WorldWide Drilling Rescource

by Tim Rasmussen Water For life has been drilling for 15 years in northeast Guatemala. We now have 130 wells in operation and continue to drill during the January to April window when crews are available each year. During the off-season, Berny and Henry work to maintain the pumps and wells in the villages we serve. In the last four years, Edgar Lopez has joined our effort and works to repair and maintain our growing fleet of trucks and drills. It has been our goal for a long time to find workers to train on drilling equipment so there could eventually be a year- round drilling program, but we have not been able to recruit a suitable person to train. Maybe that is changing. As our contact with Edgar has increased, we have gained confidence that he could be trained to run a drilling rig. He has good mechanical skills and is an excellent welder. He is devoted to his people and their welfare, and makes the water from the well at his place readily available to anyone in need. About two years ago, he began to get more involved in drilling. He started out by working as a helper on a rig when he could get away from his shop. Jon and Chris Hansen, from Tacoma, led out in giving him experience and have become very well-acquainted with him and his family. They have confidence in his ability. With the arrival of our rotary drilling rig, we saw an opportunity to expand his capabilities with the idea of one day using him to fulfill our goal of having a local man we could trust to drill during the off-season. We tried to arrange to bring him to the United States to learn about rotary drilling by working with Tom Richardson in Hayden, Idaho, but he was turned down for a visa at the American consulate. Then Gary came across a company that could help. HydroLOGICA, located in Managua, Nicaragua, is a company specializing in water well drilling, groundwater studies, and water pump installations in Central America. They have a training program and a good reputation. Gary made contact with them and after some exchange of e-mails, we signed a contract for them to provide training for Edgar. Edgar is now in Nicaragua in a monthlong training program. He is using modern equipment and learning about the rotary dri l l ing process. Gary received word from the director there that Edgar is the best student in the school and they were very happy with his progress and prospects. Part of the training program is someone from HydroLOGICA will come to Guatemala at the end of Edgar’s training and work with him, using our equipment. We are happy with this development and the hope it brings. Maybe we can establish a drilling program that will con- tinue all year and into the future. If you would like to help, contact Gary Bartholomew at 509-466-5075 or 509-939-1941 Tim Tim Rasmussen may be contacted via e-mail to michele@ worldwidedrillingresource.com Edgar with one of the drills he is training on. 46 OCTOBER 2019 WorldWide Drilling Resource ® WTR Looking for Events? Go to the online issue at worldwidedrillingresource.com