September 2006 BCGWA Newsletter President’s Address What a summer we’re having. All this dry weather, and the booming economy make it “harvest time” for the groundwater industry. This means long days of rigs and crews going flat out trying to make hole while the sun shines. Be careful not to let haste or fatigue allow you to drop your guard where safety is concerned. We had a couple of close calls this summer with two employees on separate jobs almost losing fingers. One of them happened to be my son. Both injuries required stitches and antibiotics, but it appears no permanent damage was done. A few seconds of inattention was all it took. We sent out a sample map of the regions in the last newsletter. There were several comments about where the boundaries were, and where they ought to be. If you have any more comments, please send them to Joan Perry, at the BCGWA office. She is keeping a record of all suggestions so that we can come up with an acceptable version. We will then look at the need to rename and/or add new regions, to more fairly represent membership and area. Some of the things that we have been working on for the association are as follows: -Discussions with the Industry Training Authority and with Red Deer College regarding the apprenticeships, and distance education options for drillers and pump installers. -Proofreading and editing of what we hope is the final draft of the Field Manual for compliance with the Ground Water Protection Regulation. -Discussions with Ground Water professionals in the Yukon on the possibility of them joining our association as individuals and/or as members of a new region, or chapter of the BCGWA. And of course Gilles and Joan are busy working to make our next convention even bigger and better than the last, which was very successful. Don’t forget to encourage colleagues and suppliers to join our association and attend conventions. There is strength in numbers, and remember that we need to support those that support us. There was some very bad luck in August at Langley Welding and Machine Shop. Helen Miskulin had a fall at the office and cracked her hip. While she was in the hospital she had a minor heart attack, recovered briefly, and then suffered a fatal cardiac arrest. She was without a doubt the Grandmother of the drilling and groundwater industry in BC, as she and the rest of the Miskulin family have been helping out drillers, and hydrologists for over 40 years. Our hearts are with all of the Langley Welding Family, and we will continue to support them in every way, as we struggle to deal with the passing of someone who was a friend to all who knew her. David Slade, President Notice of Fraser Valley Regional Meeting Jim Clark, Fraser Valley Director, has arranged a Regional meeting to be held in Langley on Saturday, September 23rd, 2006. The meeting will be held at the West Country Hotel, 20222 – 56th Avenue, Langley, B. C. from 10:00 am – 2:00 pm. Tentative schedule: 10:00 am – 12:00 pm – - Gwyn Graham – review government regulations - Antigane Dixon-Warren of the Langley Township will review recent aquifer mapping in Langley - well cleaning 12:00 pm – 1:00 pm – lunch 1:00 pm – 2:00 pm - breakout sessions into groups and discussions - drillers rate sheet Jim will be welcoming the newest sector of our Association – the Geotechnical/Environmental Drillers. The agenda is still open. If you have a topic that you would like to see discussed, please call either Jim Clark at 604-351-5862 or Joan Perry, BCGWA at 604-530-8934 to have this added to the outline. ***** Regional Directors in Other Areas The Regional Directors in other regions of the Province should be looking into dates to hold a meeting in their own areas. Please give the office a call if you would like some help with this. Ph: 604-530-8934. ***** One lead pencil can write over 50,000 words. My Amazing Visit to Africa I was away volunteering in Tanzania for the month of July. So for those who are interested, I would like to share some of my experience. Myself, my wife Kelly, our 16-year-old daughter and two of her 16 year old girl friends signed up for a “Volunteer Vacation” with an organization called Global Volunteers. We flew to Tanzania where we met up with 12 other volunteers from the USA and Europe. We then headed off on a two day bus trip to the center of the country where we worked at a junior high school near a small town called Mtera in the Iringa district of Tanzania. Our jobs involved teaching the students English and basic computer skills, as well as building bricks for new dormitories, and making improvements to the existing dormitories and library. You would not believe this school! 400 students living in the run down abandoned lodgings built for the work crews who constructed a hydroelectric project there 20 years ago. The students are 8 to a small brick room on broken bunk beds. No glass or even mosquito netting over the windows. No flush toilets or showers. The meals are rice, ugali (ground corn), and beans or porridge. No meat or fish, and only occasional fruit or vegetables. The school grounds are all dirt and gravel, no grass at all, and very little green vegetation anywhere since it was their dry season, and the third year of a drought. The water is pumped 2 km through a leaky plastic and steel line from a filthy lake created by the hydroelectric dam. The lake is frequented by thousands of cattle and goats, as well as the herdsmen and fishermen who use the lake as both bathtub and sewer. The lake contains many hippopotamus and crocodiles, which damage both the electrical cable and the water pipe. As the lake shrinks, the pump has to be moved further away, and the water becomes ever more contaminated. The electrical cable is made up of hundreds of scraps of wire spliced every 50 ft. or so, and the dozens of leaks in the pipeline are patched with strips of inner tube stretched tight and tied. What little water actually makes it to the school is pumped into three large concrete cisterns on a hill. The cisterns have roofs, but the sides are open, so monkeys, birds, bats, and snakes frequent them. I killed a one metre long boa constrictor in the cleanest of the three tanks. The tanks also have leaks, as do the distribution lines. The students and teachers access their water from a few standpipes around the school, and pack it in buckets for washing, cooking, and even drinking. They usually add some chlorine by hand, but do not filter the water and often do not allow adequate contact time before drinking. It is hard for us to believe, but these students feel extremely fortunate to be going to this school. Here at least they have electricity, a bed to sleep on, a tin roof over their heads, three meals a day, and water that runs from standpipes. This is more than most of them have at home, as it is only the wealthy families in this area that own a luxury such as a bicycle. None own cars, not even the teachers. While I was there I helped repair many leaks, convinced them to put page wire around the cement tanks, and got all of the information to order them a spare pump to go in the lake. We have been back for a month, and in the mean time they have had both a large section of electrical cable and the pump stolen. They have been packing water in buckets from the filthy lake for the last 2 weeks, waiting for the pump that we shipped last week to arrive. You may ask, “Why don’t they just drill a well?” If only it was so simple. There are very few drill rigs in Tanzania. Most are broke down cable tools, or small mud rotary rigs. The area around the school is all hard granite, needing an air rotary hammer drill to get to the expected depth of 400 ft. Our team of volunteers is trying to help make this happen, and is working with other groups already established in Tanzania. If you are interested in more information on our experience, or in helping in our efforts, please feel free to contact me. (david@drillwell.com, or 250-746-5268). I would highly recommend this type of adventure to anyone thinking of helping out in the third world. The people we met, including students, teachers and tradesmen were all so friendly, so kind and generous, so hopeful for the future, and yet so very poor. It is a truly humbling and enlightening experience, and makes one realize that it is merely fate and good fortune that gives us so much security and opportunity, while most of the worlds’ population is in desperate need of our help. Best regards to all, David Slade ***** Oxygen Monitors A Good Idea After the fatalities of the two workers and then the two paramedics at the mine this spring, I got to thinking that an oxygen sensor might be a good thing to have around. I picked one up at Acklands on sale for around $120.00 and we’ve used it three or four times. I looked at it and kind-of wondered if it worked. Well it does. Today when I entered this well pit it started beeping as soon as I got to the bottom of the ladder. I promptly left to get more gear. Came back the next day, lowered the monitor and it sounded just once and then was okay. We still ventilated with a fan before working in the pit. As I understand the regulations and the confined space rules, we may need a complete tripod with harness and winch to work in these pits. I know it made me feel better having the oxygen monitor. Another caution with working in pits is to check what you’re standing on – be it the ladder or the floor. We had a scary wood floor in this pit. I took a length of pex pipe and ran it down a crack in the boards and it went another eight feet before touching bottom. A safety harness may not be a bad idea! So work safe out there. And yes, we need to charge more for all the extra gear we should be using. Peter Epp ODE TO HELEN MISKULIN For those few who have not heard, or did not know Helen Miskulin, I am sorry to announce that the “Grand Old Lady” of the water well industry in British Columbia has passed away. She and the rest of the Miskulin family at Langley Welding have been helping and supporting the Ground Water Industry for over 40 years. Helen was a wonderful person, with a kind word for everyone, and an insistent offer of candies or baking when you arrived at the shop. She showed a genuine concern for the problems faced by others in their business or personal lives. She was amazing. Over 90 years old, and still sharp as a tack. She cracked the whip at Langley Welding keeping Phil and Jimmy on the run. Her quick wit and ready smile will be missed by all who had the pleasure of knowing her. It is the end of an era for our industry, and many years will pass before I won’t look for Helens’ friendly face through the front window at Langley Welding, or smile to myself while waiting for her to answer the phone. I have a memorial to Helen growing in my front yard. A walnut tree she gave to me 10 years ago. It is tall and strong, and bearing fruit for the first time this year. I will remember Helen fondly every time I see the tree or harvest the walnuts. For all who would like to do something in Memory of Helen, the Miskulin family has asked that you make a donation in her name to the Heart and Stroke Foundation, or to the charity of your choice. Helen was indeed a Gracious Lady, and will be missed greatly by all who had the pleasure of knowing her. David Slade ***** Updates from the Managing Director Here is an update on some of the subjects we are presently focusing on: 2007 Convention and Trade Show The event will take place on March 28 through 31 (Wednesday through Saturday) in Langley (same facility as the 2006 convention). Although some of this information was already presented in the July newsletter, it is repeated for those who have not read it, yet. The format will be the following: * 1 day “drillers training workshop” (see details below) on Wednesday * 2 - ½ days of trade show (Thursday afternoon and Friday morning) * 2 - ½ days of technical presentations (Thursday morning and Friday afternoon). Two sessions will run in parallel. The proposed topics for presentations are the following: * The management of small water systems relying on groundwater * Surface water and groundwater interaction – GUDI wells (GUDI stands for “Groundwater Under Direct Influence” of surface water) * Well maintenance and rehabilitation * Geothermal Wells * Pumps and QWPI related issues * Updates on the regulations I am looking for interested (and interesting!) speakers. In particular, very few talks have been presented in the past dealing with pumps and QWPI related issues –. A session has been proposed to address this deficiency. But I need speakers. The convention is your event! So if you are interested yourself or know of a potential speaker, please let me know (I am still interested to receive names of people interested to give presentations on pump related issues). Thank you. The detailed schedule of the event is taking shape. The intent is to have most of the presentations scheduled by mid-October in order to post a draft of the convention schedule on line (www.bcgwa.org) and invite contractors, water purveyors and users to attend the event. Regional Meetings The association is encouraging regional directors to schedule regional meetings in the fall. These meetings are very important to identify and address local issues and also to promote a better and more continuous communication between people from the groundwater industry. The Fraser Valley region has scheduled its regional meeting on September 23 (West Country Hotel, Langley – 10:00 am to 2:00 pm). Jim, congratulations for organizing the meeting! Drillers Training Workshop The BCGWA got partial funding from Agriculture Canada to organize a series of workshops to promote drillers training. The first workshop will be scheduled the Wednesday before the Convention, on March 28, in Langley. Please put this in your calendar. It will be a one-day event consisting of presentations and training on: * Description of soils and rocks * Conducting pumping tests and estimating well yields * Use of GPS (“field” course) * Filing on-line well construction and well closure reports A proposed schedule for the workshop is attached. Then the workshop will be given in all the regions, probably in conjunction with the regional meetings in the fall of 2007. Communal Wells – Deadline Coming Very Soon! The owners of existing wells supplying a water supply system (communal wells) that are not registered yet, must attach an identification plate and submit a Schedule 2 form to the Deputy Comptroller in Victoria before October 31, 2006. So if you are aware of such wells (you drilled it or you are doing the maintenance on the pump, etc.) and you don’t know if the owner is aware of this requirement, please pass him/her the information on this requirement. Thank you. Yukon A meeting was held in the Yukon in early August to propose the start of a regional branch. An update with results of the feedback and proposed approach will be presented in the next newsletter. Trivia: Did you know……according to Water Policy International, South African women collectively walk the equivalent of going to the moon and back 16 times a day to fetch water. Gilles Wendling ***** Upcoming Events October 25-27, 2006 Canadian Water Resources Association Contact: Peter McCann Ph: 604-623-4077 Fax: 604-623-4335 e.mail: peter.mccann@bchydro.bc.ca December 5-8, 2006 NGWA Ground Water Expo Las Vegas, Nevada Contact: 800-551-7379 www.ngwa.org March 23-24, 2007 Saskatchewan Ground Water Association Annual General Meeting and “Mud School” Ph: 306-244-7551 March 28-31, 2007 B. C. Ground Water Association Convention & Trade Show Coast Hotel & Convention Centre Langley, B. C. 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 June 1-2, 2007 The Ontario Ground Water Association’s 55th Annual Convention Ambassador Conference Resort, Kingston, Ontario Contact: Nicole Constable Fax: 905-778-1999 Ph: 519-245-7194 Fax: 519-245-7196 ***** Membership Changes Geotechnical/Environmental Drillers Dynamic Geothermal Systems Ltd. PO Box 1618 Aldergrove, B. C. V4W 2V1 Rep: Gordon Nimmo Ph: 604-607-0800 Fax: 604-607-0867 Pump Supplier & Installer: A & H Pumps & Supplies Ltd. 684 McCallum Road Abbotsford, B. C. V2S 8A2 Rep: Mike Jones Ph: 604-853-2513 Fax: 604-853-2516 Manufacturer & Supplier New address: North American Pipe & Steel Ltd. 10671 Speen Road Surrey, B. C. V3V 3V3 Rep: Minton Fung e.mail: mintonf@napsteel.com Ph: 604-588-0983 Fax: 604-588-0989 Toll free: 1-800-665-7473 www.napsteel.com Waterite Technologies Ph: 604-881-2044 Fax: 604-881-2066 Associate Members: New Address: Richard Bastiaansen District of Hope 53712 Berston Road Rosedale, B.C. V0X 1X0 ***** Setback Distances for Wells I recently heard from a Public Health Inspector of a well drilled too close to a septic field in northern B. C. The Public Health Inspector thought it would be a good idea to inform drillers of the setback distances for wells under their Sanitary Regulation, Section 42. Below is a link to the regulation. http://www.qp.gov.bc.ca/statreg/reg/H/Health/142_59.htm Mike Wei, P.Eng. Water Stewardship Division 3-2975 Jutland Road, Victoria, B. C. Ph: 250-356-5062 Fax: 250-356-8298 e.mail: mike.wei@gov.bc.ca ***** Tricky Spelling A schoolteacher was taking her first golfing lesson. “Is the word spelled p-u-t or p-u-t-t?” she asked the instructor. “P-u-t-t is correct,” he replied. “So then, ‘put’ means to place a thing where you want it and ‘putt’ means merely a vain attempt to do the same thing.” DRILLING SUPERVISORS Layne is currently accepting applications for experienced Rotary and Diamond Drillers and Supervisors for long term positions in South America. Expertise in hydraulic Air-Rotary Top-Drives and Water Wells required. Send resume to energy@laynechristensen.com. Attention: Colin Kinley WATER WELL DRILLING SUPERVISORS Layne Energy is currently accepting applications for experienced Water Well Drillers and Water Well Drilling Supervisors for our South American Operations. Expertise in Hammers, Dual Rotary, Dual Wall and Production Operations an asset. These are long term positions and offer a significant opportunity for advancement. Safe work procedures and history is a requirement. Experience on Schramm, I.R. Speedstar, Taylor and UDR Rigs is an asset. Applicants will work on a rotational basis on various assignments. Salary will commensurate with experience and work history. Layne has 34 years of South American experience and over 120 years in the Water Well business. If you are up for an exciting career with one of the largest specialty drilling companies in the world contact us. With 70 locations and 500 rigs working world wide, we offer unseen opportunity in the drilling industry. Experience with hydraulic drill rigs is a must and water well drilling, mining drilling and geotechnical drilling is an asset. Send resume stating experience by email to: energy@laynechristensen.com. Attention: Colin Kinley ***** String a few small words together and the results can speak volumes. I love you. I’m sorry. End of season sale. Great Employees Make a Great Business Which people are more valuable – good employees or good customers? Some might think this is a rhetorical “chicken or egg” question. It isn’t. The answer is – envelope, please – good employees. This may surprise you as this column focuses on how to increase your sales, but a successful; business starts with good employees who then attract good customers, not the other way around. Employees are like a fulcrum. They can have a tremendous effect on sales and profitability, both positive and negative. One good employee can draw in 100 customers. On the flip side, one bad employee can drive away 100 customers. If that happens, it can take 10 good employees to replace or restore all those lost customers. Good Examples I started thinking about this question of employees vs. customers recently after I received terrible service from a salesperson. Not only will I not return to this establishment, I will tell others about my bad experience, and they may not buy from the offending vendor either. That’s an example of how one bad employee can lose many customers. However, when I get great selling service, I return to that outfit to buy again and again. I also refer my friends, and they may buy from this company. That’s the fulcrum effect in action. In addition, those customers who are in the store or hear about other people making purchases are more likely to feel the momentum and open their wallets, too. For instance, I do most of my printing at a particular local copy shop because of a great employee there named Steve. He always greets me with “Hi, Michelle” and a smile. Then he quickly gets me started on my project. I know Steve doesn’t give this special treatment just to me. He treats most of his customers that way. Waiting for Steve Steve makes that copy shop feel like a business version of Cheers, “where everybody knows your name.” I bet first-time visitors to the shop notice that Steve knows almost everyone else’s name. They’ll also notice that customers are anxious for him to learn their names and copy preferences, too. I know that Steve makes a personal difference. When I go to that copy shop and he’s not there, I’ll come back another day when he is there to greet and help me if I don’t need the job right away. If you hire employees, imagine how your sales would rocket if you hired a team of “Steves.” Hiring is a lot like sales. The same three basic steps to having more customers and better customers apply just as well to acquiring better employees for your company. Attract them. Hire them. Retain them. Here are some tips to improve for each phase. Attract Good Employees As businesses are waking up to the huge impact good employees can have on the bottom line, the competition for good employees is becoming as fierce as it is for good customers. Just as you have to market to get new customers, you also have to market your organization as a place where great employees want to work. Discover which benefits are most coveted by the good employees in your industry and community. If you can provide some or all of these, you’ll generate a buzz among the community that your outfit is a cool place to work. Good employees may inquire about openings and might even leave their names with your human resources staff to be notified when openings do come up. Your current good employees may also refer their friends, who will probably be good employees, too. Hire Good Employees Hiring a good employee is like closing a sale. Just as you qualify your customers throughout the sales process, you must qualify top employee candidates throughout the hiring process. When there’s a general agreement from both sides that it’s a good match, its time to pop the question and sign them up. Retain Good Employees In sales, the profit on the first sale is usually smaller than that of repeat orders. It’s the same with hiring good employees – if they stay only a short while, you won’t get a good return on all your effort and money. However, for those good employees who do stay with you as they hit their 5-year, 10-year, and even 20-year company anniversaries, everybody wins. As the years accrue there’s more stability, knowledge, flexibility, and a deeper connection between the employee and the company and between the employee and his or her customers. In addition, as a team of good employees bonds together, turnover will reduce because they won’t want to leave. They’ll enjoy the work, the camaraderie, and the rewards too much where they are to leave for greener pastures. Great Expectations Good employees also want to work with other good employees. That’s why one bad apple really can spoil the whole basket. So if an employee loses his or her attitude of being on fire for your customers, have a heart-to-heart talk right away. If the situation can’t be turned around, do your sales team a favor. Let the person go. I had a sales manager call me about an employee who didn’t smile or project warmly to his customers. “Should I lower my expectations?” he asked me. Of course, the answer is “No.” To lower your standards for one person is to lower your standards for the whole sales team. Once you hire good employees, don’t stop there. To maximize your sales, continually train them so they have the sharpest sales skills and the latest industry knowledge. That’s the only way your employees can keep offering top-selling service to your customers. With the resulting increase in sales, you may soon need more employees, and the process will begin all over again. Happy hiring – and selling! Michelle Nichols June 2006, Water Well Journal