WorldWide Drilling Resource®

Environmental Monitoring by Thomas Kwader, Ph.D., P.G. WorldWide Drilling Resource ® Hydrogeologist Are We Using Up All of Our “Cheap” Water? Ideally, every well would have a water level well above land surface that would produce enough water to supply our needs under artesian pressure and a pump would not be needed. Just turn on the faucet and the artesian pressure of the aquifer would be sufficient for all your water needs. Some wells have the ability to “free flow” a supply of a few gallons per minute during wet years, but gradually cease flowing as other wells nearby are installed. Pumps are then lowered deeper over time as the aquifer struggles to keep up with increasing demands. If “average” groundwater levels are measured over time and show a declining trend, the “safe yield” of the aquifer is said to be exceeded and the demand is greater than the aquifer’s ability to supply the water withdrawn. Some areas in the U.S. and around the world have experienced “permanent” water level declines of hundreds of feet. Pumping water levels from hundreds of feet can cause a number of serious problems including: 1) Higher energy costs to pump water from extreme depths and the cost of larger pumps and additional wells. 2) Possible development of sinkholes due to reduced buoyancy of sediments in “dry aquifers” (dehydration of clays). 3) Many private wells, which are generally shallower than irrigation and large supply wells, will go dry and need to be “deepened” or replaced. 4) Lakes and streams will begin to “dry up” or disappear - possibly forever - also impacting the surrounding ecosystem. The fix to overpumping groundwater may include expanding to larger well fields, tapping rivers, streams, and other surface bodies of water that will have additional impacts and increase the “cost” of drinking water quality and availability. Some areas of the world are build- ing desalinization facilities to keep pace with demands which are very costly and require large amounts of energy to operate. We must conserve and not waste water - even though there seems to be an endless supply. Tom Tom Kwader may be contacted via e-mail to michele@ worldwidedrillingresource.com Alberta Water Well Drilling Association Convention / Trade Show March 26-28 Cambridge Hotel & Conference Centre Red Deer, AB, Canada 403-346-2091 https://reservations.travelclick.com/108483?groupID=2571486 Thursday 26th Palermo Room 3 PM Public Forum 1st Session Alberta Environment & Parks 8 PM - Wine & Cheese Welcome Friday 27th 8:30 AM Continental Breakfast and Trade Show Opens Noon - 2:00 PM - Luncheon Guest Speaker Don Henderson, Geologist - Royal Tyrell Museum, followed by AWARDS and PRESENTATIONS Palermo Room 2:00 - 4:00 PM - Public Forum 2nd Session Alberta Environment & Parks 4:00 - 5:30 PM Annual Meeting 1st Session • 7:00 - 11:00 PM - TRADE SHOW OPEN NEW!! THEME - “Tribute to the Past” Entertainment 50’s and 60’s DRESS the PART! Friday evening - Saturday 1:30 PM - Silent Auction Saturday 28th 9:00 -10:30 AM Technical Sessions 10:30 AM - 2:30 PM TRADE SHOW OPEN (Lunch provided - tickets required) 2:30 - 4:30 PM - Annual Meeting 2nd Session Palermo Room 4:30 - 5:00 PM - Bylaws update. CONTACT Sheena Larson for more info 780-386-2335 or e-mail awwda2019@gmail.com 14 JANUARY 2020 WorldWide Drilling Resource ® CETCO ® introduced the QUAD POWER™ polymer drilling products at the 2019 International Construction & Utility Equipment Exposition (ICUEE) in Louisville, Kentucky. QUAD POWER polymer drilling products are a line of super-concentrated drilling fluids for short-distance/ small-diameter horizontal directional bores. This easy-to- use, color-coded polymer drilling system allows utility contractors to quickly and efficiently drill through various soil types. The plastic pouches produce limited waste, to make clean up easy when moving from site to site. QUAD POWER™ polymer drilling products include: POWER-BASE™, POWER-CLAY™, POWER-SAND™, and POWER-TERGE™. CETCO ® is a Valued WWDR Advertiser. The WWDR Team caught the CETCO ® Team holding the bags at the 2019 ICUEE. ENV