The Illinois Association of Groundwater Professionals hosts its annual meeting and expo on Feb. 9 and 10 in East Peoria, Ill.  In addition to the full slate of activities typically associated with the convention, the organizers have added another workshop on Feb. 9 prior to the expo – a design workshop on geothermal installations for architects and engineers.

At the expo, more than 40 exhibitor booths will be displaying the latest products and services for water wells, geothermal heat pump systems and water treatment. Workshop topics are to include troubleshooting constant pressure systems, enhancing rig performance, industry legislative issues, programmable drives for large constant pressure system applications, industrial well field development, water well and geo grouting, health hazards in construction, and drilling fluid management/disposal.

The geothermal installation course goes beyond the basics of geothermal heat pump system technology as it explores geothermal as a viable, sustainable option for heating and cooling school and commercial buildings. It assumes participants have a good understanding of building loads and some design experience in geothermal systems. This course will cover advantages and opportunities of geothermal technologies, keys to designing and writing specifications to meet a building’s requirements, using computer-aided design tools, and how variables in drilling, geologic and site conditions can impact system performance and costs.

Also, executive director Sue Bohenstengel is retiring at the end of June, and this will be her last IAGP convention. Don’t miss this opportunity to say farewell to her.

For more information on the event, or to register, visit www.iagp.org.