For Drilling In-Site, episode 35, hosts Jeremy Verdusco and Brock Yordy speak with hydrogeologist Thom Hanna. His books include working on the third edition of “Ground Water and Wells” and “The Operational Stage of the Well.” He’s spent more than 20 years with Johnson Screens, but also has an extensive background as a consultant on well projects in water well, mining and remediation. We brought Hanna back to the show to talk about droughts in parts of the U.S., as well as other groundwater-related topics.

Droughts this summer have affected large parts of the United States, particularly the West and areas of Minnesota. Drillers and other industry professionals working in these areas know that water systems from residential wells all the way up to large municipal wells can face a lot of stress.

“It’s really a trickle-down effect,” Hanna says. “It’s not just the drought itself, it’s higher temperatures. … It’s all connected.”

This episode covers topics like:

• Current drought conditions in Arizona, California, Idaho, Minnesota, Nevada and other areas.
• How drought affects water well lifespan.
• Changes to well design in reaction to drought.
• Synthetic gravel pack.
• Water well development.
• Setting client expectations for well value and production.
• Common well design mistakes.
• Advice for up and coming well designers.

Check out today’s episode to hear more. Watch the video here or listen to the audio version of our conversation at www.thedriller.com/insite-podcast. You can also find our show on Apple Podcasts. Search for Drilling In-Site, then hit Subscribe.

Working on an interesting project or have industry wisdom to share? Email verduscoj@bnpmedia.com to be considered for a guest spot on Drilling In-Site.

Resources

The U.S. Drought Monitor: https://droughtmonitor.unl.edu/

Our most recent interview with Thom Hanna: https://www.thedriller.com/articles/91820-experts-discuss-effects-of-coronavirus-on-drilling-jobs-industry