July 30, 2026
This week’s photo is courtesy of A.C. Schultes- MD, VA, DE, DC, WV, USA
Safety Focus
Part 4 of 4: Working From Heights: Implement
The last step turns gear and rules into a standard the crew actually runs: write the fall plan before anyone climbs, inspect gear before every use, and have a rescue plan you can execute yourselves. Suspension trauma moves fast, and 911 is not a plan. OSHA requires this training (1926.503), and if your crews cross between mine and non-mine sites, train to the stricter practice so the habit doesn't change with the gate you drive through. The goal is simple: the safe move is the same move, every site, every day.
Key Takeaways
• A plan made before the climb beats a judgment call made during it.
• Training is required, not optional (1926.503).
• Train to the stricter standard so the safe habit holds on every site.
Sources:
• OSHA: 1926.503 Training Requirements
Industry Update
A Look Abroad: Wales Declares Drought as Groundwater Keeps Falling
For a change of scope, look across the Atlantic. On July 23, Natural Resources Wales declared drought status across catchments in North and mid Wales (the first drought declaration anywhere in the UK this summer) and confirmed groundwater levels are still declining.
Why run a Welsh story in a US drilling newsletter? Because the pattern is one plenty of American crews already know from the West: when surface water thins out, attention turns underground, and groundwater becomes the buffer that carries a region through. Prolonged drought tends to pull demand toward deepening, replacement, and rehabilitation work, along with the monitoring that tracks a falling water table. Different country, same physics: the water table is the shock absorber, and it only absorbs so much before someone has to drill.
Sources:
• Welsh Government: Written Statement: Dry Weather, Drought and Water Resources in Wales
• Natural Resources Wales: Dry Weather Blog 2026
Knowledge Share
Part 4 of 4: Filter Pack Materials: What to Check Before You Order
Close the week at the order desk. As suppliers in the field emphasize, the right filter pack should come from the formation, the well design, and long-term performance goals, not from grabbing a standard aggregate. Here's the seven-point checklist before the PO goes out, with the ASCE Hydraulics of Wells manual, AWWA A100-20, and the Roscoe Moss Handbook of Ground Water Development as the references worth keeping on the shelf for the deeper design math.
What to check before you order: Formation first, then ratio, uniformity, material, standards, slot, and thickness. Seven checks before the PO.
Sources:
• Dr. Dennis E. Williams: Modern Techniques in Well Design
Industry Events
NGWA: Data Centers and Groundwater (Member Webinar)
August 5, 2026 · Virtual Attendance
Information and Registration: NGWA Event Registration
NGWA: Darcy Lecture, Groundwater Recharge Regimes Are in Flux
August 4, 2026 · Virtual Attendance
Information and Registration: NGWA Event Registration
National Drilling Association: 2026 Drill Expo
September 17–18, 2026 · Nashville, TN
Information and Registration: NDA Drill Expo Details
NGWA: Meeting the Challenges of Groundwater in Fractured Rock
September 21–22, 2026 · Burlington, VT
Information and Registration: NGWA Conference Details
Washington State Ground Water Association: Fall Convention
October 2–3, 2026 · Kennewick, WA
Information and Registration: WSGWA Fall Convention
California Groundwater Association: Annual Convention
October 6–8, 2026 · Reno, NV
Information and Registration: CGA Convention Details
NGWA: Groundwater Week 2026 (Pinned Anchor)
December 8–10, 2026 · Las Vegas, NV
Information and Registration: 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!
