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8
EYES FROM THE SKY
SkyTEM Surveys’ airborne mapping method is showing scientists the size and shape of aquifers
12
GUARD OR KILL SWITCH?
Changes in Quebec prompt discussion on what improves safety
18 CANWELL RECAP
The thirst for knowledge was alive and well in B.C.’s Okanagan Valley
22 DRY, DRIER, DRIEST
How ground water is saving California’s farmland
ON THE WEB:
Canada’s drinking-water guidelines criticized in report
A national environmental group is criticizing Canada’s drinking-water guidelines and recommending the country adopt a national approach to the issue.
Mapping waterworks beneath Canada-U.S. border
A team of hydrogeologists is piecing together a 3D model of the aquifer straddling the Alberta-Montana border in a comprehensive look at the underground waterworks shared by Canada and the United States.
Futures far and near
Looking ahead, it is an interesting time for Canada’s ground water industry
by Laura Aiken
Summer is coming to a close…already? It is simply sinister that Canadian summers pass so fast. As I write this, the warm breezes are still blowing and I have my own unique time warp happening as my husband and I anticipate the arrival of our first child due in mid-August. This will be my last editorial before I begin a one-year maternity leave, and it is with great confidence that I hand the reins over to Janine Druery.
Janine is an award-winning editor and journalist with over 20 years experience that spans working in the mainstream media, overseeing trade publications, and working closely with industry associations. She has jumped into maternityleave positions before, and is looking forward to creating dynamic content for the ground water industry as well as meeting our many great readers and supportive advertisers.
This will be my last editorial before I begin a one-year maternity leave, and it is with great confidence that I hand the reins over to Janine Druery.
I have much to anticipate, Janine has much to anticipate, and I am guessing you and your business have a lot to anticipate too. The end of another year is nearing, and I find this tends to prompt reflection on the annum that has passed. Business plans for the New Year are often determined in the early autumn months. It’s a great time for preparation and it seems things are looking up.
The Bank of Canada’s Spring Business Outlook survey suggested an optimistic sentiment in our country’s economic climate. Conditions in the U.S. are improving, as were reported sales, current and forecasted, for the companies surveyed. There were still people reporting negative sales growth, but on balance when looking ahead, companies were not anticipating a deterioration in sales over the coming 12 months. Many were anticipating the sales growth to be tempered by strong competition. Responses indicated that businesses were planning to invest in equipment and anticipated
hiring. Firms also reported an easing in credit conditions in the prior three months.
All in all, things are looking up, even if modestly so. This bodes well for the coming months, but what about the many years ahead? As a soon-tobe parent (and by the time you read this a new parent), I think about what the future will be like for youth coming into the workforce in 20 years or so. One thing I know for sure is that the trades cannot be overlooked for men or women. It’s important to enter a course of education with a career path at the end of it. We need to continue to work towards making the path towards a career in the ground water industry clear and clearly viable. There is a disparity between skills in the marketplace and skills required for the available jobs. With so many companies reporting labour shortages and hiring pains, it is unfortunate we still see articles in the media about the bleak outlook for today’s graduates. Matching the right job with the right person could be easier in 20 years. Technology may bring new innovations to areas of recruitment and retention by creating better models for determining personality and aptitude. New workers don’t have a track record of proven skills. Graduating school is just one step on the path to expertise.
Looking ahead, it is an interesting time for the ground water industry. Challenges lie ahead, but people will always need water. I wish all of our readers the best of luck in the coming year. I embark on this maternity leave knowing Ground Water Canada is in highly capable hands, and now the only one I have left to wish luck is me!
INDUSTRY NEWS
WATER WELL INDUSTRY LOSES INFLUENTIAL LEADER
John Friesen, past president of the Canadian Ground Water Association and president of the Manitoba Water Well Association, died on July 21 in a motorcycle accident.
Since 1987, Friesen and his brother James have owned Friesen Drillers in Steinbach, Man., which has been run by the same family since it was founded in 1892 by C.K. Friesen. It is now operated by third and fourth generations of the family.
Friesen was “a staunch supporter in the need for qualified professionals within the industry. He was a force to be reckoned with in development of industry standards and certification training for drillers and pump installers, not only in Manitoba, but across Canada,” said a tribute on the Manitoba Water Well Association (MWWA) website. He was heavily involved in the development of industry standards and certification of drillers.
“Everybody who met John liked him. He was very personable and friendly with everyone,” said Jeff Bell, who has worked for the company as a hydrogeological engineer since 2004 and is a past president of the MWWA. “John was the smartest person and a gifted businessman.”
Bell remembers Friesen as a good friend and teacher with a big heart and a positive outlook. “When people met John, they immediately made a connection,” he said. “If you called him for advice he always had time for you.”
“John liked to have fun. He enjoyed riding his motorcycle and boating,” he said. The two flew airplanes together, a passion of Friesen’s since he earned his pilot’s licence in 1973. In 2006, he and brother James built their own aircraft.
“On behalf of the members, board of directors, and staff of the Ontario Ground Water Association, I wish to offer our deep condolences to the Friesen family, their staff, the members of the Manitoba Water Well Association and, in fact, the water well industry across Canada,” said K.C. Craig Stainton, executive director of the Ontario Ground Water Association, in a communication to the MWWA.
“John Friesen was a huge influence on this industry and will be sorely missed by all who knew and respected him. The loss of John and his drive for quality and professionalism in the ground water industry must inspire us all to do our part in his memory.”
“John was a great advocate for our industry, he worked tirelessly for the ground water cause, on behalf of both the Manitoba and Canadian associations,” said Kevin Constable, former CGWA president. “He was an honest, up-front man who respected all the people he dealt with both regularly and occasionally. I will miss John at the various events we attended together; he was full of humour and always willing to discuss business and offer advice if asked. John will be sorrowfully missed, both at home and across our industry.”
About 1,000 people attended Friesen’s funeral in Steinbach and 100 bikers led the procession to the cemetery, said Inez Miller, executive director of the MWWA.
GRUNDFOS ECADEMY AVAILABLE TO CANADIAN CUSTOMERS
Grundfos Canada has a new free online tool that provides education on pump applications, relevant technologies and pump types.
The company’s Ecademy is designed to allow learners access to education at their convenience. Accessible through a smartphone, tablet or computer, the system lets learners watch videos and presentations, and read or download articles. It may be accessed at www.grundfos.com.
MISSOURI RIVER BASIN STREAMFLOW PATTERNS CHANGING: STUDY
Streamflow in the eastern portions of the Missouri River watershed, which includes parts of Alberta and Saskatchewan, has increased over the past 52 years, whereas other parts have seen downward trends.
U.S. Geological Survey scientists recently studied data from 227 stream gauges in the Missouri River watershed that had continuous records for 1960 through 2011. The scientists found that almost half of the stream gauges showed either an upward or downward trend in mean annual flow since 1960, while the rest showed no trend.
The study is relevant on a large scale because the Missouri River is the longest river in the United States, with a watershed that includes mountainous to prairie topography in all or parts of 10 states and small parts of Alberta and Saskatchewan in Canada.
“The Missouri River and its tributaries are valuable for agriculture, energy, recreation and municipal water supplies,” said USGS hydrologist Parker Norton, in a USGS news release.
“Understanding streamflow throughout the watershed can help guide management of these critical water resources.”
According to the study, streamflow has increased in the eastern part of the watershed, including eastern North Dakota, eastern South Dakota, western Iowa and eastern Nebraska. Annual flows have decreased in the western headwaters area of the Missouri River in Montana and Wyoming, and in the southern part of the basin associated with the Kansas River watershed.
Climate changes that affect how and where moisture is delivered to the continent may be causing some of these trends in the Missouri River Basin. Although the USGS scientists did not conduct a complete analysis of the causes, they noted that increased streamflow over broad regions occurred despite the increasing use of water. Decreased streamflow in some areas could also be related to climate change factors or to ground water pumping.
WALKERTON CLEAN WATER CENTRE APPOINTS NEW CEO
The Walkerton Clean Water Centre board of directors appointed Roman Martiuk chief executive officer.
“Roman brings a wealth of senior management experience from the municipal sector,” said John Stager, chair of the board for centre based in Walkerton, Ont., in a media statement. “Roman’s extensive experience as a municipal chief administrative officer combined with his knowledge and experience in operating water systems will be invaluable as the Centre delivers on its important mandate.”
Martiuk most recently held the position of chief administrative officer for the City of Orillia, Ont., and has held similar positions in Belleville, Burlington and Georgina, Ont., and Prince Albert, Sask. Earlier in his career he held management positions in finance, engineering and human resources.
In addition to being a professional engineer, Martiuk holds Certified Management Accountant and Chartered Professional Accountant designations. After graduating from the University of Toronto in engineering, he completed a masters of business administration at McMaster University. He continued his education on a part-time basis, completing programs in accounting, human resources and information technology.
“I am very excited about joining the Centre and taking on this important leadership role,” said Martiuk, in the statement. He will start work in early September.
The Walkerton Clean Water Centre, which was established by the Ontario government in 2004 to safeguard drinking water for the people of Ontario, has established itself as a centre for high-quality training, applied research and technology demonstration.
FIRM TO INSTALL NSF 419 CHEMICAL-FREE PACKAGED DRINKING WATER PLANT
Purifics is installing what it says is Ontario’s first NSF 419 chemical-free packaged drinking water system in a rural community.
The self-contained system will purify ground water of metals, pathogens, chemicals, TSS, H2S, hardness, colour, taste and odour.
The system is the first to receive the NSF 419 certification, the new standard for membrane technology log removal, said the engineering firm in a media statement. The creation of NSF 419 is a combined effort between the NSF, U.S. EPA, Purifics and regulators from Ontario, California, Alaska, Minnesota, Massachusetts, and Oklahoma to ensure and certify high-quality membrane performance.
The systems are designed for remote locations such as First Nations communities and emergency response scenarios due to their small footprint, sustainability, low operating costs and minimal logistics (electrical only), said the company. Solar power can be added to the system to provide off-grid or grid-neutral solutions.
They are fully automated, remotely monitored and pre-designed. They also have Zero Liquid Discharge capability and NSF 61 certification.
Successful drinking-water projects across North America have intensified the demand for packaged drinking systems, said the company. Current pilots are taking place in Ontario, on the U.S. Gulf Coast and on the East Coast.
ONE DROP AND ROTARY LAUNCH 2020 WATER PARTNERSHIP
One Drop has launched its 2020 Water Partnership in collaboration with Rotary International to help make water available to international communities.
The partnership will focus on helping communities in Central America, Africa, and India.
One Drop is a non-profit organization that works to ensure water accessibility worldwide. Rotary is one of the world’s largest investors in sustainable water and sanitation programs.
A One Drop media release describes the partnership as “another significant step in the implementation of the organization’s strategic vision of striking bold and ambitious partnerships to achieve greater impact and sustainability” in the field of water availability.
“The primary focus of our organization is on delivering sustainable water and sanitation programs on three continents and we are now more than ever determined to increase the scale and impact of our work through strategic partnerships,” said Catherine Bachand, chief executive officer of One Drop, in the release. “Between our partnership with Water for People and now Rotary, that’s $36 million in new direct investments in the countries where we operate, unleashing millions more in local and corporate funding, and we are just getting started.”
The program will see each partner raise $5 million, plus an additional $10 million jointly, for a total investment of $20 million toward the 2020 Water Fund, which will finance its first program this fall in Mali.
COVER FEATURE
EYES FROM THE SKY
Airborne mapping shows the size and shape of aquifers
This story begins in Denmark, a country acutely aware of its finite ground water resources. Though salt water surrounds the nation, desalination is an expensive, impractical option.
by Colleen Cross
In the mid-1990s, the Danish government set out to map the country’s ground water and determine how it could best protect and allocate the resource.
Enter Kurt Sorensen, then-professor in the department of geoscience at Aarhus University in Denmark, who is leading a research effort funded by government and universities to develop a method of airborne electromagnetic (AEM) technology known as time-domain electromagnetic (TEM) technology.
Sorensen and his partners at Aarhus University and the Geological Survey of Denmark use the method to provide a detailed description of the geology in the top 300 to 500 metres of earth. To date, they have mapped about half of the country’s nearsurface aquifers. In addition, they have used the method to model the extent of nitrate in near-surface aquifers and nitrate leaching into connected streams.
SkyTEM Surveys was primarily a research organization until it flew its first commercial flight in 2003. The following year, Sorensen incorporated the company, which now offers several versions of the proprietary technology. The method caught on quickly and the company now has more than 30 employees and offices in South Africa, Australia and Canada.
Time-domain electromagnetic technology is a fast, economical method for mapping ground water over large areas or areas where land access is limited or difficult, says Bill Brown, manager of sales for North America, who works out of the SkyTEM Canada office with two other employees in Ayr, Ont. With traditional map-
ping and drilling, “if you have a large area, you must drill many holes and spend millions, or drill fewer holes and interpolate between holes. With this method, you fly first, pick the juicy targets and drill fewer holes.”
Various instruments map different depths: SkyTEM 101 maps the top 100 metres and is the smallest and lightest. SkyTEM 304 maps the top 350 metres. SkyTEM 508 and 512 effectively map more than 500 metres down.
A non-metallic frame suspended under a helicopter carries a transmitter coil, which also houses global positioning systems, lasers and tiltmeters. The transmitter, a type of magnetometer, creates a powerful primary current that generates secondary currents in the ground. When the primary current is turned off suddenly, the secondary magnetic field begins to decay below the surface. The decay rate of the secondary field is measured in the receiver coil in the sky. This rate of decay depends on how resistive the ground is. Clay, for example, has low resistivity and sand has high resistivity. Water content affects these resistivity values. The more resistive the ground, the shorter the response as the magnetic field fades more quickly. In this way, the rate of decay and the electrical resistivity of the subsurface layers can be calculated.
The method has its roots in airborne geophysics developed during the Second World War, when the U.S. Navy designed magnetometers to detect submarines, says Brown. In the 1950s and 1960s, the tool was used for mapping minerals in Canada. But whereas this technology was passive, the field of elec-
SkyTEM Canada conducted an airborne geophysical survey in the Horn River Basin of B.C. in 2012 to locate sources of nearsurface ground water thought to be contained in buried channels. Photo courtesy of SkyTEM Canada Inc.
tromagnetics actively sends a signal into the earth.
BROAD APPLICATIONS
The technology has numerous applications for water and the environment, mineral exploration, geotechnical engineering, and oil and gas, including hydraulic fracturing. Application of the technology to mineral exploration, in particular, is growing and represents about half of SkyTEM’s business, says Brown, who notes that’s where the demand is. SkyTEM and two other companies, Geotech in Aurora, Ont., and La Compagnie Générale de GéophysiqueVeritas (CGG) in Ottawa, offer airborne mapping technologies. SkyTEM’s
technology is unique in that it detects subtleties in the near-surface – they call it “listening early” – as well as to depth, says Brown. It uses a patented ‘multimoment’ system that alternates between transmitting low (shallow) and high (deep) signals and takes a sample every three to five metres along the ground.
The company would like to see the technology used more often in Canada by government, industry and communities to map ground water in order to help manage these limited and vulnerable resources sustainably, he says.
The method has already been used in several ground water projects: mapping aquifers in the Galapagos Islands, determining salt water encroachment in
Australia, identifying paleochannels in the Ogallala Aquifer in the U.S. Great Plains, and understanding ice and water distribution beneath Antarctica. It also has been applied to environmental and engineering studies.
SkyTEM undertook some of these projects in partnership with U.S. geosciences firm Exploration Resources International Geophysics (XRI). When several employees of the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers learned of the work SkyTEM was doing, they were motivated to launch XRI, which provides geophysical investigations, hydrogeologic frameworks, and water resource planning and management to government, oil compa-
nies, municipalities and native communities that want to locate, then either tap in to or protect, their water.
Headquartered in Vicksburg, Miss., XRI employs about 50 geophysicists, engineers, technicians and project managers with expertise in geophysics, geology, hydrology, water resource engineering and management, geospatial applications, and geotechnical engineering.
“The survey is only half of the work,” says Jared Abraham, senior research geophysicist with XRI. Technicians must process the data, adjust calibrations and clean up data where parts of it are obstructed. When obstacles create a gap in the picture, they must delete a section and fill it in by other means such as substituting pictures taken from other angles. They then create an inversion model to display the data in a way that is useful for clients. That could mean a 3D, cubed image or a cross-section showing the subsurface geological variations.
THE COLLABORATION PROCESS
The two companies work together in a turnkey operation, says Brown. “We send out the crew, the equipment, the sensor, the helicopter – everything.”
SkyTEM and XRI consult with clients about how deep they want to map. Together they devise a flight plan. The self-contained apparatus is shipped to the work site, where SkyTEM’s twoperson geophysical crew from Gatineau,
Que., and XRI staff converge. They assemble the pieces into one unit in one to two days then attach the apparatus by hook to the helicopter. A specially trained pilot flies a programmed flight path consisting of parallel lines spaced anywhere from 100 to 200 metres apart. They fly back and forth repeatedly,
Time-domain electromagnetic technology is a fast, economical method for mapping ground water over large areas or areas where land access is limited or difficult.
with the frame about 100 feet above the ground. The crew and XRI staff collect data via computers aboard the helicopter. They stitch the data together and convert that data to a 3D representation of the geology under each flight line.
Beauregard_7x3.25 3/21/06 7:45 AM Page 1
Although it typically takes about six weeks to fully process the data, the company can provide preliminary data
within two days, he says. This is helpful to companies because they can see whether or not there is an aquifer while staff and helicopter are still on site and able to adjust their flight plan if needed.
MAPPING METHODS NOT MUTUALLY EXCLUSIVE
Airborne mapping can work in tandem with well drilling or surface mapping, says Abraham. “We combine the interpretations with wells. We have a well that’s pre-existing or we drill a new well and we test the aquifer’s properties. Then we take those tests, go back to our 3D interpretations of the aquifer. Now we have a volume and a yield.”
A 2014 paper goes further, inviting the Canadian ground water industry to consider applying airborne technology to regions of exploration to supplement existing knowledge. “The hydrogeological settings in large parts of Canada are similar to those in Denmark,” says Andrea Viezzoli of Aarhus Geophysics in Rethink Ground Water Mapping and Management Strategies for Unconventional Hydrocarbons Using Airborne EM. “We suggest that parts of this [AEM] approach can be readily and successfully applied in Canada.”
Whether or not the Danish technology becomes widely used for ground water applications in Canada remains to be seen, but the industry would be wise to watch the skies for it.
GUARD OR KILL SWITCH?
Changes in Quebec prompt safety discussion
June 30 was an important day for well drillers in Quebec: that was the deadline for installing a new emergency-stop system on drills to comply with CSST requirements.
by Carolyn Camilleri
Simon Massé of Puitbec Groupe developed a device to satisfy the requirements of the CSST and allow drillers to work without the auger guard.
Photo courtesy of Simon Massé, Puitbec Groupe
It wasn’t a change to the regulations, something quickly pointed out by Gilles Doyon, executive director of the Association des Entrepreneurs en Forage de Quebec, which represents drillers. “There is absolutely no new regulation about the new emergency-stop system,” says Doyon.
However, not installing the new system could result in a fine under the general regulations of the CSST for having not taken all due measures to protect workers from danger in a sufficient and adequate manner, says Doyon.
So how can non-compliance with a non-existent regulation result in a very real fine? The
new device is a CSST-accepted “exception” to a regulation that no one has followed for years, but has lately been the cause of much discussion and expense.
And no one has discussed it more than Simon Massé of Puitbec Groupe in Victoriaville, Que. A strict reading of the regulations, says Massé, means that any rotating auger must be surrounded by a guard or fencing to prevent someone from falling against or being caught in it.
“Other augers, like those used for diamond drilling, drill very fast and are quite different from ours,” says Massé, adding that in the case of other
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drills, the regulation makes sense. “They have to use a guard, but not us.”
Massé says the guard does not improve safety with water well rigs and makes it impossible to work efficiently.
“No one uses a guard,” says Massé, explaining that, in the past, CSST inspectors understood that water-well drills were different from, say, diamond drills, and life and work carried on in Quebec. Until recently, that is, when a CSST inspector stopped and sealed one of Massé’s rigs.
Darren Juneau, president of the Ontario Ground Water Association (OGWA) and CEO at Aardvark Drilling, calls auger shields a “hot topic” in Ontario as a result of a fatality in Hamilton in October 2008. The tragedy was blamed on the lack of an auger shield, as well as the lack of a wobble switch or spindle brake on the oldermodel drill.
What could have saved the worker: a drill shield or a stopping device?
In Ontario, there is no specific reference to an auger shield. Construction Regulation O. Reg. 213/91, s. 109 reads: “Every gear, pulley, belt, chain, shaft, fly-
wheel, saw and other mechanically operated part of a machine to which a worker has access shall be guarded or fenced so that it will not endanger a worker.”
“My interpretation of the legislation is that to be in compliance, a physical barrier is required to prevent the inadvertent contact of the worker with the drill string,” says Juneau. “A kill system is not sufficient because a worker has to become entangled in the drill string to hit the switch. The legislation is written to prevent a worker from ever getting to that point.”
In B.C., drill guarding is not a legal requirement but it may be a request from clients.
“There is no law requiring drill guarding in B.C.,” says Collin Slade of Drillwell Enterprises in Duncan, B.C. “We have guarding that we use with our augers when requested.”
In Ontario, the drive for string fences or guards was spurred on by engineers and planners rather than the Ministry of Labour (MOL), says Juneau.
“But there was no consensus, so the larger firms demanded they be present or we couldn’t work for them, and the smaller firms bemoaned the 33 per cent
loss of productivity,” he says. “To go one step further, the larger firms differ from office to office, so some offices would be sticklers and send us home if they didn’t like the drill string fence we came up with, and other offices would not like them on site at all!”
That 33 per cent loss in productivity is a sticking point – using the guard adds extra steps.
“There are several operations during the course of drilling which require the guard door to be opened, for example when adding or removing augers, taking samples, etc.,” says Slade. “There is definitely a perception out there that they don’t add a lot of value where the people operating the equipment are properly trained.”
While drill fences reduce productivity by one third, says Juneau, “kill switches alone have a nominal effect on productivity.”
Juneau points out the significant problem of equipment that isn’t manufactured with the safety features because it means installing aftermarket systems.
“At minimum, toggle kill switches should be present to stop the rotation of the drill string should someone become entangled. Guards or fences are also encouraged but as of yet there are no requirements – other than to adhere to the legislation – for the design and upkeep for aftermarket safety add-ons, which can be a safety issue unto itself.”
Juneau says the situations in Quebec and Ontario are similar.
“The equipment manufacturers do not offer physical guarding or fencing for their machines because it is not practical and limits the use of the equipment,” he says. “The MOL– or CSST in Quebec –insists that safety systems are installed but the manufacturers do not produce such a product. So our members are forced to generate their own version of a guard or fence or kill system.”
That is what happened in 2008 the company owner had an auger shield specially designed. Massé did the same by developing a device to satisfy the requirements of the CSST and allow drillers to work without the auger guard. Basically, it is a bar connected to a switch that automatically stops the drill if anything falls against it. For CSST compliance, the device must be
Basically, Massé’s device is a bar connected to a stopping switch (pictured) that automatically stops the drill if anything falls against it.
Photo courtesy of Simon Massé, Puitbec Groupe
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designed, installed, and certified by an engineer and a maintenance procedure must be followed.
“The new system is not a regulation but rather something the CSST will tolerate instead of the old-style auger guard,” says Massé. “What the law requires is a guard for the drill, but it is impossible to work with a guard. We have created the device not because there is a danger but rather to keep [the CSST officers] away from us.”
Slade also questions the value of the guard, saying there is some hesitation because guards potentially introduce the hazard of another pinch point and are another piece of equipment to work around.
“To be clear: although the guard is difficult to work with and doesn’t provide much, if any, additional safety and in certain operations it does need to be removed, it is possible to work with guarding and prevent people from falling into equipment. It is just of questionable value,” says Slade.
2014-08-11 11:39 AM
The cost – whether for auger fences or kill systems – is another concern. Massé says the new stopping system costs between $3,000 and $8,000 per rig, depending on the hydraulic components. The individual companies are paying for it. Of course, the companies can use the auger fencing instead, but because it isn’t standard, that also carries a significant cost.
“On average, our drill fences cost $7,000,” says Juneau, clarifying that he is referring to Aardvark Drilling and not OGWA in general because no data has been collected from members regarding this matter. “[Aardvark] operates 13 drills so I have spent in the neighbourhood of $100k in the last five years addressing this issue.”
Ralph Jacobs of Blue Nose Water
Well Drilling in Lawrencetown, Halifax County, has been watching the activity in Quebec with interest and feels the new system is something all provinces should be considering, particularly if it improves safety.
“So I am saying yes, if it is a safety issue and if the department of labour is involved, then there should be some incentive that every drill rig get this done,” says Jacobs. “But we should be
compensated somehow through a grant or whatever the government can come up with to help us out.”
But what does improve safety?
“Emergency stops are standard safety measures on B.C. drills,” says Slade. “All of our equipment has emergency stops because there is certainly value in them. The ability to stop a piece of equipment is a requirement.”
Most important, says Slade, are proper training and safe work procedures.
Ellaline Davies, president of Safety Works Consulting, says that, in the past, the issue has been around the ability to perform the task and operate the equipment properly.
“Because it is so very difficult to work with the guards, most businesses have relied very heavily on making sure that the operator is very, very well trained,” she says.
A problem Davies identifies with the Quebec situation is that the rules were made carte blanche for all drills. “It would be really, really hard for people doing another kind of drilling if the purpose of the regulation was to take care of one particular sector.”
For Juneau, however, a carte blanche rule would provide direction and level the playing field. “What is acceptable by one company is not acceptable to another company and the same is true for MOL inspectors. You are in compliance one day in part X of the province and non-compliant day two in part Y.”
Because of the challenges in interpretation, there have been calls to create a standardized safety manual — something not easily developed.
“Every single sector wants a onesize-fits-all manual, but everybody does things differently,” says Davies. “Smaller companies of five or less employees are still held to the same standards as the companies with 200 or 500 employees. Obviously it looks very, very different.”
The MOL requires companies have their own manuals. Templates are available that “cover off the umpteen varieties of things that your company might have to have incorporated,” says Anne Gammage, office manager at OGWA.
“The whole purpose behind it is to develop management systems for health and safety,” says Davies. “It is about
making sure that, if something goes wrong, people are not held accountable for things that they didn’t even know were even in their manual.”
Returning to the situation in Quebec, Davies says, “A key part to this and any job is hazard recognition, risk assessment and then putting controls in place.”
Controls that then become regulations.
“Regulations must be practical, effective and accepted by workers and
industries to be effective,” says Slade. “Consultation is critical to ensure the effectiveness and implementation of regulations.”
Carolyn Camilleri has been a writer and editor in Victoria for the past 15 years and now divides her time between Toronto and Vancouver Island, writing for several trade and consumer magazines across the country.
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The Levelogger App Interface uses wireless Bluetooth® technology to communicate to your iOS 7 smart device. Use our Levelogger App Interface and a Solinst Direct Read Cable, to communicate to a downhole Levelogger and email data files right from the field.
CANWELL RECAP
The thirst for knowledge was alive and well in B.C.
Numbers may have been on the low side, but interest in education, networking and drilling equipment was high among CanWell attendees this year.
by Colleen Cross
LEFT: Red Williams’ vintage rig, which he reconstructed over five years and features just one piece left of the original, weathered wood, got many appreciative looks.
RIGHT: Rigs, vintage and new, caught the eye of CanWell-goers in Kelowna. About 300 industry people took in research talks and walked the colourful trade show in early June.
About 300 people in the water well drilling community attended the CanWell conference and trade show in beautiful Kelowna, B.C. The British Columbia Ground Water Association (BCGWA) hosted the conference, which took place at the Delta Okanagan Resort from June 10 to 14, and provided two streams of educational talks: trade and professional/technological. The variety seemed to satisfy association attendees, many of whom said the sessions were informative and thought-provoking.
Dr. Allan Chapman, a hydrologist with
the B.C. Oil & Gas Commission, presented a talk on the professional side entitled “Enhancements in Groundwater Knowledge and Groundwater Management in Northeast British Columbia.” Chapman discussed how the commission’s recently launched Water Information Portal that pools data and displays it using flexible charts and analytical tools to help users understand and apply it.
On the trade side, Jim Bailey, well services director for U.S. consultants Shannon & Wilson, presented a lively description of
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impulse technology, which entails rehabilitating wells by destabilizing the surrounding fines. Bailey, who has worked with Pigati in Berlin on cutting-edge rehabilitation projects, demonstrated how alternating the method’s use with other techniques such as swabbing and surging often delivers more effective results than using the method exclusively.
Perhaps the most talked-about session, with about 50 in attendance, was Thursday’s open discussion about the possibility of forming a new national association. Bruce Ingimundson, president of the BCGWA, said organizers wanted to provide a setting for open discussion on the principle that “if you have seven drillers in the room, you’ll get eight opinions.”
Kevin Constable, former president of the former Canadian Ground Water Association (CGWA), summarized the events leading up to its demise and said he firmly believes there should be a central association and more involvement by members. Constable suggested a two-year rotation between an Ontario and a B.C. president as one way to save on costs and suggested that provinces shouldn’t have to belong to both a provincial and a national association.
Ingimundson asked if a regional association might work and Constable agreed that may be a good way to restart an association as long as it becomes national in scope.
Blaine Matuga, a BCGWA director, expressed concern about low numbers.
John Wilson, former member of the board for the CGWA, said that years ago they started with 30 board members and that was too many. The industry needs an organization that will serve as a lighthouse and revisited the idea of an association of associations, which had been voted down in the past.
“What’s good in B.C. is not necessarily going to fly in Atlantic Canada,” said Wilson. He disagreed with the notion of two-year executive rotation, suggesting two years is barely enough time to get to know the industry.
Rick Cronin, a former director of the CGWA, said there is no one national standard and some of the provinces may need help with certification. He noted that having an association would help prevent governments from taking control.
Colin Slade of Drillwell suggested that video conferencing could be a good option to lower communication costs.
In the end, an informal show of hands indicated those in the room were unanimously in favour of creating a new national body.
Ingimundson was encouraged by the healthy turnout.
“I got the sense that there is a real desire to rebuild an association and to have some kind of link between the provinces. It may take on a different structure and it will probably start on small scale, but the interest is there.”
LABOUR SHORTAGE A HOT TOPIC
Another pressing industry issue was in the spotlight at a June 4 luncheon where Dan Kelly, vice-president of the Canadian Federation of Independent Business, drew on compelling statistics to explore the challenge of a widespread labour shortage.
Everyone is in hiring mode, said Kelly. Seventy-one per cent of business owners are working longer hours. Sixty-eight per
cent of members are drawing poor-quality applicants, in some cases snapping up those who simply show up on time. Twothirds said they hired someone based on such criteria even when not qualified. Many are just getting by, let alone expanding their businesses.
Strategies for overcoming the shortage include emphasizing soft skills such as communications, creating tax incentives, bolstering apprenticeships (for example, looking to apprenticeship success stories, such as those in Germany), freezing employment insurance premiums and taking advantage of the new Canada Job Grant.
VINTAGE AND NEW DRILL RIGS
On the trade show floor at nearby Prospera Place, cool drills and rigs turned heads. A rig built by Henry Peters and Frank Adams in 1971 featured a Wisconsin engine and main mechanical drive unit that came from an early 1950s New Holland hay baler.
Rob Caho, director of sales for Diedrich Drill, drove a shiny red D-50 track drill all the way from Indiana. With a rated depth of 125 to 250 feet, the drill is geared to the environmental geotechnical industries, explained sales associate George Long.
But most will agree Red Williams’ mystery rig stole the show. Williams, who owns Red Williams Drilling, came looking for answers about the vintage rig he bought from a Mr. Hanson in Bracken, Sask., and reconstructed using mostly wood. He suspects the machine, which drilled its last well in Climax, Sask., was built between 1890 and 1910, but would like to know its make, its year and whether or not it is assembled correctly. Readers can contact him with information at red_drilling@shaw.ca.
THE BUZZ
Attendees seemed pleased with the variety of products on display and the breadth of education offered.
Peter Wells and Nathan Maljaars said they enjoyed their first CanWell experience, singling out Craig Nichol’s talk on the hydrogeology of the Okanagan Basin and ongoing UBCO research, and Jim Bailey’s talk on impulse technologies. “It really made me think about the pros and cons of adopting the technology,” said Wells.
David Pye of Red Deer College’s Water Well Driller program said there was a lot of interest in the college’s new Earth Loop Technician program. While second-period dates for the program for 2015-16 have not been finalized, the first term, which begins Nov. 10, is open for registration.
Michael and Heather Friesen of Friesen Drillers in Steinbach, Man., also said they got a lot out of the show, but echoed Dan Kelly’s labour concerns. Michael said their biggest challenge these days is finding workers and they have had to pay more to keep good people once they find them.
With a raft of products and technologies, impressive rigs on display, and opportunities for learning and catching up with friends, CanWell had something for everyone.
Long time driller Ken Slade’s rhetorical comment may have summed it up best: “What don’t I like?”
DRY, DRIER, DRIEST
How ground water is saving California farmland
With farmers losing crops, workers losing jobs, and statewide mandatory conservation, news reports about the California drought present a dire picture that seems to be getting worse by the day.
by Carolyn Camilleri
“The drought is as bad as it can possibly be at this point in time,” says James Famiglietti, senior water scientist and professor at University of California, Irvine. “With minimal rainfall and snow this year and the drought, it’s shaping up to be the worst year since recordkeeping began in the late 1800s.”
Understanding the severity of the situation means first understanding what is normal.
“In an average rainfall year, roughly 40 per cent of the state’s overall water needs are met by ground water,” says Dave Kranz, communication and news division manager for the California Farm Bureau Federation. “In dry years such as this one, that percentage can climb closer to 60 per cent.”
However, the current situation is not just a dry year; Kranz says 2014 is the driest year in recorded California history, coming hard after a winter that was among the driest with two previous sub-par years before that.
“As a result of that, and of environmental regulations that require more water in streams to be dedicated to fisheries protection, the reservoirs that serve our surface-water systems have been drawn down,” says Kranz.
With surface-water deliveries restricted, farmers have turned to ground water as a supplemental supply and, in many cases, that means new wells and deeper wells.
“The backlog of drilling projects has hit an all-time high, with waiting lists ranging
Folsom Lake, one of the reservoirs that serve as a source of water for the local water districts and provides environmental flows on the Lower American River. This photo was taken in January.
Photo courtesy of West Yost Associates
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from three to 18 months, depending on the well depth and production,” says John Hofer, executive director of the California Groundwater Association.
“Since most of the deep wells involve agricultural developments, they make up the majority of the backlogged work.”
With agriculture relying almost exclusively on wells, aquifer storage levels are declining. Though most of the draw is from agriculture, urban areas are also relying more heavily on ground water, says Famiglietti. “Right now we are relying on ground water to provide roughly 75
per cent of our region’s water supply.”
Famiglietti adds that farmers don’t have much choice but to drill wells. “Until we get some better management of ground water resources in place that might slow the rates of decline, short of pulling land out of production or quitting altogether, the individual farmer has limited options.”
The enormity of California’s agricultural sector was revealed in a report released on July 15 from the University of California. It states that the direct cost of the drought to agriculture is $1.5 billion, a huge figure that represents a net revenue loss of three per cent of the state’s total agricultural value. Similarly, 17,100 seasonal and part-time jobs related to agriculture have been lost, representing 3.8 per cent of farm unemployment. And finally, 428,000 acres of irrigated cropland is going out of production due to the drought or five per cent of cropland.
Looked at only as percentages, it appears that California’s agricultural
News reports about the California drought present a dire picture that seems to be getting worse by the day.
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economy is weathering the drought.
“California’s agricultural economy overall is doing remarkably well, thanks mostly to ground water reserves,” said Jay Lund, a co-author of the study and director of the university’s Center for Watershed Sciences. “But we expect substantial local and regional economic and employment impacts.”
While the university’s report indicated that food prices would be “largely unaffected,” this may also be a case of a percentage perspective.
“Water intensive crops like rice, which require flood irrigation, were the first to experience rising prices due to the shortage of water and higher price per acre foot,” says Famglietti. “We can’t grow food without water. I fully expect to see great increases in food prices that will have ripple effects throughout the economies of the North American countries and perhaps beyond.”
Meanwhile, legislation for ground water management is being considered –and what that legislation is going to look like is raising concerns.
Chris Petersen, vice president of the Groundwater Resources Association of California, says that, in general, the CGA supports the concept of local ground water management, recognizing the many success stories among local agencies.
“When you have a local or regional agency that is actively managing the ground water basin, it is the best way to go,” says Petersen. “What we don’t want to have happen is for the state to come in and take that control away from the locals, especially in those basins where the locals are doing a good job managing the resource.”
The state, says Petersen, is never going to have the staff or resources to understand and manage the basins as well as the local agencies. Kranz agrees, saying that the Farm Bureau worries about efforts to impose any sort of statewide regulation because of the great variation among the hundreds of basins in the state.
An issue that both Petersen and Kranz identify is that some areas have not established effective ground water governing agencies.
“It is those basins that are experiencing problems and the problems are much more exaggerated with the drought, and
because of that, there is a need for someone to step in,” says Petersen. “Ideally, it is the local or regional agency stepping up and getting the job done, but without that, it is becoming pretty clear that we need some sort of back stop.”
Petersen says that, for years, the local agencies were united against the state controlling ground water management. Now that there is so much competition for water, some of the local agencies are asking the state to referee. In other areas, ground water stakeholders are asking for help with contamination and water quality problems. Petersen says the GRA is hopeful that, rather than control, the state can provide support, education and even grants to help locals better manage their resources.
But much more is needed.
“Farm Bureau strongly believes ground water problems in California would be minimized if we would deal with a longstanding failure to update the state’s woefully inadequate system for capturing and delivering surface water,” said Danny Merkley, a water policy specialist for the Farm Bureau Federation, in a Farm Bureau report issued on June 25.
Petersen believes new surface infrastructure will help but it isn’t the whole solution. “We need to increase storage for both [surface and ground water] especially in light of climate change,” he says.
Famglietti also discusses climate change. “In the short term, we can only hope for some wet winters over the next few years,” says Famglietti. “In the long term, the best available science points to long-term declines of precipitation and a declining snowpack. Some worst-case scenarios point to a 90 per cent reduction in the Sierra Nevada snowpack by the end of this century, relative to the beginning.”
Considering that outlook, the biggest gain is going to be by increasing ground storage because so much space is available in the aquifers, says Petersen. “But to get that water in there, we need new surface storage and we need to seriously look at re-operating our surface reservoirs so we can capture the water when it is available and get it out into the aquifers.”
Petersen also points to successful projects in southern California where water is being made drinkable using reverse osmosis and desalination. Another area of optimism for Petersen is recycling, which he believes can be used for ground water storage.
And then there’s conservation.
“In California, it is a 20/80 split 20 per cent of the water use is urban and 75 to 80 per cent is agriculture, so the biggest conservation gains are going to come in agriculture,” says Peterson.
“There is no preventing what we call ‘meteorological drought’ which is a result of lack of rain and snowfall,” says Famglietti. “We can only manage our way through these events by conserving and being more efficient and by supplementing with recycled water and reclaimed water.”
And, perhaps, by placing emphasis on the restoration and preservation of the eco-system, which Petersen sees happening now and hopes will be addressed in the legislation.
Carolyn Camilleri has been a writer and editor in Victoria for the past 15 years and now divides her time between Toronto and Vancouver Island, writing for several trade and consumer magazines across the country.
NEW PRODUCTS
EXPLORER WELL INSPECTION SYSTEM
Aries Industries demonstrated its Explorer at this year’s CanWell trade show and ground water conference in B.C. Distributed in Canada by Cubex, the single-operator system inspects and evaluates water wells and other boreholes. The compact unit helps detect borehole integrity problems early, reducing repair costs. In some models, the camera control unit can scan 5,000 feet. Operatorcontrolled focus and iris adjustment are designed to ensure clear images in difficult lighting conditions.
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SUBDRIVE QUICKPAK
Franklin Electric’s SubDrive QuickPAK Constant Pressure Pump Systems with Tri-Seal hydraulics are designed to make installing a constant pressure system easier.
The SubDrive QuickPAK uses variable-frequency technology to provide constant water pressure, delivering more or less water as needed and enabling multiple tasks to be performed simultaneously.
The system includes a submersible pump, motor, and drive, and features NEMA 1 and
NEMA 4 enclosure options. It has diagnostic features and built-in protection from harsh water conditions and is designed to work with new and existing small or large pressure tanks.
Applications include residential water, landscape irrigation, water treatment and geothermal systems.
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MEASURING IN TIGHT SPACES
Solinst Model 102 Water Level Meters are designed to be an economical option for measuring water levels in narrow places.
The meters use narrow coaxial cable and segmented probes to measure water levels in tight spaces. The model offers flexibility in angled piezometers and assists in bypassing downhole restrictions or pumps when measuring drawdown. There is a choice between two slim-diameter probe designs with segmented weights. The heavier 3/8 inch brass P2 Probe is ideal for deeper applications.
The cable has a tough polyethylene jacket with laser markings each 1/100 ft. or each millimetre. The braided copper outer conductor is designed to provide flexibility. The stainless steel central conductor aims to reduce stretch and resists corrosion. The Model 102M Mini Water Level Meter comes with 80 ft. (25 m) of cable on a small portable reel.
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CLEANING AGENT IDEAL FOR COLD TEMPERATURES
Jet-Lube is looking to distribute Sterilene, a chlorine substitute, in Canada.
Because Sterilene is not a dangerous good, there are no air transportation issues, making it an ideal product for remote areas such as the Canadian North. It is certified to NSF 60, easily mixed even in cold water and can be used
with all drilling fluids at 10 to 50 parts per million without breaking down viscosity.
Also, it requires no premixing to control pH, is easily mixed even in cold water, produces no corrosive fumes and does not corrode mix tanks. It degrades in six to nine months and has no harmful reactions with other chemicals.
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NEW CANADIAN RESOURCE ON GROUND WATER
Alfonso Rivera, chief hydrogeologist of the Geological Survey of Canada, has written a new resource on ground water Canada’s Groundwater Resources synthesizes knowledge about ground water. It provides a science-based overview and a collective understanding of the ground water resources in Canada to support their
sustainable use and protection. The reference work is aimed at libraries, researchers, teachers and students and professionals interested in ground water.
It is a multi-author book featuring the views of ground water specialists from across Canada.
“Here in Canada, we do not know the ratio between available surface freshwater resource (all rivers and lakes), and groundwater in aquifers, although we believe there is more groundwater than surface water, as with the rest of the world,” said Rivera in a release. “Should this hypothesis be confirmed, the consequences would be enormous, making groundwater a strategic resource in coping with climate change, droughts,
and pollution.”
Rivera designed and implemented the Geological Survey of Canada’s Groundwater Program and was its manager from 2002 to 2012. Adjunct professor at INRS-ETE and Université de Laval, he has specialized in ground water modelling, hydrogeology of radioactive waste repositories, modelling-coupled hydromechanical processes associated with land subsidence, solute transport, management of water resources, assessment of groundwater and aquifers at regional scales.
The book is available from Fitzhenry and Whiteside at a cost of $150. www.fitzhenry.ca
Improving Underperformers
How to maximize the potential of your staff
by Alex Gallacher
What is the best way to improve employees who are not performing to their potential? You first need to know what is going on with the particular employee. Is there anything else going on in their job, the work environment, with co-workers, with a supervisor, or, more broadly, in their life that is precluding them from performing?
Let’s face it, most people don’t wake up in the morning and think to themselves: “How do I steal from my employer by doing a lousy job?” The reason for this is that people normally associate feelings of safety with remaining employed. This is normally not assured with blatant or continuing underperformance on their part.
If you can alleviate or improve upon whatever is hampering your apparent underperformer’s work, the problem is often resolved quickly. Having worked with hundreds of small to midsized employers since 2004, we know this can involve many factors.
This is not about excuses. It is about understanding what is really going on in order to truly help enable employee performance. This is also not about prying too deeply into an employee’s personal life. Instead, it is about asking, respectfully and supportively, how you can help remove potential barriers to their individual performance.
The difference between success and failure here is often driven by your approach. Help is usually accepted; blame is usually deflected. As a bonus, helpful employers usually end up earning the trust and respect of their employees, the Number 1 driver of their, and increasingly your, performance. If, after understanding what is really going on with a particular employee, you still believe it is a performance problem, ask them how you might be able to help them perform better in their job? Nicely, calmly, usually privately, while taking notes, ask them: “How could we as an organization, or me as a leader here, enable you to perform better in your role?”
Listen carefully to their responses, and let them come back to you if they want to think about it for a day or two. Maybe they need some training, coaching, mentoring, support, tools, safety gear, ventilation, or potentially something else.
Finally, if and when you and/or your qualified human resources consultant has completed the diagnostic work required to determine that there is an actual individual performance problem, then, and only then, should you consider additional action.
For a typical small to mid-sized employer, this will involve a progressive discipline process as laid out in your HR policies and procedures documentation, tied back to their employment agreement. This normally starts with a verbal warning, working through one or more written warnings, moving up to a formal performance improvement plan, and failing improvement, potential termination, normally “without cause” in a legal sense. Pay in lieu of notice, statutory severance, career transition and common-law considerations should all be contemplated. In reality, these parting goodies, as they are often viewed, are to provide a bridge for the employee as they work to find their next employer. You are also covering off some of their basic physiological and safety needs in the process. Don’t begrudge them: it’s wasted energy. We recommend you pay up and move on.
Alex Gallacher CHRP, SHRP is managing director of ENGAGE HR™. He can be reached at www.engagehr.com. Do you have workplace questions? The Human Resources Professionals Association’s (HRPA) EZ HR small business HR service connects you with Human Resources information to get the most from your team, as well as Employment Practices Liability insurance to protect your business from employment- or discriminationrelated allegations against you or your firm. For details, go to www.hrpa.ca/EZHR.
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Woodford Model Y34 Freezeless Yard Hydrant
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