July 22, 2026
This week’s photo is courtesy of Armadrill- Zapopan, Jalisco, MX.
Safety Focus
Part 3 of 4: Hand Tool Safety & Cleaning: Apply
Recognizing a bad tool is step one. Step two is a habit: a quick, same-every-time inspection before the tool goes to work. Run your eye and hand over the handle, looking for cracks, splinters, and any wobble where the head meets it. Check the striking face for mushrooming or rolled-over metal. Check jaws and edges. A wrench should sit true. Keep cutting tools sharp. Then wipe it down, because grease and grit hide the very defects you are looking for and make the tool slip in your hand. Anything that fails goes to the tag-out step, not back in the box.
Key Takeaways
• Same check, every time, before use.
• Cleaning is part of the inspection, not a chore for later.
• When in doubt, tag it out and take it out of service.
Sources:
• OSHA: 1926.301 Hand Tools
Industry Update
Fervo Drills a Record Geothermal Well: Deeper and Hotter
Fervo Energy set a company record at its Cape Station project in Utah, drilling Sawtooth 7 well from spud to total depth in 21 days. What makes it notable is not just the speed. That same 21 days pace now reaches 19,448 feet with a 7,500-foot lateral in 460-degree (F) Resource. Fervo's first commercial well in 2022 took 70 days to reach 11,220 feet. That is the learning curve the whole drilling trade watches: faster, deeper, hotter, on roughly the same clock.
Sources:
• Fervo Energy: Learning Curve Continues on 3rd-Generation Well Design
Knowledge Share
Part 3 of 4: Vertical Line-Shaft Turbine Pumps 101: Apply
The line shaft has to spin true for years, so bearing lubrication matters. A water-lubricated shaft is open, with the bearings riding on pumped water. It is simpler and works best in shallower sets with clean, sand-free water. An oil-lubricated shaft runs inside an enclosing tube, fed with oil from the top, which helps keep grit off the bearings. That is the better choice for deeper sets, higher speeds, or water carrying sand. Pick the wrong one for a sandy well and you will be pulling the pump early.
What to check before you order: Match the lubrication to the depth and the sand content, not to habit or preference.
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!
