BCGWA Newsletter September 2003 The President’s Message Greetings to all, trust you are having a good summer. If you are like me you are on overload with work and maybe even turning away the odd job. It has been a hectic summer season, but making money is better than loosing it. Hope you all had a little time to spend with your family and friends. On a sad note, as I am sure you all know, we lost one of our members recently. John Mankowski Jr. of Langley Water Wells Ltd. was a fine driller, a very bright individual and one of the most knowledgeable drilling contractors I have known and worked with. John was a member of the 1994 Interim Water Well Drilling Advisory Committee for the Ministry of Environment. His contribution to our industry was appreciated and will be missed. I wish to express our condolences to John's parents, sister and brother-in-law on behalf of the Association. Nothing new to report on the Ground Water Advisory Board. We are still waiting for all our hard work to be written into legislation, which we anticipate may happen in the near future. The board is expected to reconvene in October. Joan is expertly moving forward on the plans for CanWell 2004. The M&S brochure package has been sent out and our web site is up and running. Well done to those responsible for our progress to date. As you may know, the Association encourages its members to provide their best at all times. When we have a complaint about a contractor, we assume the role of being a "clearing house" for information from both sides. On the advice of our lawyer, we do not attempt to negotiate a settlement or take sides. Recently there have been some complaints and the most common one relates to the lining of bedrock wells. It has been reported that some drillers are using thin wall thermoplastic casing to line water wells in domestic wells, commonly used as sewer pipe. This is not potable water pipe and often does not have the strength to withstand a caving of the rock wall, usually trapping the pump and riser pipe. I hasten to remind all our members that the minimum wall thickness recommended by our Association is 0.255 inches, as specified in the following documents: · Guidelines of Minimum Standards in Water Well Construction, Province of British Columbia, (1982) - Appendix 11 · Draft Code of Practice for Construction, Testing, Maintenance, Alteration and Closure of Wells, Province of British Columbia (1994). Sect. 5.3, Table 2 A reminder to all our members that the above documents are considered a MINIMUM standard for our Association. These documents were created by several former and current members of our Association, working with the provincial government, for our use. Regards, Bruce Ingimundson, President Why has my insurance premium gone up so much? There is no single reason for the recent increases in the cost of insurance. Over the past ten years many worldwide catastrophic events have impacted the insurance industry. Most insurance companies rely on reinsurance to provide the limits of coverage required, and to protect them from being wiped out in a major disaster. There are a limited number of reinsurance companies who provide the same type of coverage to other insurance companies worldwide. Other factors are a poor global economy, the lowest interest rates in history, insurance company consolidation and rising property & liability claims. January 1st, 2001 the insurance companies started to increase premiums by 5% to 10%. This market correction was well under way when the events of September 11, 2001 occurred, which is estimated to cost the insurance industry ($60 - $80 billion dollars). Other North American events are the Walkerton Water Crisis, Leaky Condominiums, and now the Forest Fires in BC. Throw in a few Hurricanes, Floods & Earthquakes and you can see the problem. Insurance companies worldwide are making drastic changes, mainly dictated by the reinsurers consisting of increases in premiums on average 30%, implementing a number of new exclusions such as Terrorism, "Data", Fungi & Fungal Derivative (Mold) & Asbestos as well as restricting the terms & types of risk they are prepared to insure. Insurance companies are businesses much like yours, if the expenses are greater than the income they go broke or the price goes up! The insurance industry is also very competitive which is what provides the balance. There is so much business being "shopped" around by customers & brokers that the chances of an underwriter getting back to you are very slim, and when they do, the terms are often as bad or worse. This is the benefit of having a Group Plan or Package Policy. Generally the rates and terms have already been negotiated. Eventually, this cycle will change but unfortunately, I don't see it happening in the near future! Ray H. Butchart, CCIB, CIP Ward Watkins Insurance Brokers 5746 176A Street Surrey, BC V3S 4C7 Telephone: (604) 576-6761 Email: rbutchart@radiant.net ······ We are about as happy as we make up our minds to be. - Abraham Lincoln Greens vs. Grumps Ongoing water crisis brings out a 'great divide' "You can take my sprinkler when you pry it from my cold, dead hands." That's the growl emitting from many residents of Dry Gulch. a.k.a. the Lower Mainland, circa summer 2003. The townsfolk are getting grouchy now that formerly lush lawns have morphed into sun-burnt deserts and the sheen on pricey vehicles has been dulled by a layer of dirt. After all, according to one official with the Greater Vancouver Regional District, which on August 22 enacted Stage 4 watering restrictions (a full sprinkling ban), "if you've got a clean car and a green lawn, you should really be looking at yourself." Well, some citizens have done that, and they're just fine with what they see, which includes hosing down the driveway, washing the doggie, soaking the front and back yards, doing umpteen small loads of laundry and letting the bathroom tap run on and on, and on, and on. Then there are the people on the other side of the fence - in some neighbourhoods, literally - who have bricks in their toilet tanks and are saving bath water for the shrubs. When it comes to water conservation in this West Coast rainforest, we appear to have fallen into two camps: The Greens and Grumps. The Greens (ironically identified by their brown sod) have risen to the occasion and are dutifully refraining from watering anything but their flower and vegetable gardens. By hand. As the restrictions stipulate. But the Grumps have a different perspective. They pay their taxes, darn it, and if the paper-shufflin' politicians at the GVRD can't manage the water resources more efficiently in the face of global warming and a growing population, well that isn't their problem. As the cloudless skies continue, the divide between the two camps deepens, with indignant Green snitching on those breaking the rules and the Grumps defiantly sprinkling their lawns anyway. Somewhere amidst the muck-raking there must be middle ground. Grumps and Greens alike raise valid points. For example, the region's water supply is currently limited to three watersheds (Capilano, Seymour, and Coquitlam) clustered on the northwestern edge of our communities. While not on the planning books for the short term, other sources of fresh water - such as Harrison and Pitt Lakes - will eventually have to be utilized in order to serve an expanding region. Large-scale collection and containment of our usually ample rainfall should also be employed. But government can't do it all. The GVRD will spend $640 million over the next 10 years alone on the current water system: more H2O sources mean more dough. Enter the Greens, with water-conservation methods we should all be following. Rain barrels. Low-flow toilets and showerheads. Front-loading washing machines, which use half the water of top-loaders. fertilized lawns, which fare better in droughts. In the end, however, municipalities may have to resort to a metering system, because until we equate a running hose in the driveway with money down the drain, our selfish Wild West ways with water will continue. The Langley Times Paula Carlson is a reporter with the Surrey Leader Coming Events Atlantic Water Well Convention Port aux Basques, Newfoundland October 2-4, 2003 Contact: Patti Josey Ph: 902-435-6636 e.mail: patti.josey@iworks.net NGWA Ground Water Expo Orlando, FL Dec. 9 - 12, 2003 Canadian Water Quality Association National Trade Centre Toronto, Ontario March 4th - 6th, 2004 Contact: www.focus2004.ca A.W.W.D.A. Convention & Trade Show Mayfield Inn Edmonton, Alberta March 25 - 27th, 2004 Contact: Carol Larson Ph: 780-386-2335 Can'Well 2004 Kelowna, B. C. April 21 - 24, 2004 Ph: 604-530-8934 ······ Membership changes Welcome new Member: Drilling Contractor J.R. Drilling Central Limited Partnership 2428 Cowichan Drive Kamloops, B. C. V2H 1P3 Ph: 1-866-711-8118 Fax: 250-573-5235 M&S Section: Atlas Manufacturing: Web Site address: www.casingdriver.com e.mail address: Atlasmanufacturing@shaw.ca ······ The History of the Treatment of Drinking Water 2000 BC The Sus'ruta, Sanskrit writings about medical concerns, contained text telling readers that impure water should be boiled over a fire, heated in the sun, have a hot iron dipped into it or purified by filtration through sand and course gravel, and then allowed to cool. 1300 BC Paintings of the first known sedimentation apparatus and wick siphons appear in tombs of ancient Eqyptian rulers. From these paintings, researchers believe Egyptians might have used alum to remove suspended solids. 500 BC Mayans develop multifaceted hydraulic systems for water distribution. Greek physician Hippocrates invents the Hippocrates Sleeve, which consisted of a cloth bag, usually flannel or lined, sewn into a cone and used to strain rainwater. 343 BC Roman engineers create a water supply system that delivers 130 million gallons daily through aqueducts. Public water supply systems developed at the end of the third century BC in Rome, Greece, Carthage and Egypt. 800 Arabian alchemist Geber distills water using wick siphons to purify it, in the process removing "spirits." 1100 Persian physician Avicenna recommends that travelers strain water through a cloth or boil it. It would be another 300 years before anyone linked the spread of disease with contaminated water. 1600s Dutch naturalist Antony van Leeuwenhoek invents the microscope and draws pictures of the bacteria he viewed, opening a key to the connection between water and disease. The Italian physician Lucas Antonius Portius publishes details of a multiple sand filtration method. 1700s Parisian scientist Phillippe La Hire proposes that every household have a sand filter and rainwater cistern. Fellow Frenchman Joseph Army is granted the first patent for a filter design. British architect James Peacock patents a three-tank, upward-flow backwash filter. 1800s Paisley, Scotland, becomes first town with a filter facility that could deliver water to its entire population. Its distribution system consisted only of a horse and cart. Paris opens water treatment plant in Glasgow, Scotland, the town's treatment plant piped filtered water directly to customers. The first slow sand filtration plant in the United States opens in Richmond, Va. London officials notice a decrease in Cholera deaths where slow sand filters had been installed, and eventually enact the Metropolitan Water Act of 1852, which required the filtration of all water supplies to the London area. The legislation is one of the first instances of government regulation of a water supply. William Stripe, superintendent of waterworks at Keokuk, Iowa, issues an invitation to all persons concerned with waterworks design, construction, operation, maintenance and management to gather at Washington University in St. Louis. The 22 respondents exchanged information pertaining to the management of water works and found the American Water Works Association. 1900s Chemicals are used for the first time to treat water. Ozone is used as a disinfectant in Nice, France. The Jersey City, (NJ) Water Works becomes the first utility in the United States to use sodium hypochlorite. The Bubbly Creek plant in Chicago institutes regular chlorine disinfection. Numbers of typhoid cases often plummets following introduction of chlorine in towns. By the early 1960s, more that 19,000 municipal water systems were in operation throughout the US. Most of these facilities used chlorine for disinfection. Not until 1974, when the Safe Drinking Water Act was established, did the government, the public health community and water utilities throughout the country work together to safeguard the drinking water supply and to ensure that law protects public health in the best way possible. 2000 The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the National Academy of Engineering names water treatment as one of the most significant public health advancements of the 20th century. Advances in water supply and treatment ranked number four on the list - ahead of computers, telephones and nuclear technology. Courtesy of Supply House Times, a publication of the American Supply Association - April 2003 issue. ······ Advertising If you wish to advertise in this quarterly newsletter, please contact the office by the end of the previous month. The advertising costs are $25.00 for 1/4 page, $45.00 for 1/2 page and $90.00 for a full page ad. ······ We're going to the Dogs! K9 Water Company, Inc., has introduced the world's first vitamin fortified bottled water specially formulated to provide dogs with essential vitamins that contribute to overall good health as well as provide the hydration dogs need. K9 Vita Water is available in four of the flavours dogs enjoy most: chicken, beef, liver and lamb. The water is fortified with essential nutrients such as Vitamin A, B, C and manganese. K9 Vita Water can help maintain a dog's healthy skin and coat, consistent energy levels and production of collagen. The water is designed to be a tasty alternative to pills and chalky powders. CWQA ······ Dress-Up A little girl was watching her parents dress for a party. When she saw her dad donning his tuxedo, she warned, "Daddy, you shouldn't wear that suit." "And why not, darling?" "You know that it always gives you a headache next morning." Canwell 2004 Report The Manufacturer's and Suppliers registration packages were mailed out in August and we are beginning to see some response and have already sold several booths and rig space. Don't be disappointed - book your trade show area today. You can also book on-line from our web-site. Thank you to Fumi Walsh and Verla Reed who helped stuff, lick and label into the wee hours of the night. We will need many more volunteers to help with the delegate registration packages which will be going out in November. If you can spare an evening or two to help out please call me at the office. Many hands make light work. Because of the fires in Kelowna, we are having to adjust some of our tours but we promise you, there will be plenty to do. We are assured by the Mayor of Kelowna that it is business as usual. (See following letter.) Gilles Wendling has been looking after technical speakers and has an exciting program designed with the French Consulate. Gilles summarizes his proposal on the next page. ······ CanWell 2004 - Technical and Practical Presentations The organization of CanWell 2004 in Kelowna is well under way. We would like to present high caliber technical and practical presentations that cover a wide variety of subjects and also reach the interests and needs of the various sectors of the industry. For these reasons, we propose to group presentations under two streams. The first one would be targeted more towards academics and engineers and the second series of presentations would be addressed more to the contractors, manufacturers and suppliers. Some presentations (e.g. Groundwater Regulations) would be done through planetary sessions with both streams combined. The proposed program is summarized in the table below. CanWell 2004 - Proposed Panel Topics France will be the invited "country". During one session, four technical presenters will present how groundwater is managed in France. The M&S will also host a French Pavilion. Hopefully that should bring lots of croissants and strong coffee, and we may see champagne flow! There will also be a poster session showing the most recent methods of groundwater mapping. We have started identifying and contacting potential presenters. If you are interested to give a presentation or know of someone who would be qualified and interested to give a presentation on the topics proposed in the above table, please contact Gilles Wendling (250-756-2256 gwendling@eba.ca) or Mike Wei (250-356-5062 Mike.Wei@gems5.gov.bc.ca ). Thank you. Information on the presentation and calendar of events will be regularly updated on our web site www.bcgwa.org Little Jobs make difference in Afghanistan Qal'eh-e-Muslim, Afghanistan - When Canadian soldiers first ventured into this village, only two kilometers from their base camp, they were not exactly welcomed with open arms. "The initial reception was very cold," says Sgt. Nathan Ronaldson, a member of the Canadian battle group's Civilian Military Cooperation (CiMiC) cell. "People were hostile. We got a lot of glares, some insults." But when the Canadians, part of the 1,900-member contingent serving with the International Security Assistance Force, visit Qal'eh-e-Muslim today, they are literally swarmed by happy children, tradesmen smile and wave and the local kalik, or village headman, asks them in for tea. All because of $5,000 that paid for a well. "These wells are not expensive…and they make a big difference," says Ronaldson, watching from the center of a mob of children as a local contractor digs the new well near the center of the village. "The old wells only went down 30 metres, until they hit water, then they stopped. The water from those wells wasn't safe and the wells ran dry." The Canadian unit listened to residents' complaints, then used a small part of its $550,000 budget to do something about the problem. By the end of this week, Qul'eh-e-Muslim and four other villages near Camp Julien, home base to most of the Canadian troops in Kabul, will have safe, clean drinking water from wells dug more than 50 metres into the parched Afghan soil. Ronaldson, 30, a reservist from Toronto, says the idea is part of a uniquely Canadian approach to helping Afghans: Small projects that make a big difference. Safe water will make a big difference to the lives of the crowds of dirty but happy children who emerge whenever Canadian soldiers visit the village. Afghanistan has the third highest child mortality rate in the world. Many of the deaths are the result of diarrhea from contaminated drinking water. Mohammed Akram, a local engineer helping dig the wells, grins when he sees the Canadians coming. "Canada is our very good friend," he says, beaming and shaking hands with every member of the team. "This is a very big help to all of the people in this village." National Post ······ MWLAP Information Series This is the third information pamphlet which has been sent to us from the MWLAP. The other topics deal with Arsenic, Flouride, Iron & Manganese, Nitrate, Sodium, and Total and Faecal Coliform Bacteria in Groundwater. How much is 1 part per billion? One cent in $10 million. One second in 30 years. Other contaminants are measured in parts per million, which comes to one cent in $10,000, or one second out of 11 days. The Maximum Acceptable Concentration (MACs) are typically stated in metric "mg/L" or milligrams per litre. Since there are a million milligrams in any litre, a MAC of 5 mg/L could also be expressed as 5 parts per million. CWQA Constitution Bruce Ingimundson has been working very hard to get the changes for our new constitution passed. This version has been approved by our lawyer and is now going back to you to be read over again. We will be voting on this constitution at our Annual General Meeting in April and hopefully it will be approved at that time. The Constitution will be mailed to you in the next 3 Newsletters. If you have any questions or want to make any changes please contact the office.