cap., 2 spd., PTO, oil cooler, 1500 cap. sandreel, RC, PR, aux., 2-48 , 2-96 toolboxes, 12 bed, bumper w/rec. hitch, 2013 Dodge 5500, 6.7L diesel, 6 spd., manual, 4 4 . . . . . . . . . . . . $91,967

SEMCO Inc.

P.O. Box 1216 7595 U.S. Highway 50 Lamar, CO 81052 (719) 336-9006 / (800) 541-1562 Fax (719) 336-2402 semcopumphoist@yahoo.com www.SEMCOoflamar.com See our ad on page 18.

860-651-3141

fax 860-658-4288

Put your companyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s message here! Classified advertising is a great way to reach the water well industry. Call Shelby to make arrangements at 1-800-551-7379 ext 523.

137 Services 129 Pumps Stop dry start problems with

Vesconite Hilube

bushingsG Can run dry

G G G G G

G Increase MTBR Low friction No swell G Avoid shaft Increase MTBR seizures Reduce electricity Quick supply

Tollfree 1-866-635-7596 vesconite@vesconite.com www.vesconite.com

Twitter @WaterWellJournl

DEPENDABLE WATER...WHEREVER YOU ARE

Reliant Solar/Electric Water Pumpâ&#x201E;˘

Rugged, Simple, Affordable

REPAIRS: Eastman deviation survey clocks (mechanical drift indicators) repaired. We also have three, six, and twelve degree angle units, charts, and other accessories in stock. Call Downhole Clock Repair, (325) 660-2184. ABCC Drilling LLC is ready and willing to help our drilling industry brothers. Crews available for hire with or w/o drill rig. Call (610) 791-9500 or visit our web site: www.abccdrilling.com

www.artisanpumpco.com

Water Well Journal January 2014 57/

135 Rigs Drill Faster, Cheaper, Smarter. www.sonic-drill.com

SONIC DRILL CORPORATION Suite 190, 119 N. Commercial St, Bellingham, WA 98225 1.604.792.2000 (ext 104) or 1.604.306.3135

ABCC Drilling LLC is ready and willing to help our drilling industry brothers. Crews available for hire with or w/o drill rig. Call (610) 791-9500 or visit our web site: www.abccdrilling.com FOR SALE: BE 22W Series 2 - Cont. 6 cyl. deck eng. Ser#132185 mtd. on 1970 Ford LN700 truck. $16,000 OGO. Call (217) 246-2762. h2owell@consolidated.net for photos.

New condition, completely restored and rebuilt 1974 Super George SG-48 mounted on a 1975 International Harvester truck, Tandem axle with 35,000 original miles. Brand new. $112,000 O.B.O. Call Rick. 1-305-910-4758 Cell. Or rickbluewater @gmail.com. Miami, Florida. U.S.A. FOR SALE: Reverse circulation/bucket rig. 2007 Gus Pech on Freightliner. 300 new 8 reverse tools 30 bit, 20 rods, air lift circ. 100 , 4 scope with 30 bucket. Diesel up and down, Hi torque, 4 jacks, hose winder, derrick push out, good machine 400K. More tools available, will seperate. Call Gary Sisk (816) 517-4531.

133 Rig Parts Enid Drill Systems Inc www.eniddrill.com Enid Drill Systems Inc 580-234-5971 www.eniddrill.com Fax 580-234-5980 580-234-5971 Fax 580-234-5980

160 Trucks 30-Freightliner Trucks 6 6, 60 Series Detroit, HT740, Allison Trans., Rockwell Axle, 68KGVW, 315/80 R22.5 Michelin, Low Miles SEMCO, Inc. Phone (800) 541-1562

4510 E Market, Enid, OK 4510 E Market, 73701 Enid, OK USA 73701 USA

x New rigs—custom designs x x New rigs—custom designs Quality rig repair service x x Quality rigused repair service needs New and equipment x x New and used equipment needs “Transfer of Technology” - the x “Transfer Technology” - the must haveofbook for all drillers! must have book for all drillers!

139 Slotting Machines Did you know?

J & K To o l C o m p a n y

PVC Screen Slotting Machines

Water Well Journal classified advertisements

PVC Threading Machines

appear online (at no additional cost)

Perforating Machines

each month at www.waterwelljournal.com.

Check it out!

Affordable, easy to operate automated machines with touch screen programming.

www.jktool.com sales@jktool.com Tel 320-563-4967 Fax 320-563-8051

58/ January 2014 Water Well Journal

waterwelljournal.com

176 Water Level Measurement

Phone: 760-384-1085

178 Water Treatment

Fax: 760-384-0044

Waterline Envirotech Water level indicators made in the USA for over 30 years.

360-676-9635 www.waterlineusa.com

JOURNAL

Ground Water Monitoring Instrumentation

A PUBLICATION OF THE NATIONAL GROUND WATER ASSOCIATION

Geokon, Inc. manufactures high quality hydrological instrumentation suitable for a variety of ground water monitoring applications. Geokon instruments utilize vibrating wire technology providing measurable advantages and proven long-term stability.

Get More Details with WWJ Buyers Guides Get more product information with Water Well Journal ’s buyers guides online. The complete guide with the ability to search by company name, product type, and location is available at http://info.ngwa.org/wwjbg/. You can also view the annual rigs and pumps buyers guides at WWJ ’s online home at www.WaterWellJournal.com. Check them out today!

The World Leader in Vibrating Wire Technology Geokon, Incorporated 48 Spencer Street Lebanon, New Hampshire 03766 | USA

1 • 603 • 448 • 1562 1 • 603 • 448 • 3216 info@geokon.com www.geokon.com

Put your company’s message here! Classified advertising is a great way to reach the water well industry. Call Shelby to make arrangements at 1-800-551-7379 ext 523.

Twitter @WaterWellJournl

Water Well Journal January 2014 59/

180 Water Trucks Specializing in quality custom built epoxy coated Flattanks any gallon or tank length sizes with or without material handling IMT cranes. All tanks are sandblasted and painted with polyurethane paint. Many options available.

2005 7500 International with a new 2300 gallon Flattank. $90,000 total package. Call (406) 466 2146.

Engineered for convenience and durability, allows the user to operate at any type of drilling operation. Our drill site Flattanks support trucks are built with simplicity and functionality. Call us for our used truck – new tank inventory list.

NORTHWEST FLATTANKS Cell (406) 544-5914 www.northwestflattanks.com

JOURNAL

Steve Wipf (406) 466-2146 E-mail: steve@northwestflattanks.com

A PUBLICATION OF THE NATIONAL GROUND WATER ASSOCIATION

Don’t Miss the February WWJ The February issue of Water Well Journal will focus on ground source heat pumps, so it’s one you don’t want to miss if you are drilling and installing geothermal heating and cooling systems. There will be multiple feature articles dedicated to the subject. One will focus on loop flushing and verification, while another will center on how to educate the public about the merits of having such systems in a residence or business. A third article will present case studies that showcase the efficiency of having such systems in large buildings. There will also be a recap story on the 2013 NGWA Groundwater Expo that took place December 3-6 in Nashville, Tennessee, an assortment of columns by industry experts, and a host of departments featuring the latest news in the groundwater industry. Look for the February issue of WWJ soon!

60/ January 2014 Water Well Journal

184 Well Packers

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INFLATABLE WELL PACKERS 1-800-452-4902 • www.lansas.com Manufactured by Vanderlans & Sons 1320 S. Sacramento St. • Lodi, CA 95240 • 209-334-4115 • Fax 209-339-8260

waterwelljournal.com

184 Well Packers

185 Well Rehab

Packers

You can

& Replacement Elements for

Water Well Hydro-Fracturing Durable & fast deflating - so you can get on with the next frac! 4.33â&#x20AC;? OD and 4.75â&#x20AC;? OD standard Custom sizes on request Visit our website for our full line of downhole tools

1-406-446-9940

duraFRAC@inflatable-packers.com

Inflatable Packers International, LLC

get rid of

Iron bacteria! One time . . . every time . .

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long term!

Others may fail - we donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t! #888-437-6426 www,designwater.com email: info@designwater.com

get rid of get rid of

coliform!

Call or email us with all your Packer questions!! Toll-Free: 1-888-572-2537 Email: info@QSPPackers.com Fax #: 253-770-0327 Web: www.QSPPackers.com

Environmental, Bridge Plugs. Custom Sizes and Fabrication available i MECHANICAL PACKERS - Freeze Plugs, Custom Applications

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Ph. 303 789-1200 or 800 552-2754 Fx. 303 789-0900

for De-chlorinating Sterilene

Prompt Shipping in the US & Internationallyâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;Usually in just One Day!!

Applications Include: +\GURORJLFDO 7HVWLQJ Â&#x2021; ,QMHFWLRQ :LWKGUDZDO Â&#x2021; 6WDQGDUG &XVWRP 6L]HV 0DWHULDOV :DWHU 0LQLQJ (QYLURQPHQWDO Â&#x2021; *URXWLQJ 6DPSOLQJ *HRWHFKQLFDO +\GURIUDFWXULQJ Â&#x2021; 5HFLUFXODWLRQ :HOOV Â&#x2021; 6WHDP ,QMHFWLRQ Â&#x2021; 5HOLQH &DVLQJ To discuss your questions and applications, call

Same Day Shipping Twitter @WaterWellJournl

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â&#x20AC;˘ NSF 60 Certified â&#x20AC;˘ no premixing to control pH â&#x20AC;˘ no corrosive fumes â&#x20AC;˘ no corrosion, trucks/tanks â&#x20AC;˘ no shelf life, lasts forever â&#x20AC;˘ reduce your call backs â&#x20AC;˘ free tech help if 3 failures â&#x20AC;˘ same cost per well

#888-437-6426 www,designwater.com Check our web site for Distributors

Water Well Journal January 2014 61/

JOURNAL

186 Well Screens

A PUBLICATION OF THE NATIONAL GROUND WATER ASSOCIATION

Classified Advertising Rates Line Classified Ads

(21⁄4 column—approx. 39 letters and spaces per line): $8 per line, $32 minimum (4 lines)

Stainless Steel Carbon Steel Galvanized Steel Wedge-Wire

Well Screens

Slotted Pipe

18102 East Hardy Road Houston, Texas 77073 USA Phone: 281.233.0214; Fax: 281.233.0487

Toll-free: 800.577.5068 info@alloyscreenworks.com www.alloyscreenworks.com

There is no discount for multiple runs.

No new equipment advertising accepted in line advertisements.

Display Classified Ads

Single column 21⁄4 inches wide OR Double column 411⁄16 inches wide (per column inch – min. depth 2 column inches): 1 month: $60 per inch 3 months: $58 per inch 6 months: $55 per inch 12 months: $49 per inch

Add a spot color to your display classified advertisement for $49 per insertion.

Deadlines: First day of the preceding publication of magazine (December 1 for February issue). No guarantees after that date. This applies to renewals, cancellations, and any revisions. All classified ads must be prepaid by check or credit card. Commission rates do not apply to classiﬁed ads. Current month’s classified ads are posted on our Web site at www.ngwa.org/pdf/classify.pdf for no extra charge. To place a classified advertisement in Water Well Journal, please send ad text to Shelby Fleck by e-mail at sfleck@ngwa.org or fax to 614 898.7786. Upon receipt, you will be contacted and provided a quote. Thank you! 62/ January 2014 Water Well Journal

●

Fuel Sensor Strip

Get Safety Resources Online You can never be too safe, so take advantage of safety resources online. Go to the Web site of the National Ground Water Association and check out the resources it has available at www.NGWA.org/ProfessionalResources/safety/pages. Also while you’re at the Web site, make sure to check out NGWA Press’ newest safety item, Safety Meetings for the Groundwater Industry, a set of 52 sheets that provide information so companies can hold weekly safety meetings on topics specific to their industry. waterwelljournal.com

Page

A.Y. McDonald Mfg. IFC (800) 292-2737 www.aymcdonald.com Baker Mfg., Water Systems Division 11 (800) 523-0224 www.bakermfg.com Barrett Supply 47 (800) 364-2124 www.barrettpumpstop.com Cotey Chemical 29 (806) 747-2096 www.coteychemical.com Eno Scientific 11 (910) 778-2660 www.enoscientific.com Flomatic 14 (800) 833-2040 www.flomatic.com Foremost Industries 27 (800) 661-9190 (403) 295-5834 (fax) GEFCO/King Oil Tools 12 (800) 759-7441 www.gefco.com

Geoprobe Systems IBC (800) 436-7762 www.geoprobe.com Hoeptner Perfected Products 31 (408) 847-7615 www.freezeflow.com In-Situ 39 (800) 446-7488 www.in-situ.com Jet-Lube 15 (800) 538-5823 (713) 678-4604 (fax) Laibe/Versa-Drill 1 (317) 231-2250 www.laibecorp.com Lorentz Solar Water Pumps OBC (888) 535-4788 (866) 593-0777 www.lorentz.de Marks Products/ Allegheny Instruments 41 (800) 255-1353 www.geovision.org ÂŽ

INDEX OF

ADVERTISERS

Page

Mount Sopris Instruments 21 (303) 279-3211 www.mountsopris.com NGWA/Certification 51 (800) 551-7379 www.ngwa.org NGWA/Construction State Law Matrix 37 (800) 551-7379 www.ngwa.org NGWA/Groundwater Awareness Week 41 (800) 551-7379 www.ngwa.org NGWA/Membership 2 (800) 551-7379 www.ngwa.org NGWA/NGWREF 10 (800) 551-7379 www.ngwa.org/ngwref NGWA/Pacific Northwest Ground Water Expo 16 (800) 551-7379 www.pnwgwa.org

NGWA/Water Well Journal Web site 63 (800) 551-7379 www.waterwelljournal.com North Houston Machine 17 (800) 364-6973 nhmi2@earthlink.net Robbco Pumps 9 (806) 749-7475 www.robbcopumps.com SEMCO 18 (719) 336-9006 www.semcooflamar.com Southwire 7 (770) 832-4590 www.southwire.com Star Iron Works 5 (814) 427-2555 www.starironworks.com Texas Ground Water Association 21 (512) 472-7437 Wyo-Ben 43 (800) 548-7055 www.wyoben.com

The best just keeps getting better. Visit the online home of Water Well Journal today! www.WaterWellJournal.com The online home of Water Well Journal ÂŽ allows you to: s 2ECEIVE BREAKING NEWS s !CCESS THE CURRENT PUBLICATION s 6IEW ARCHIVED ARTICLES s 3EARCH CURRENT BUYERS GUIDES s +EEP UPDATED ON .'7! NEWS ,OG ON TODAY

Visit www.WaterWellJournal.com and see for yourself how the best just keeps getting better. Twitter @WaterWellJournl

Water Well Journal January 2014 63/

CLOSING

TIME A crew from Stock Drilling Inc. in Ida, Michigan, drills 1-inch multilevel injection wells to about 100 feet at a site near Fennville, Michigan. A light dusting of snow was on the ground despite weather being in the mid-40s one week earlier.

Lake-effect snow began pouring down on the site later in the job. A total of 11⁄2 inches fell and the temperature was in the teens by the end of the day. The crew continued to work through the storm. Stock Drilling provides full-service environmental and geotechnical drilling and direct imaging downhole video work. Photo submitted by Richard W. Stock Jr. “Closing Time” is the page of Water Well Journal that showcases—you! It will always feature a few pictures of people at work at job sites around the world. Please send in photos and brief descriptions and you just

64/ January 2014 Water Well Journal

may be the subject on the last page of an issue of WWJ. And remember, if your photo is selected as the cover image of WWJ, you receive $250. If your photos are selected, you will be

asked to fill out a photo disclaimer form that grants the National Ground Water Association the royalty-free right to display the photos. Please send high-resolution digital photos to tplumley@ngwa.org.

waterwelljournal.com

Irrigation, With Solar? SOLAR WATER PUMPING EXELLENCE

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LORENTZ™ is an agile manufacturer that specializes in off-grid solar products. Our specialized distribution in the USA offers the highest value proposition and allows dealers healthy margins by selling through pro-channels.

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2013 is the 20th anniversary of LORENTZ, a lifetime of experience in the solar water pumping industry - visit www.lorentz.de to find out more