WorldWide Drilling Resource

Seabees Assist with Exploration Drilling in Colombia Adapted from Information by the U.S. Navy Public Affairs Support Element The rural community of Riohacha, Colombia, has been suffering through drought conditions for nearly a decade. Recently, a team of U.S. Navy construc- tion professionals assigned to Naval Mobile Construction Battalion 133 (NMCB-133) began water well drilling exploration operations in the area as part of the Southern Partnership Station (SPS) 2018. The SPS is an annual series of U.S. Navy deployments which focuses on working with regional partner nation militaries and security forces. In an effort to increase the community’s supply of fresh water, NMCB-133 will work side-by-side with members of the Wayuu pop- ulation who are indigenous to the Colombian town located in the country’s La Guajira Department. “This community has been in a state of drought for the last 8 to 10 years, but in the last 2 or 3 years, it has been much worse,” said Brunilda Morales, a l inguist and instructor of languages for Wayuu, from La Guajira’s Office of Indigenous Affairs. “This prolonged dry sea- son is effecting our well-being. Water is everything to us. Plants, animals, and people continue to live through water.” Although the probability of finding fresh, usable water in the selected drilling site is high, the project is still labeled an exploration mission until water is actually located. To improve the project’s chances of locating water, SPS and NMCB-133 decided to bring in an on-site geologist to conduct scientific studies of the drilling area. The geologist and drill operator will work together to come up with the best design solution for the project. Dr. Kimo Zaiger from Naval Facilities Engineering and Expeditionary Warfare Center is currently working at the drill site with Seabees from NMCB-133. He said, while drill opera- tors are technical experts in their field, geologists work with them to bring a scientific level of expertise to their craft. Geologists are more knowledgeable in how the earth is struc- tured, and can help interpret changes in the stratigraphy and rock mechanics. The water well drilling and exploration operations in Riohacha provide a benefit to people of the La Guaj ira Department, and also to the Sailors conducting the drilling. “Efforts like this one allows us to grow our relationship with partner nations,” said Lieutenant Commander George Roth, team lead for the SPS Ground Command Element. “These efforts also give our Sailors the opportunity to practice their skills in a real-world scenario vice in a training environment. If successful, we will have assisted in providing water for a region and its people.” U.S. Navy Construction Mechanic 2nd Mechanic Brady Mangels with NMCB-133, marks drill steel per foot during water well drilling exploration operations in Riohacha, Colombia. U.S. Army photo by Staff Sergeant Kalie Frantz. 40 JANUARY 2019 WorldWide Drilling Resource ® EXB