August 17, 2026
This week’s photo is courtesy of Stewart Brothers Drilling Co.- Milan, NM, USA
Safety Focus
Part 1 of 4: Site Safety Foundations
In 2024, 5,070 workers did not come home from the job. Construction and extraction occupations accounted for 1,032 of those fatalities. Put another way, the Bureau of Labor Statistics counted one work-related death every 104 minutes.
Well drilling and pump work puts us around the exact hazards that drive these unfortunate numbers: heavy equipment in motion, loads overhead, high-pressure lines, and a number of other hazards. Struck-by incidents alone are the leading cause of nonfatal injuries in construction and the second-leading cause of death, and NIOSH has published guidance specifically on preventing drill rig overturns. Often times, the biggest hazard is the ordinary work we have done over and over again. Complacency is always a concern on the job-site.
That is the whole point of this week, and of a daily safety habit. OSHA's general provisions for construction (29 CFR 1926, Subpart C) put the duty plainly: the employer must run a safety program with frequent and regular job-site inspections by a competent person. Not an annual review. Frequent and regular. The standard assumes hazards change by the day and the site, because they do.
This is also where our study series begins. Before we get to aquifer math, screens, and pumps, we start on the ground we all stand on and making sure we all go home safely to our families. The certification bodies of knowledge treat site safety as foundational for the same reason.
Here is the week ahead: Tomorrow we name the top hazard categories on a rig site so you know what you are looking for. Wednesday we build a pre-task hazard assessment you can run in two minutes. Thursday we make it a crew standard, so it holds up when you are tired, behind schedule, and it is -20 or 100+ degrees.
Key Takeaways:
• Construction and extraction work remains among the deadliest in the country: 1,032 occupational deaths in 2024.
• The hazards that kill are usually routine, not rare. Familiarity is the risk.
• OSHA 1926 Subpart C calls for frequent, regular job-site inspection by a competent person, not a once-a-year check.
• This week builds one habit: an efficient, repeatable hazard check before the task starts.
Sources:
• NIOSH: Preventing Drill Rig Overturns
Knowledge Share
Part 1 of 4: The Path to Success
Starting today, the Knowledge Share becomes something more deliberate. For the next 52 weeks, we are walking together through the full body of knowledge behind the water well industry's professional certifications: the hydraulics and geology of aquifers, well construction, screens and filter packs, pumps, water quality, and the standards that govern the work.
Whether you are pursuing a certification through your state program, a rural water or water systems association, a national body, or you just want to sharpened the skills you already have, we intent to provide the information and resources needed to succeed.
To accomplish this goal we have created a specific layout. We move in domains. We start with groundwater and aquifer fundamentals, then build into aquifer hydraulics and the math that predicts yield and drawdown. From there: well design and construction, screens and filter packs, pumps and hydraulics, water quality and treatment, and the governing standards. Each week is a four-part short course, Monday through Thursday, that builds day to day. Some Tuesdays carry a Formula Spotlight, where we take one working equation and make it usable, not just printable.
One promise about the sources: Every figure and standard we cite, you will be able to trace. The linked sources are not decoration. They are there for reference and continued studying, if needed.
This week is structured as an orientation. Tomorrow we discuss groundwater in the water cycle. Wednesday we define the aquifer types you will be expected to know. Thursday we talk about how we recommend you study this, and we will discuss a few common misconceptions worth unlearning early.
What this means for your study plan: skim the road map above, and decide if and how you will keep your notes over the next year. The readers who treat this like a course, not a newsletter, will get the most from it. Also, keep in mind that each newsletter is stored as a resource at https://dailydrop.waterwellresource.com/archive, where you can do a key word search.
Sources:
• NGWA: Contractor Certification Program
Industry Update
NGWA Names It’s 2026 Award Recipients
The National Ground Water Association has announced its 2026 Awards of Excellence, project awards, and sectional awards, and the list is worth a look. It is a snapshot of who is moving our trade forward.
The Ross L. Oliver Award, NGWA's highest honor, goes to Jason House, LG, PG, for a career of contributions to the groundwater field. Mark Scharenbroich of Hydro Resources earned a Special Recognition Award; John Fowler of National EWP will receive the Individual Safety Advocate Award; and many others will be recognized for their contributions to our industry.
On the project side, REGENESIS was recognized for an in-situ PFAS barrier protecting a public water supply at a former fire-training site in Massachusetts, a reminder of how much groundwater work now runs through PFAS.
Every honoree will be recognized in December at Groundwater Week in Las Vegas.
Congratulations to everyone on the list.
Industry Events
Event Spotlight: AGWT Mid-Atlantic and the Carolinas Groundwater Conference
The American Ground Water Trust brings its regional program to Richmond this week, Tuesday and Wednesday, August 18 and 19. AGWT conferences are built for working professionals: hydrogeologists, drillers, engineers, and water managers in one room, trading practical knowledge on supply, quality, and management across the region. If you are within driving distance of central Virginia and want two days of CE-eligible sessions plus the kind of hallway conversations that actually move a project forward, this is a well-timed stop.
AGWT: Mid-Atlantic and the Carolinas Groundwater Conference
August 18 to 19, 2026; Richmond, VA
Information and Registration: AGWT Mid-Atlantic and the Carolinas
Also This Week and Beyond:
NGWA: Hydrogeology of States Webinar, Maine
August 26, 2026; Virtual Attendance
Information and Registration: NGWA Hydrogeology of States: Maine
NGWA: Advancing Women in Groundwater
August 27, 2026; Virtual Attendance
Information and Registration: NGWA Advancing Women in Groundwater
AWWA: Water Infrastructure Conference and Exposition
August 30 to September 2, 2026; Indianapolis, IN
Information and Registration: AWWA Water Infrastructure Conference
National Drilling Association: Drill Expo
September 17 to 18, 2026; Nashville, TN
Information and Registration: NDA Drill Expo
NGWA: Groundwater Week 2026
December 8 to 10, 2026; Las Vegas, NV
Information and Registration: NGWA Groundwater Week
If you have a conference, symposium, workshop, or water well related event that you would like mentioned, contact us at [email protected]
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Work Hard. Work Smart. Stay Safe!
