Water Well Journal
Issue link: http://read.dmtmag.com/i/608970
on the machines when we're trying to go through rock or even just cobble- stone," Mike says. Located in Carver, Massachusetts, 50 miles south of Boston, drilling for the most part is not all that difficult for Tyler Well & Pump. In the area where the company drills its wells there is a massive, mainly un- confined aquifer with more than 500 bil- lion gallons of water that is accessible at a fairly shallow depth. The average drilling depth is 50 feet and the soil composition is mainly medium to coarse sand. Owner Sam Tyler, CPI, worked for a geologic/environmental drilling com- pany for three years on mostly construc- tion sites and was forced to drill through tough formations, including stacked boulders, to get samples every 5 feet. "It's really just getting set up right before you start drilling because if you're a little off when you start getting down 40, 50 feet, the hole might be to- tally off and getting tools in and out of the ground can be difficult," Tyler says. Today, the biggest challenge for Tyler is getting the drilling rig on and off sites. Some job sites are easier than others. The drilling rig is roughly 20 feet long, 9 feet wide. The derrick stands 25 feet high, and it weighs 25,000 pounds. "On some jobs, getting the rig to where we need to drill a new well or to service an existing well can be challeng- ing," Tyler says. "Things that make it challenging can be muddy job sites, snow and ice, slopes and inclines, and maneuvering around obstacles such as sheds, trees, and shrubs, swimming pools, etc." There are a few small beach house communities that Tyler Well & Pump work in. Some of these communities have small, narrow roads that make it difficult to turn the corners with the rig. Besides difficulty traveling to the job site, Tyler has found that whenever there is a scenario where he will be setting up and the rig is going to be on the adjacent property, or if he needs to cross over the neighbor's property, he sometimes becomes a diplomat for the neighbor he is drilling for. "Meaning some neighbors don't get along with each other and they some- times don't want to help each other out, so someone has to step in and establish some diplomacy," he explains. "In situa- tions like that, and I have come across a lot of them, it's important that you are professional by greeting the opposing neighbor in a polite manner and explaining to them the importance of the situation. "Sometimes in the end they will allow us access because they want to help us more than the neighbor, but whatever works that will get the cus- tomer water, get us paid, and most of the time a new customer. A handshake and a smile will go a long way." Mike Price is the senior editor of Water Well Journal. In addition to his WWJ respon- sibilities, Price produces NGWA's newsletter and contributes to the Association's quarterly s cientific publication. He can be reached at mprice@ngwa.org. WWJ TOUGH DAY from page 40 42 December 2015 WWJ waterwelljournal.com Exceeding Drilling Ex E at t EXP ou y e e S 1 1 h Booth n fi e h t r o f e c r u o s r u o Yo w d l r o w e l b a l i a v a l a c i n h c e t o e G l a t n e m n o r i v n E l a m r e h t o e G ! O EXP O 09 s y. l l i r d t s e n e d i w l g n i n t n e l xpectations Daily a m r e h t o e G l l e W r e t a W n i M / / M n o i t c u r t s n o C r ge u A y r a t o R c i n So s k c u r t T P C s r e m m a h o t u A m p i u q e y t l a i c e Sp 3 6 4 4 . 4 0 4 . 0 0 8 . 1 m o c . s e i g o l o n h c te l r a m Exceeding Drilling Expectations, Daily