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How Drilling for Water Changed After World War II Adapted from Information by livinghistoryfarm.org The Bible says Moses smote a rock with his rod, and fountains of water burst from the ground. For most people, the task of finding water isn’t quite so easy. Thousands of years ago, it became obvious water in surface streams, rivers, and ponds would not be enough to supply everyone, so people began to dig wells. Archeological evidence revealed ancient Persians, Egyptians, and Chinese built wells to tap ground- water. Ancient wel ls were dug by hand, a labor- i n t ens i ve and dangerous task. Wells could take weeks, months, or even years to build. As wells became deeper, their walls were in constant dan- ger of caving in. It took until t he 1940s f o r t echno l ogy t o finally catch up with need. Things especially changed in the technology of groundwater irrigation during and after World War II. The drought of the 1930s made farmers painfully aware of the advantages of irrigation. With most of the surface streams and rivers already dammed and diverted by 1940, farmers began looking underground for irrigation water. In states like Nebraska, government organizations began drilling exploratory wells, testing where and at what depth water could be found. By the late 1940s, farmers were lining up at the Nebraska Conservation and Survey Division's doors to buy maps of underground aquifers. Maps took much of the guesswork out of locating water. Well drilling rigs made huge techno- logical leaps. New rigs utilized new under- standings of hydraul ics and engine technology to provide power for drilling operations. Drill operators also developed a better understanding of the geology of soil, rock, and sand layers they were drilling through. Overall, the 1940s were crucial years for irrigation technology. At the beginning of the decade, techniques used by most irrigators to deliver water to crops hadn't changed much for hundreds of years - ditches were dug, and water was shot down them. Advances made in technol- ogy by the end of the 1940s created a foundation for innovations to come. Workers drill an irrigation well in the 1940s. ! !( !- !3%)#/*) !-%/ #! '' 4 // !#!) 4 */!' $! *""!-. +- /% ' .!(%) - "*- )4*)! %)1*'1! %) /$! !3+'*.%1!. ) ' ./%)# %) 0./-4 ) %. !.+! % ''4 !.%#)! "*- /$! ' ./!- ) ' ./%)# -!2 (!( !-. 2$!-! /$!4 ) !1%!2 /$! .% . *" ' ./%)# (!/$* . ) ( /!-% '. %.%/ *1!- !3$% %/ **/$. ) .!! /$! ' /!./ +-* 0 /. ) !,0%+(!)/ 1 %' '! ! -) /$! ' /!./ /! $)%,0!. ) !1 '0 /! /$! /$!%- -!.0'/. -) *)/%)0%)# ! 0 /%*) $*0-. "*- -!)!2 ' *" /$!%- ' ./!-5. '% !).! *- !-/%"% /! *- (*-! %)"*-( /%*) '' *- 1%.%/ *0- ! .%/! &4 ' ./%)# *)"!-!) ! *( 46 NOVEMBER 2015 WorldWide Drilling Resource ® Plan Your 2016 Advertising Now! 850-547-0102