October 10, 2026
This week’s photo is courtesy of- GeoLog, LLC, Cottonwood, AZ, USA.
Health Focus
Part 2 of 2: Your Skin
Do not become the second victim. Merck warns that rescuers "should not try to disengage anyone entangled in power lines (whether of high or low voltage) until the power is shut off." For an overhead line, Mayo Clinic says to stay at least 20 feet (about 6 meters) away until professionals cut the power. Call 911.
Breathing before burns. As we discussed last week, current through the chest can stop the heart. If the person is unresponsive and not breathing, or only gasping, the American Heart Association says to assume cardiac arrest: call 911 and start chest compressions right away. Use an AED if one is on site. The burn can wait. A stopped heart cannot.
Then care for the burn. Mayo Clinic's steps for a serious burn:
• Gently take off jewelry, belts, or tight clothing near the burn before swelling starts.
• Loosely cover the area with a clean, dry cloth or sterile gauze.
• Raise the burned area above heart level if you can.
• Do not use butter, toothpaste, or oil, and do not pop blisters.
Know when it is a burn center case. The American Burn Association's 2025 referral guidelines call for immediate burn center consultation, with transfer considered, for all electrical injuries of 1,000 volts or more. Injuries under 1,000 volts should still get a consultation and possible burn center follow-up to screen for delayed symptoms and vision problems. Tell the ER the voltage. It changes how they treat you.
Watch for what shows up later. Merck notes that nerve, psychological, and physical problems can appear 1 to 5 years after an electrical injury. Report the incident and keep the paperwork.
Prevention starts with what you wear. OSHA's rule for power line workers bans clothing "that could melt onto his or her skin or that could ignite and continue to burn" near flames or electric arcs, and it names acetate, nylon, polyester, rayon, and polypropylene. That rule covers utility crews, not well drilling, but it is a good guide for anyone working around panels and live equipment.
Key Takeaways:
• Power off first, then check breathing. CPR and an AED come before burn care.
• Cover the burn loosely, take off rings and tight items, and do not use home remedies.
• Injuries of 1,000 volts or more get burn center consultation.
• Synthetic clothing can melt into a burn. Avoid it around arc hazards.
Sources:
• Merck Manual Professional Version: Electrical Injuries
• Mayo Clinic: Electrical Shock: First Aid
• American Heart Association: 2025 Adult Basic Life Support Guidelines
• Mayo Clinic: Burns: First Aid
• American Burn Association: Guidelines for Burn Patient Referral
Industry Updates
Binational Study Maps the Shared Santa Cruz Aquifer
On September 25, the U.S. and Mexican Sections of the International Boundary and Water Commission released a 233-page binational study of the transboundary Santa Cruz Aquifer, which straddles the Arizona and Sonora border. Fifteen authors from the USGS, Mexico's National Water Commission (CONAGUA), the University of Arizona Water Resources Research Center, and the Universidad de Sonora pulled together data from both countries on climate, geology, surface water and groundwater, water quality, land use, and water use. The study also names the remaining knowledge gaps and future research priorities.
Why it matters to well professionals: an aquifer does not stop at a border, and the planning works best when the data does not either. A shared, binational data set on the basin's geology, water, and water use gives drillers, hydrogeologists, and water managers in the Santa Cruz basin a common starting point, and the study's list of knowledge gaps shows where better data is still needed.
Chile Rewrites How It Judges a New Well Near an Old One
Chile's national water agency, the Dirección General de Aguas (DGA), issued Resolution 2903 in September to simplify how water-rights applications are processed. Obvious clerical or factual errors that do not change who is applying or what is being requested can no longer, by themselves, sink an application; the agency must fix them or ask the applicant to. Rejection is reserved for defects in an essential requirement that cause serious harm or confusion. For groundwater, the bigger change involves well protection areas, the zone around an existing well where a new well needs the neighbor's permission. Under the resolution, that permission is required only when it is beyond doubt that the new well falls inside the existing well's protection area. Before requiring it, the agency must verify coordinates, datum conversions, and the actual physical location of the wells.
Why it matters to well professionals: the documentation lesson applies here too. Where a well sits on paper and where it sits on the ground can be two different places, and a datum mix-up can move a well by a long way. Accurate GPS coordinates, with the datum recorded on the well log, protect your client's water right and settle disputes before they start.
Industry Events
Event Highlight: Ohio Water Well Association Annual Convention and Working Tradeshow
The Ohio Water Well Association brings water well contractors, manufacturers, suppliers, and industry professionals from across the state to the Cherry Valley Hotel in Newark for two days in early November. The association describes the convention as a place for education, new products, valuable conversations, and industry connections. The NGWA industry calendar lists it as the association's Annual Convention and Working Tradeshow. Registration is open now on the association's website.
Ohio Water Well Association: 2026 Annual Convention and Working Tradeshow
November 4 to 5, 2026; Newark, Ohio
Information and Registration: Ohio Water Well Association Events
South Carolina Ground Water Association: Fall Meeting Beach Blast and Trade Show
October 23 to 24, 2026; Myrtle Beach, South Carolina
Information and Registration: SCGWA Fall Meeting Details
Oregon Ground Water Association: 2026 Fall Convention
October 23 to 24, 2026; Redmond, Oregon
Information and Registration: OGWA 2026 Fall Convention
Southwest Section AWWA: 2026 Annual Conference
October 25 to 27, 2026; Bossier City, Louisiana
Information and Registration: SWAWWA Annual Conference
National Ground Water Association: Groundwater Week 2026
December 8 to 10, 2026; Las Vegas, Nevada
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]
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