WorldWide Drilling Resource®

Environmental Monitoring by Thomas Kwader, Ph.D., P.G. WorldWide Drilling Resource ® Hydrogeologist We Learn the True Cost of Water when the Well Runs Dry Last month, I wrote an article on overpumping groundwater and some of the impacts with increasing demands on ground- water from population growth and associated groundwater demands. I am not generally known as a pessimist; however, I have been involved with the management of our groundwater resources since 1974, and there are some things that concern me as demands are increasing on our potable ground- water and surface water resources. In Florida, part of the problem is directly related to the rapid growth of the state’s population from about 2 million, to over 22 million in the last 60 years. We rely almost exclusively (greater than 95%) upon groundwater for potable drinking supplies. Surface water and desalinization are only a small percentage of water used for drinking water purposes. Some of the problems which continue to increase include: 1) Exceeding aquifer safe yields from pumping large volumes of groundwater greater than the ability of the recharge capacity of the aquifers. The solution(s) are often more expensive and energy-consuming than past practices. 2) Susceptibility of shallow groundwater to many sources of contamination, includ- ing leaking gas stations, poorly designed landfills, past improper disposal practices for various chemicals, garbage, etc. 3) High nutrient discharges from septic tanks and agricultural chemicals, which could render drinking water above the limits for contaminants and promotes algae blooms in rivers, lakes, and springs. Nutrients are causing more and larger prob- lems every year in springs, lakes, and along Florida’s beaches. Bottom line, we are depleting our good quality, natural resource faster than it is being restored. We, as well drilling professionals and water resource managers, need to help spread our knowledge and expertise when we see our groundwater being impacted. Tom Tom Kwader may be contacted via e-mail to michele@worldwidedrillingresource.com 34 FEBRUARY 2020 WorldWide Drilling Resource ® 302-684-3197 FAX: 302-384-0643 142 Broadkill Rd. • Milton, DE 19968 www.atlantic-screen.com email: atlantic@ce.net Manufacturers of Slotted & Perforated Pipe ranging from ½” to 24” diameter Atlantic Screen & Mfg., Inc. • Well Rehab. Products • Manholes • Bentonite • Filter Sock • Inline Chemical Mixers • Sampling Bailers • Clear PVC Pipe • Locking Caps Maiden Drilling on Prospective Property Adapted from a News Release by NexGen Energy Ltd. An exploration drilling program is underway in the Athabasca Basin in Saskatchewan, Canada. NexGen Energy Ltd. announced two rigs will drill a minimum of 13,000 feet on its SW1 property, look- ing to confirm the existence of uranium. Since acquiring the property in 2012, NexGen has systemati- cally developed it through testing with numerous studies and geo- physical surveys over the last five years. The resulting signature on the property displayed strong similarities to their Rook I property which hosts the Arrow Deposit, Canada’s largest to-be-developed uranium deposit, currently in the Environmental Assessment process. Historic drilling analysis also revealed prospective struc- ture and alteration coinciding with highly favorable geophysical properties for potential uranium mineralization. "The 2019 SW1 exploration drill program is the culmination of extensive detailed work by the NexGen Team for the development of the SW1 property - a methodical build of focused work and high- level interpretation that is akin to the strategy that led to the discov- ery of the Arrow Deposit in February 2014. We are looking forward to the opportunity to drill test targets with analogous geophysical signatures to Arrow, and excited about this next stage of exploration on the SW1 property," said Troy Boisjoli, vice president of operations and project development. ENV EXB