WorldWide Drilling Resource

WorldWide Drilling Resource ® is proud to be a member of these international associations. New Zealand Drillers Federation, Inc. +03.324 2040 Ontario Groundwater Association Tel: 519-245-7194 Fax: 519-245-7196 ogwa@ogwa.ca www.ogwa.ca Australian Drilling Industry Association adia@adia.com.au British Colmubia Ground Water Assn. Tel: 604-530-8934 Fax: 604-530-8934 isecretary@bcgwa.org • www.bcgwa.org Alberta Water Well Drilling Association Tel: 780-386-2335 awwda@xplornet.com Atlantic Water Well Association Tel: 888-242-4440 Fax: 902-435-0089 nsgwa@ns.aliantzinc.ca • www.nsgwa.ca 47 WorldWide Drilling Resource ® SEPTEMBER 2013 Water for Life International by Jon Hansen submitted by Tim Rasmussen The village of Neuva Concepcion is spread out over one mile of rough road in the hills between Poptun and San Luis. I believe there are around 150 people living there. Because of the elevation, there are no bodies of water nearby. Typically, the horse ride to the water source is a two-hour trip for about 20 gallons. The previous year they tried hand digging a well about 100 feet away from the new drilled well. They got to 25 feet before they quit, as they had been work- ing in some pretty dense limestone since about 12 feet. They realized the futility of their efforts when we found the static water level in the newly drilled well at 181 feet. On March 11, my niece Erica and I, along with Marco Nieves from San Antonio, Texas, loaded up the pump hoist and traveled to the mountain vil- lage of Neuva Concepcion. The plan was to install a solar pump in the well we drilled there last year. The previous pump had seized up after just a couple of days of use. It took a good month to get the replacement into the country. The well was approximately 385 feet deep. The formations drilled were mostly limestone with some siltstone and sandstone at the bottom. The well was test bailed at four gallons per minute. When we arrived, I noted Pat Clark and the pump crew had done a great job of installing the reservoir, solar panels, and electrical connections. All we had to do was place the pump in the well and turn on the switch. Amazingly, the pump took right off and was pumping 1 to 2½ gallons per minute depending on the sun’s position behind the clouds. It took a little over two hours to fill the 300-gallon reservoir. I was happy to see the water was clear and it tasted very good considering all the calcium carbonate down the hole. On Sunday, March 17, I attended my first well dedication. Wow! What an event! We were the first to arrive (Erica Hansen, Rod Bartholomew, Samir Salazar, and me). It was about 9:30 a.m. and no one else was there. If it hadn’t been for some of the decorations in place, we probably would have just headed back home. (We misunderstood the start time). Eventually people started show- ing up, and at 11:00 a.m. it got under way. The ceremony consisted of about 15 speeches both political and thank- fulness for the new source of water. This was followed by a ribbon-cutting ceremony and finally a friendly water fight (instigated by Sergio Diaz, Mayor of San Luis), which felt very refreshing in the 90ºF (32ºC) temperatures. Following the activities at the well site, we all drove down to the village school where they had set up a banquet for us. More people were in attendance there, probably over 100 folks. The food was great and plenty of it. If you eat with Guatemalan’s they won’t let you go away hungry, even if they have to go without. If you would like to help, please contact Gary Bartholomew at 509-466-5075 or 509-939-1941 Tim Tim Rasmussen may be contacted via e-mail at admin@ worldwidedrillingresource.com