WorldWide Drilling Resource

67 WorldWide Drilling Resource ® SEPTEMBER 2014 Focus on CGA Come Rehydrate in Riverside with WWDR during the Cal i fornia Groundwater Association (CGA) Annual Convention and Trade Show, october 16-18, 2014, at the Riverside Convention Center in Riverside, California. There will be numerous educational opportunities during the three-day event. Seminar topics include well seal failures; environmental drilling & direct push tech- nology; constructing a nitrate-free well in an area known to contain nitrates; and filtration solutions for well systems. A golf tournament is set for 8 a.m. on Thursday, seminars are presented throughout the day, and a welcome reception is to be held in the exhibit hall at 6:30 p.m. Product spotlights, including getting the most out of your bore- hole camera, field test- ing for fi lter selection, and Customer Service are scheduled Friday in the trade show area which is open 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. The 66 th Anniversary Banquet is set for 7:15 p.m. Join in congratulating those earning awards, participate in the raf- fles, andenjoy anight of funand camaraderie. In a posting on the CGA Web site, Executive Director John Hofer wrote: DO WE DRINK THE WATER OR PRIME THE PUMP? Most of us in the west have heard the old adage about priming the pump. A man wandering in the desert, thirsty and near-delirious, happens onto a well with an old-fashioned pump han- dle. Beside the pump is a cup of water and a note telling him to pour all of the water into the pump and he will receive all the water he can use. Of course the tempta- tion is to drink the cup of water and gain instant gratification, but the man takes a chance and primes the pump and is granted more water than he can possibly use... Now California faces the same question - drink the water or prime the pump... During periods of drought, as is now the case in California, water users turn to significant increases in groundwater pumpage to augment surface water deliv- eries that may have been decreased or cut off altogether. However, with increased pumping come a myriad of problems both scientific and political... The "knee-jerk" re- action to decreasing water levels is often new legislation or ordinances designed to curtail new well drilling projects. The combination of decreasing surface water and a lack of new water wells can often result in decreased agricultural or residential develop- ment, thereby causing conflicts through- out all segments of the population. ...CGA was founded by drilling con- tractors in 1948, and now its members also include pump contractors, suppliers and manufacturers, geologists, engineers, hydrologists, government employees, and others working in the groundwater field. The members consider themselves stewards of the state's groundwater re- source, and towards that end, strive to protect the aquifers while acting in the best interests of the industry. Obviously the current three-year drought has produced a dramatic boom in business over the past year, particu- larly with the improving economic out- look. Nevertheless, CGA members have had to temper their enthusiasm by remembering their commitment to pre- serving the resource and the industry for future generations. CGA has become more proactive in developing common sense approaches to the problem. By working together, we have been able influ- ence groundwater regulators to pro- duce guidelines that not only protect the resource, but also i n s u r e t h a t t h e industry as a whole will survive. CGA has been active in conducting a series of regional workshops across the state providing con- t inuing educat ion credits for local coun- ty and water district heal th inspectors. These events have concentrated on basic hydrogeology and well construction tech- niques, and have been well-attended, often by inspectors with little or no expe- rience in water well construct ion. Our instructors, who are also members, have found that the process of creating a seminar and sub- sequently presenting it provides a clearer understanding of the problems routinely dealt with by regulators. This interaction certainly leads to a better relationship between the industry and its regulators, which has not always been the case in the past. The people of California are figura- tively walking in the desert looking for that elusive well. The temptation to quench our immediate thirst by draining the "cup" of available supply is often overwhelm- ing. Now more than ever, it is incumbent on our industry to use the depleted re- source intelligently so that the future generations of Californians can have sufficient groundwater. In effect, CGA is doing its part to "prime the pump". CGA’s mission: C aring for California’s groundwater resources G iving high-quality service to mem- bers and the public A cting in the best interest of the groundwater industry With so much happening, CGA is an event you can’t afford to miss! For more information, visit www.groundh2o.org Rob with Tibban Mfg. at the 2013 CGA event. WWDR photo. New Location!