05/14/2026
The June 2026 issue of the National Ground Water Association's Water Well Journal contains our annual industry directory as well as timely articles as June is National Safety Council's National Safety Month. Here is a preview.
The importance of safety is addressed in a feature article and a column. The cover story is authored by safety expert John Fowler, CSP, CMSP, and titled “Assessing Risks. It explains how complacency in the water well industry can lead to accidents as workers grow too comfortable with routine hazards.
To prevent this, Fowler notes that employees should consistently perform risk assessments—mentally or formally—before and during tasks. This involves identifying hazards, evaluating their likelihood and severity, and applying controls to reduce risk. Building a strong safety culture, where workers actively think through risks, helps reduce injuries and ensures safer jobsites.
The monthly installment of Safety Matters by Alexandra Walsh is titled “Preventing Workplace Violence.” It details how workplace violence includes threats, harassment, and physical assaults, and is a significant cause of occupational fatalities in the United States.
Walsh states that employers can reduce risks by implementing zero-tolerance policies, conducting hazard assessments, improving security, and providing training on prevention and de-escalation. She adds that employees should stay alert, report concerns, and follow safety practices.
If there is an incident, Walsh explains employers must provide care, investigate causes, and improve programs. While no specific OSHA standard exists, employers are legally required to maintain a safe, hazard-free workplace.
The 2026 Water Well Journal Industry Directory is divided into a directory of manufacturers followed by a directory of suppliers. The directories feature company descriptions and complete contact information so it will be easy for buyers when it’s time to make that next important purchase.
In the Water Well Journal Q&A, WWJ Editor Thad Plumley speaks with Gary M. Gin, RG, a senior technical leader for groundwater infrastructure at Woodard & Curran Inc. in Scottsdale, Arizona. They discuss a variety of subjects as Gin has a diverse industry background.
Topics include well rehabilitation, well development, aquifer storage and recovery (ASR) systems, glass bead filter packs, and more.
Gin notes in one of his answers that across the nation, industries and municipalities are realizing that ASR well systems are a cost-effective water resource asset for the storage of surface water or injection of advanced purified wastewater and growing in use.
The latest installment of The Art of Water Wells column by Marvin F. Glotfelty, RG, is titled “Overreliance on Material Standards for Well Design.”
In it, Glotfelty explains that referencing national standards that define the minimum characteristics for materials and procedures to be used is important, but that overreliance on such standards can introduce potential pitfalls with the well design from time to time.
Glotfelty states there are nuances within some commonly cited material standards that may diverge from what was intended in the well design, so consideration of the variability within some standards is worthwhile.
To read these articles and more, visit WaterWellJournal.com.
