July 21, 2026
This week’s photo is courtesy of Armadrill- Zapopan, Jalisco, MX.
Safety Focus
Part 2 of 4: Hand Tool Safety & Cleaning: Recognize
If you need help deciding when a hand tool should be removed from service and replaced, OSHA flags three clear failure points, and there is a fourth worth adding. A “mushroomed” head on a chisel or drift pin can throw a steel chip the instant it is struck. A wrench whose jaws have sprung open will slip under load, right when you are pulling hard. A cracked or loose wooden handle lets the head fly. And a dull edge is not the safe one; it is the one that needs extra force and skates off the work. Three of the four items line up with OSHA’s hand‑tool requirements for impact tools, wrenches, and wooden handles.
Key Takeaways
• Four defects cover most hand-tool injuries: mushroomed head, sprung jaws, bad handle, dull edge. But we all know there are more.
• A dull tool is more dangerous, not less. Ensure the tool is in good working condition so it can do the job it is intended to do, and do it properly.
• If you can see the defect, the tool is already out of service.
Sources:
• OSHA: 1926.301 Hand Tools
Industry Update
Data Centers Push Cedar Rapids to Bank Water Underground
With Google and QTS data centers coming online, Cedar Rapids, IA is drilling an Aquifer Storage and Recovery (ASR) well to stay ahead of demand. The idea is simple: when demand is low, the city injects treated drinking water into the Jordan Aquifer roughly 1,500 feet down and pumps it back out during peak summer months. It works like an underground reservoir and gives the utility a buffer when river conditions or nitrate levels make surface treatment harder. About 70 percent of the city’s treated water already serves industry, so that reserve matters.
Sources:
• The Gazette: Cedar Rapids to Drill Deep to Safeguard Water Supply
Knowledge Share
Part 2 of 4: Vertical Line-Shaft Turbine Pumps 101: The Parts
The quickest way to understand a line‑shaft turbine is to set it next to the submersible you saw last week. Both stack impellers to build head. The difference is the motor. On a submersible, the motor sits at the very bottom, close‑coupled below the pump and running underwater. On a line‑shaft turbine, the motor sits at the surface on the discharge head, and a long line shaft carries power down through the column pipe to the bowls. That one choice drives everything else: how you service it, how you operate it, and how you protect the equipment.
What this means for your operation: If a motor is likely to need service, or the site wants engine drive or specialty drivers at grade, the surface‑motor layout pays off in accessibility and options.
Sources:
• Wilo (Hydraulic Institute reference): Vertical Turbine Pump Basics
Industry Events
South Atlantic Jubilee
July 25-27, 2026; Myrtle Beach, SC
Information and Registration: South Atlantic Jubilee
National Water Resources Association: Western Water Seminar
August 3-6, 2026; Boise, ID
Information and Registration: NWRA: Western Water Seminar
NGWA: Darcy Lecture, Groundwater Recharge Regimes Are in Flux
August 4, 2026; Virtual Attendance, 1:00 to 2:00 p.m. ET
Information and Registration: NGWA Event Calendar
NGWA Webinar: Data Centers and Groundwater
August 5, 2026; Virtual Attendance, 1:00 to 1:30 p.m. ET
Information and Registration: NGWA Event Calendar
American Ground Water Trust: Mid-Atlantic and the Carolinas Groundwater Conference
August 18-19, 2026; Richmond, VA
Information and Registration: AGWT: Mid-Atlantic Conference
NGWA: Advancing Women in Groundwater, Conversations That Connect
August 27, 2026; Virtual Attendance, 2:00 to 3:00 p.m. ET
Information and Registration: NGWA: Advancing Women in Groundwater
NGWA: Groundwater Week 2026
December 8-10, 2026; Las Vegas, NV
Information and Registration: NGWA Groundwater Week 2026
If you have a conference, symposium, workshop, or water well related event that you would like mentioned, contact us at [email protected]
Work Hard. Work Smart. Stay Safe!
