June 2006 BCGWA Newsletter This Newsletter is published quarterly, March, June, September and December by the B.C. Ground Water Association. For more information please contact: Executive Secretary, Joan Perry, 1708 - 197 A Street, Langley, B. C. V2Z 1K2. Phone or Fax: 604-530-8934. BCGWA Website address: www.bcgwa.org BCGWA e.mail address: secretary.bcgwa@shaw.ca ____________________________________________________________________________ President's Address Summer is here and with it is the annual residential construction and development boom, this coupled with the high prices in metals and coal, have it looking like another banner year for the drilling and pumping industries. I hope that everyone is taking advantage of the high demand for your services to ensure that you are getting fair value for your work. Don't forget that the cost of fuel and steel has gone up dramatically. Some contractors have talked about adding a fuel surcharge to their work. This is an option, but gives the impression that it will fluctuate with the cost of fuels, upward or downward. We have chosen to keep things simple, and have raised our price to $20 per ft. for local rock drilling and $40 per foot for local cased drilling, and $500 for a bentonite surface seal. We do not honestly expect to see fuel prices drop any time soon, so expect to see the cost of "going down", keep going up. I have attended a number of functions and meetings on behalf of the BCGWA in the past few months. The first was the BC Water and Waste Association conference in Whistler. This was a huge production with a hundred displayers, more than 20 speakers, and more than a thousand delegates. We shared a free booth with the BCWWA, but the location was not great in that it was in the entranceway. Most of the traffic we had was from people lining up to register. Scott your Vice-President was there for part of the time, but if it were not for the presence of Tammy Blair from the MOE, our booth would have attracted considerably less attention. I also attended the Canadian Groundwater Association convention in PEI with my father Ken. Joan and Walter Perry were there, as was Remi Allard, Jim Fyfe, Bill Williams, Lloyd Ingram and Gary Moore and several other delegates from BC. This was an excellent event in all regards, and a real eye opener as to what might be coming for our industry. All across Canada it seems, the geo-exchange industry is accounting for larger and larger shares of the drilling, pump installing, and hydro-geological engineering fields. Some large contractors report that close to 50% of their growing business is geo-exchange related, when 10 years ago is was almost zero. In the last 5 years the reported efficiency of ground source heat pumps has increased by 30%. When this is considered with the ever increasing cost of energy, it is only a matter of time until geo-source becomes the best choice, even with our mild climate and tough drilling conditions. At this event, Jim Fyfe, one of our past presidents, and our director for the Canadian Ground Water Association was confirmed as President of the CGWA for a two year term. Congratulations Jim, and good luck. Other items of interest are meetings with the MOE and Ground Water Advisory Board to discuss funding and matters related to training and education of drillers, pump installers, and engineers/hydrologists. Also talks and meetings with the Industry Training Authority (ITA), in regards to the future of the Well Driller trade designation, and the changes needed to keep it alive. We may be looking at some changes that would allow for more than one level of journeyman Well Driller, as well as the possibility of having distance-learning options instead of having to go to Red Deer College in Alberta. They are also open to the creation of a Pump Technicians trade designation. I will hopefully have some more news on this by the end of the summer. The last news item that I would like to mention is the hiring of our new Managing Director. Gilles Wendling of GW Solutions has taken on the position on a part time paid basis. He has been quite busy so far, and has already begun planning the next convention and AGM. He has initiated contact with industry players in the Yukon, and is working with the MOE, and Agriculture Canada to set up some geological classification, GPS use, and well log completion, training seminars. I believe that we as an association have reached the point where paid help in addition to Joan Perry's dedicated work is needed to keep us growing and moving forward. And I believe Gilles is more than qualified to fill this position. Thank you Gilles for taking on this position, and I look forward to seeing the fruits of your labour. I will be away for the month of July working with my wife Kelly and 16 year old daughter at a school complex in Tanzania Africa. We don't know yet what the work will be, but hopefully I will be able to make use of some of my water related knowledge. I will share the highlights in the next newsletter. In the meantime, if you have any issues or concerns, you can talk to Scott Schillereff, Joan Perry, and/or Gilles Wendling. In closing I would like to wish everyone a safe summer. This wish is highlighted by the fact that while following the instructions of a field technician, one of our rigs tried to drill through a high voltage power feed under a large building complex. Luckily the bit slid off the side of the concrete protecting the buried cable. Please make sure that your clients understand that underground services MUST be located without exception when drilling in developed areas. We never want to have to report tragic news resulting from drilling encounters with buried services. Try to find the time to enjoy some of our great summer weather, it won't be long before the snow flies again. Best Regards David Slade, BCGWA President ***** An Update on Ryan's Foundation - 7 years and going strong After listening to 7 year old Ryan Hreljac's talk at CanWell 2004, the BCGWA had asked for donations with proceeds going to Ryan's Well Foundation. We were able to send in a total of $935.00. This money will be used to help support a project that they are working on in Uganda. To date, they have built 201 wells in 10 different countries, bringing clean water to over 350,000 people. They are currently looking at future projects for 2006 in countries like Tanzania, Ghana, Ethiopia and India. Ryan knows there is still a lot of work to do and has many more projects and speeches planned for this year. He promises to keep working hard to raise money for clean water and wants to see everyone working together so that one day there will be peace and clean water for everyone! Ryan's Well Foundation has raised over $1,100,000 since March of 2001. ***** Too Honest Overheard at a job interview… Employer: "in this job, we need someone who is responsible." Applicant: "I'm the one you want. On my last job, every time something went wrong, they said I was responsible." ***** Due Diligence Giving diligence its due. It's not just a buzzword. Due diligence is an important part of your occupational health and safety program. So how do you practice it? Due diligence. You may have heard that phrase tossed about recently, but what does it mean? And why should you be practicing it? Not just a couple of words to be used by lawyers, due diligence is something everyone in your workplace must practice as part of an effective occupational health and safety (OHS) program. Taking proper precautions "Due diligence" simply means taking reasonable care to protect the well-being of employees or co-workers. To meet the standard of due diligence, you must take all precautions that are reasonable in the circumstances so that you can carry out your work and meet your health and safety responsibilities. For example, if your employees work around toxic fumes, due diligence would likely include providing respiratory protection. In an average office setting, that same level of protection would obviously be excessive and not part of due diligence. It all comes down to this: if you're putting your workers in unsafe circumstances without practicing due diligence, you're putting your employees - and your company - at risk. While no one can anticipate every situation, you should develop an OHS program that takes into consideration your company's particular hazards. While each workplace has different needs, all OHS programs should be comprehensive, regularly updated, and targeted to control specific hazards. The greater the risk, the greater the need for policies and safe work practices tailored to your workplace. Not every job requires handling hazardous chemicals, for example, but there are inherent risks in every workplace and your OHS program should address them. Here are some solid reasons for practicing due diligence: · Prevent injuries - making due diligence part of your OHS program just makes sense. The time to practice due diligence is not after an accident, but before it happens. · Form the basis of a legal defence - If someone is injured at your workplace and your company is prosecuted, you could prevent some legal headaches if you can prove that you took all reasonable precautions to prevent injury. · Avoid potential fines - If you're written up for a safety infraction, WorkSafeBC is less likely to impose fines or penalties if your OHS program adheres to WorkSafe BC standards, as outlined in the Workers Compensation Act and Occupational Health and Safety Regulation. Keep proper documents, including your OHS plan, training records, and incident reports, to show that you took reasonable care to prevent injuries. Everyone plays a role Everyone on the job is responsible for safety, but it's up to the employer to ensure that an OHS program is in place and in practice, including training for new employees and ongoing education for the entire team to ensure they're up to speed. If you have a well-written OHS program but no one knows about it, what good will it be in preventing injuries and incidents? A large part of due diligence is preparation, for you and your staff. Assign specific responsibilities to your managers and supervisors and make sure they're comfortable with your OHS program. After all, their safety is in their own hands as well as yours. Online resources For more information on how to achieve due diligence, check out the following online resources: · Effective Health and Safety Programs: The Key to a Safe Workplace and Due Diligence www.worksafebc.com/publications/health_and_safety/by_topic/assets/pdf/due_diligence.pdf · Comprehensive due diligence checklist www2.worksafebc.com/PDFs/common/due_dil_checklist.pdf Allison Markin WorkSafe Magazine July/August 2006 ***** Condolences Sincere sympathy is sent to the family of Al Goudreau. Al passed away on March 15 at the age of 52 years after a courageous battle with cancer. Al is survived by his wife Terry and children Edouard and Christa as well as four grandchildren. Al was a member of the B. C. Ground Water Association and was employed at Rice Engineering & Operating Ltd. in Edmonton. He will be missed by everyone in the industry. The BCGWA sends their condolences to the Goudreau family. ***** CanWell 2006 I was very lucky to have attended the CanWell Convention in Charlottetown, PEI. There was an excellent representation from B.C. and it was great to see so many familiar faces from other provinces. The show was well attended. The booth area was always busy and the 3 rigs parked outside were drawing plenty of attention. Interesting meetings and an outdoor demonstration were all well attended. Excellent entertainment, lobster dinner and a terrific spousal program kept us all busy. I must say though, I have never seen potatoes served in so many ways. From potato fish cakes, potato pie and potato parfait, we had it all and it all was delicious. I even bought a potato mug for a souvenier! Congratulations to the Maritimes for putting on such an excellent CanWell and for the wonderful hospitality shown. ***** Employment - Hydrogeologist needed We are looking for an intermediate to senior level Hydrogeologist for our Kamloops office. Contact: Leslie Hayes Kala Groundwater Consulting Ltd. 1314 McGill Road Kamloops, B. C. V2C 6N6 Ph: 250-372-9194 Fax: 250-372-9398 ***** Regional Map Attached is a map of the regions of B. C. represented by our area directors. This is a first draft, so if you have any changes or suggestions for the boundaries please let me know. David Slade Ph: 250-746-5268 Fax: 250-746-8404 e.mail: david@drillwell.com Upcoming Events July 16-17, 2006 Ontario Ground Water Convention Ph: 519-245-7194 December 5-8, 2006 NGWA Ground Water Expo Las Vegas, Nevada Contact: 800-551-7379 March 28-31, 2007 B. C. Ground Water Association Convention & Trade Show Ph/Fax: 604-530-8934 April 12-14, 2007 Alberta Water Well Association Convention & Trade Show Celebrating their 50th year as an Association Contact: Carol Larson, Ph: 780-386-2335 ***** Membership Changes Well Drilling Contractors: D.A. Smithson & Sons Ltd. I must apologize to D. A. Smithson & Sons for listing their company under the new Pump Installers section. Their name should have been added under the Well Drilling Contractor section. This well drilling business opened their doors in 1978 by Doug Smithson, who passed away in 2004. The business is now being run by Doug's two sons, Randall and Ken Smithson. Joan Perry Pump Supplier & Installer: A&H Pumps & Supplies Ltd. 44353 Elsie Place Chilliwack, B. C. V2R 5L1 Ph: 604-853-2513 Fax: 604-824-0595 Rep: Greg Hunt G. Doran & Sons Plumbing & Heating Ltd. PO Box 452 Shawnigan Lake, B. C. V0R 2W0 Ph: 250-743-5493 Fax: 250-733-2358 Rep: Geoff Doran General Pump & Machine Inc. PO Box 1429 Parksville, B. C. V9P 2H4 Ph: 250-951-2146 Rep: Wayne Beil M&S Division: Dominion Pipe & Piling New e.mail address for Kathleen Chisholm kathleen.chisholm@dominionpipe.ca ***** Advertising prices ¼ page ad - $25.00 ½ page ad - $45.00 full page ad - $90.00