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Take Charge of Drill Rig Visitors
By Gary L. Hix, CWD/PI
Whenever owners, guests, or visitors come out to the drill rig, we assume the
responsibility for their protection, health, and safety.
There is a written job safety plan in effect that might cover this in great detail on
some job sites. There may even be a designated person to stop, intercept, and
host visitors to the drilling project. But for so many domestic well drillers, there is
probably no such person or written plan for the well driller to follow when
someone walks up to the rig.
When I’m at a drill site
these days, it’s typically
as a consultant for the well
owner or as a geologist
logging cuttings for the
driller. Either way, I feel I
have a sense of
responsibility to monitor
who comes to the site and
how I can keep them safe
while they are there.
My many years of being
around well drilling
activities has taught me
anything can happen at
Figure 1. Author pointing out details of the drill rig to the visiting well
any time and we must
owner.
always be on guard for
potential accidents. Having witnessed drill rigs falling over, high pressure hoses
bursting, items falling down, and people being hurt in the strangest of ways, I
know there are potential dangers everywhere around a well drilling site. Guests
and visitors probably do not even suspect what forms of danger lurk there.
My perspective is OSHA doesn’t look at a domestic well driller any different
than a monitoring well driller when it comes to accidents occuring on the job site.
Any accident is going to become the responsibility of the owner of the rig.
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The standards for safety apply to everyone equally. Anyone on or in close
proximity to the drill rig should be wearing a hard hat, safety glasses, and for
most situations, ear plugs. Visitors to environmental drill sites must be kept
behind a clearly marked safety zone. Visitors to domestic well drilling sites must
be kept a safe distance from the rig and associated equipment.
If the visitors include one or more
children, this can become a problem
very quickly. There are many
attractive nuisances around a drilling
project and children can find them
all. Be especially protective of them.
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Invited guests to environmental or
commercial well drilling projects
(politicians, celebrities, reporters,
students) may expect to participate
and learn more than the casual
visitor. They present a more
challenging task keeping them safe
while getting them close to the
action.
Oftentimes they want to be
photographed with the well driller in
front of the rig. Photo opportunities
and publicity events can disrupt the
normal workflow and allow
Figure 2. Celebrity visitors to the drill site can distract
employees to let down their guard
crew members’ normal routines, leading to accidents.
while performing their normal duties.
Employees can become distracted
by the visitors and be injured as well. Nothing could be worse than having an
accident while dignitaries and reporters are present.
Safety takes no holidays or vacations. It must be practiced every day by
everyone. Owners, visitors, or guests to a drill site require special attention to
assure their safety and the safety of workers.
Gary L. Hix, RG, CWD/PI, is a registered professional geologist in Arizona, a
Certified Well Driller/Pump Installer by NGWA, and a Certified Professional
Geologist by the American Institute of Professional Geologists. He is past
president of the Arizona Water Well Association and a former licensed water
well contractor in Arizona. He has authored many articles on subjects related to
well drilling issues for NGWA’s Water Well Journal. He can be reached at
gary.hix@cox.net.
What Do Reviewers Want from Peer Review?
By Wiley Exchanges
Time and again, technical journal authors tell us the experience of peer review is
the defining factor in their overall publishing experience.
The quality of the peer review experience is crucial to an author’s decision of
where to publish, and the authors who express the most satisfaction with their
publishing experience are those who state they have an easy time with the
review process.
But, as we know, it’s not all good news. Authors expressing lowest levels of
satisfaction are those who experienced a difficult review process and struggled
to communicate with the reviewers. For editors, recruiting reviewers can be a
major pain point, and good reviewers can feel overloaded and under-rewarded.
In order to deliver the best peer review experience for authors, publishers such
as Wiley need to continue to evolve the support and services it offers peer
reviewers. That’s why, in July 2015, Wiley surveyed researchers in order to
explore peer reviewing experiences, attitudes towards recognition and reward
for reviewers, and training requirements. Nearly 3000 reviewers, across all
regions and subject disciplines, shared their thoughts on:
1. Why they peer review
2. Rewards and recognition initiatives they value
3. Training resources they want.
While other recent studies have focused on broad questions around peer
review, the aim of the survey was to address questions around the specific
support tools reviewers need and to look more closely at how reviewing
behavior and motivations change according to experience, career stage, and
region.
Today, the results of the study are published in a special issue on Peer
Review in Learned Publishing. In addition, Wiley has developed a series of
infographics and an online tool for interaction with responses for key questions
at www.wileypeerreview.com/study.
Wiley publishes NGWA’s Groundwater Monitoring & Remediation® and
Groundwater®.
Keeping You in the Know
Binational Standard for Ground Source Heat Pumps Is
Now Published
A binational standard for the design and installation of ground source pump
systems for commercial and residential buildings has now been published by
CSA Group, a leading American National Standards Institute- and Standards
Council of Canada-accredited developer of standards, codes, guidelines, and
personnel certification programs.
There are a number of related GSHP standards, guidelines, and best practices
available, but stakeholders identified the need for standardization through a
neutral third party accredited process for the design and installation of ground
source heat pump systems as a priority.
ANSI/CSA C448-2016 has been developed by subject-matter-experts from
across North America with a vision to harmonize the differences between
existing resources, simplify referencing in regulations and contracts, incorporate
the latest advancements, clarify compliance using standards language, and
provide credibility through an accredited neutral standards development
process. CSA Group’s binational committee members included leaders from
industry trade and professional associations—including NGWA— as well as
utilities, drillers, installers, manufacturers, regulators, designers/engineers, and
researchers /academia.
With a performance-based approach, the best practices and requirement from
equipment and material selection to commissioning and decommissioning is
now included in the standard.
To learn more about ANSI/CSA C448-2016, contact Muktha Tumkur at
muktha.tumkur@csagroup.org, or visit the CSA Group website at
http://shop.csa.ca/.
IGSHPA and NGWA Enter Agreement to Support Ground
Source Heat Pump Market
The International Ground Source Heat Pump Association and NGWA signed a
memorandum of understanding to further enhance the relationship between the
two associations and support the growth of the ground source heat pump
market.
IGSHPA and NGWA share the interests of having the ground source heat pump
market thrive throughout the world and the highest qualified drilling contractors
available to construct ground-source heat pump and/or groundwater source heat
pump borehole systems to safeguard the groundwater environment.
With these common interests at the forefront, IGSHPA and NGWA have entered
into an agreement to:
Collaborate in research, promotion, and training activities related to: open
loop configurations using groundwater, standing column configurations
using groundwater, horizontal borehole systems penetrating the generally
recognized water table of a locale, and closed loop vertical borehole (aka,
“loop well”) subsystems to the larger overall ground source heat pump
installation
Technical committees and commissions shall exchange information on
relevant and related technical and scientific matters
NGWA agrees to collaborate with IGSHPA to identify research
investigation projects relevant to the geologic, hydro geologic, and/or
drilling technology aspects related to ground source heat pump
installation
Both organizations shall endeavor to harmonize statistical data reporting,
should it occur, to achieve comparative data on a worldwide basis
To support proper preparation of qualified drilling personnel to enter into
the ground source heat pump sector, IGSHPA agrees to collaborate with
NGWA to develop a pathway to the Certified Vertical Closed Loop Driller
CVCLD designation.
“With this MOU, we are in synchronization of our supporting work from the
excavation of the earth, design of the system, and enhanced marketing,” said
Bob Ingersoll, IGSHPA director. “This is just the first step. We look to greatly
strengthen our work and our member benefits as we all work closely together for
the ultimate goals.”
“This is an important evolutionary step for the long-standing collaboration
between our organizations,” said NGWA Chief Executive Officer Kevin McCray,
CAE. “NGWA has advocated for ground source heat pump technologies since
the 1970s. Together with IGSHPA we believe we can advance wider
acceptance and adoption of this tremendous technology.”
IGSHPA is an association of companies, professionals, and users dedicated to
promoting the science, utility, and use of ground source heating and cooling
technology.
EPA Releases Drinking Water Treatability Database
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Drinking Water Treatability Database
(TDB) presents referenced information on the control of contaminants in drinking
water. It allows drinking water utilities, first responders to spills or emergencies,
treatment process designers, research organizations, academicians, regulators,
and others to access referenced information gathered from thousands of
literature sources and assembled on one site.
Over time, the TDB will expand to include more than 200 regulated and
unregulated contaminants and their contaminant properties. It includes more
than 25 treatment processes used by drinking water utilities.
The literature includes bench-, pilot-, and full-scale studies of surface waters,
groundwaters, and laboratory waters. The literature includes peer-reviewed
journals and conferences, other conferences and symposia, research reports,
theses, and dissertations.
By adding new contaminants and upgrading references on existing
contaminants, the TDB will always be a current source of information on drinking
water contaminant control. Visit the About the TDB page for more information.
The TDB offers many features leading to the Data tab which is the heart of
the TDB. After selecting a contaminant (Find a Contaminant), you will find a
Treatment Processes tab that will present the list of treatment processes for
which literature on the control of the contaminant was located. Selecting a
treatment process, you will find a Data tab that presents reference information,
log or percent removal, water quality conditions, and treatment process
operational parameters. The Help page will aid you in navigating the TDB.
Click here for more information.
Housing Starts Decline 2.5% in December 2015
The U.S. Census Bureau and the Department of Housing and Urban
Development announced privately-owned housing starts in December 2015
were at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 1.15 million. This is 2.5% below the
revised November estimate of 1.18 million, but is 6.4% above the December
2014 rate of 1.11 million.
Housing starts are important as they can indicate possible construction of new
water well systems.
Single-family housing starts in December were at a rate of 768,000; this is 3.3%
below the revised November figure of 794,000. The December rate for units in
buildings with five units or more was 365,000.
An estimated 1.11 million housing units were started in 2015. This is 10.8%
above the 2014 figure of 1 million.
For new residential construction data for January 2016, visit
www.census.gov/construction/nrc/index.html.
Idaho Governor Calls for Increase in Aquifer Funding
Idaho Governor C.L. “Butch” Otter is seeking a one-time $6.5 million boost to
the Secondary Aquifer Planning, Management and Implementation Fund,
bringing it to a $16.5 million total for the 2016-2017 fiscal year. Also, the
governor is calling for an additional ongoing boost in spending on water
sustainability projects statewide, from $2 million a year to $5 million.
“After additional discussions with the Idaho Department of Water Resources on
the funding necessary to meet the state’s commitment under the settlement
agreement for the Eastern Snake Plain Aquifer, I am revising my budget
recommendation to fully fund its accelerated implementation,” the governor
wrote in a letter to members of the Legislature’s budget-setting Joint FinanceAppropriations Committee, according to the Times-News in Twin Falls, Idaho.
The article states Otter’s call for more aquifer recharge money comes in a year
when Magic Valley lawmakers are looking for state support to help implement a
historic agreement between the Surface Water Coalition and groundwater users.
The deal calls for groundwater users to give up 13% of their allotment to help
stabilize the Eastern Snake Plain Aquifer, which is at its lowest level in more
than a century. As well as the new funding announced, Otter’s budget proposal
already included $546,100 to hire four more people at the Department of Water
Resources and begin to install flowmeters to implement and enforce the
agreement. Click here to read more.
NGWA has an information brief on managed aquifer recharge as well as a
best suggested practice document on aquifer storage and recovery, a form of
managed aquifer recharge.
NGWA Seeks Volunteers for Developing BSP on Lead in
Residential Water Well Systems
NGWA seeks industry volunteers to help draft a best suggested practices
document relating to reducing problematic concentrations of lead in residential
water well systems.
NGWA’s series of best suggested practices (BSPs) are produced through the
consensus of industry volunteers; NGWA now seeks to develop a BSP for
reducing lead in private wells.
The document will be written to help water well systems professionals determine
the recommended course of action for private well systems that have elevated
levels of lead present. Draft content includes:
Information about lead and its effect on consumers
Background information regarding the geologic and land use settings’
influence on lead concentrations
Well location and construction methodologies for reducing or avoiding
lead contamination
Groundwater testing processes and water treatment methods for reducing
lead in produced water.
Volunteers will collaborate via conference calls and email to share ideas on
content until a consensus is reached. Interested parties should contact the
NGWA industry practices administrator at industrypractices@ngwa.org or
(800) 551-7379 (614-898-7791), ext. 511.
Preliminary drafting of the lead document is underway. Your prompt reply by
February 26 is appreciated.
For more information about the NGWA BSPs, visit
www.ngwa.org/Professional-Resources/bsp/Pages/default.aspx.
AGI Publishes New Geoscience Student Exit Survey
The annual Status of Recent Geoscience Graduates 2015 report has been
released by the American Geosciences Institute and covers the experiences of
geoscience majors through university-level programs and on which sectors
graduates had gained employment by the time of commencement.
Among the findings is a decrease in the number of undergraduate geoscientists
indicating they would be enrolling in graduate school immediately following the
completion of their degree as well as a shift in employment from oil and gas
industries to the environmental and engineering fields.
“I feel the drop in students heading to grad school could be reflecting the
increasing difficulty students might be experiencing trying to gain admission into
graduate geoscience programs,” report author Carolyn Wilson said. “AGI has
been engaged in several anecdotal discussions with department faculty
indicating they are at, or near, enrollment capacity within their graduate
departments.”
This report covers a year in which a major employer of geoscientists—the oil
and gas industry—was rocked by low prices of oil. While this industry is still a
major employer of master’s and Ph.D. geoscientists, bachelor-level
geoscientists were not as widely sought after in 2014-2015.
This study did show the environmental services industry has also become a
viable career option for bachelor-level geoscientists. Additionally, the non-profit
and information services industries hired students immediately upon graduation,
indicating geoscientists are considering career options in non-traditional aspects
of the geoscience.
The latest version of the report still underscores the incredible value experiences
like field camp, research experiences, internships, and high-level quantitative
and statistical coursework can have for a graduating geoscientist. The report is
available online for free download at
www.americangeosciences.org/workforce/reports.
Tools from NGWA
NGWA Updates Guidelines for Loop Wells for Vertical
Closed Loop Ground Source Heat Pumps
The fourth edition of Guidelines for Loop
Wells for Vertical Closed Loop Ground
Source Heat Pumps was put together by
an NGWA volunteer work group to provide
updated information on the original
Guidelines that was published by NGWA in
1997 and then updated again in 2009, 2010,
and most recently in 2016.
The guidelines are written for loop well contractors, loop well design consultants,
government officials, educators, students, and consumers. It is a stand-alone
document that does not supersede regulations or standards, and provides
details on issues related to the construction of vertical closed loop ground
source heat pump systems and offers insights to practical resolutions of the
issues.
This is a downloadable item. A link will be provided on the confirmation page
and on the receipt sent to your email address.
Another valuable resource, Understanding
Hydrogeology and Its Impact on LargeScale GHP Systems, was published in 2015
and is edited by industry experts Nina Baird,
Ph.D., Carnegie Mellon University, and John
Rhyner, PG, P.W. Grosser Consulting Inc.
These guidelines bridge the gap between
existing HVAC literature and geothermal heat
pump (GHP) industry training, and provide a
useful ongoing reference for those involved in
planning or site assessment for a large-scale
GHP project.
Click here to learn more about both resources in the NGWA Bookstore.
Online Education Calendar
Learn at Your Desk with These Educational Opportunities
As an NGWA member, you can attend a wide variety of online educational
sessions. These complimentary offerings usually home in on two to three key
points and run 30 to 60 minutes in length to fit into your busy schedule. Currently
on the lineup:
February 3, 1-1:30 p.m. ET
Advancing Groundwater Through Collaboration presented by Cliff
Treyens
Be sure to check the schedule regularly for updates, as new offerings are added
on an ongoing basis. Please also remember that although free to members,
connections for these online sessions are limited and preregistration is required.
Foundation Focus
NGWREF Grant Funds Study of Potential Groundwater
Contamination from Hydraulic Fracturing
The National Ground Water Research and Educational Foundation has
awarded SUNY Polytechnic Institute in Utica, New York, a $6550 research grant
to use probabilistic risk assessment and fault tree analysis (FTA) to evaluate
potential groundwater degradation from hydraulic fracturing.
Both the principal investigator for the research project, Carolyn Rodak, Ph.D.,
and the coinvestigator, Xinchao Wei, are assistant professors in the College of
Engineering at SUNY Polytechnic Institute.
Their research aims to develop models and data standards that bring together
scientific data to inform local policymakers and decision-makers—and assist
local officials in responding to public concerns—about contamination of drinking
water from household wells.
The researchers will use FTA to determine the probability of groundwater
contamination or exploitation. FTA, used in numerous engineering disciplines, is
a top-down approach based on the combination of probabilistically defined basic
events. Based on Boolean logic, this approach identifies critical events and
pathways that lead to failure and allows for relatively simple updating of
information and recalculation of the result.
Fault trees also serve as an effective visual aid for communicating risk and
demonstrating connections between various components in highly complex
systems. By applying FTA to unconventional reservoirs across the United
States, researchers expect to identify region-specific events and pathways that
hold the greatest potential for risk reduction and improvement.
Professional Jobs Board
Environmental services manager, Anaheim, California. Click here to learn
more about this opportunity.
Senior corrosion engineer (water/wastewater), Hatch & Mott MacDonald, Iselin,
New Jersey. Click here to learn more about this opportunity.
Water station operator, Middleborough Water Department, Middleborough,
Massachusetts. Click here to learn more about this opportunity.
Assistant professor, water management technologist (tenure-track), Oregon
State University. Click here to learn more about this opportunity.
Environmental data management (EDM) specialist, CH2M, Englewood,
Colorado. Click here to learn more about this opportunity.
Need a job? Need a candidate? Click here to access the NGWA Career
Center, where you can view job openings, view resumes of qualified
professionals, or anonymously post your resume.
National Ground Water Association
601 Dempsey Road, Westerville, Ohio 43081 USA
Customer Service
customerservice@ngwa.org
800 551.7379 (614 898.7791 outside the United States)
8 a.m.-5 p.m. ET Monday through Friday
fax 614 898.7786
© 2016 by the National Ground Water Association. All rights reserved.
The NGWA® Toolkit is a benefit for members of the National Ground Water Association. If you do not want to receive this electronic
newsletter, please send an email to customerservice@ngwa.org. While the information in the NGWA Toolkit has been compiled
from sources and documents believed to be reliable, its accuracy is not guaranteed, nor is any responsibility assumed or implied for
any damage or loss resulting from inaccuracies or omissions.