Water Well Journal

05/29/2026

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.

05/06/2026

An NGWA board director was recently featured in national media coverage of the xAI water reuse dispute, bringing expert insight to a critical conversation on water resources and sustainability.

Learn more: https://www.ngwa.org/detail/news/2026/05/05/ngwa-board-director-interviewed-in-national-coverage-of-xai-water-reuse-dispute

04/24/2026

04/21/2026

The May 2026 issue of the National Ground Water Association's Water Well Journal spotlights pump installation, tips, and techniques with multiple feature articles pertaining to the subjects.

The cover story, “Residential Pressure Boosting Is Growing in Use,” is by Paul Shuford. In it, he shares why variable speed booster pumps are becoming more commonly used in the groundwater industry, why this is happening, as well as their advantages to contractors and installers.

The systems are being used for low flow wells, long delivery pipe runs, and parts of treatment systems where constant pressure is required. Constant pressure is one of the advantages Shuford notes, along with energy savings, and longer equipment life.

An accompanying sidebar article presents a practical example of how pressure boosting systems can aid residential water needs in historic neighborhoods in Charleston, South Carolina.

The second feature article is titled “Understanding Meters and Their Use” by Daniel Featherstone. In it, Featherstone covers the variety of uses and functions that meters have for groundwater professionals.

He begins with the basics of what analog meters and digital meters measure, explains the uses of AC and DC meters, and details the standard, the ohm meter “we have and will continue to use in our industry,” as well as the megohm meter, Featherstone then concludes the article by listing other functions of meters, how to read them, work safely with them, and which ones are good to have for what you are doing on a daily basis.

WWJ is also debuting a new column in the May issue titled Tech Drives Profit by Jason M. Flynt. The bi-annual column will focus on how groundwater professionals can optimize their business by embracing technology.

In the first installment, titled “Technology and Profit,” Flynt details how technology—specifically a customer relationship management (CRM) app—has impacted the management of his company’s customers for more profit, efficiency, and retention.

The CRM app provides benefits when dispatching technicians that eliminate surprises on site and save them trips back and forth to their shop but also keeps in contact with the customer from the initial call through documenting, estimating, customer approval, and eventually invoicing.

The latest Engineering Your Business column also touches on a business-related topic as Ed Butts, PE, CPI, authors “Effective Project Bidding and Estimating.”

Butts leads off by pointing out one of the most important responsibilities of a successful professional is preparing and providing accurate bids and estimates to win proposals from prospective customers. He then explains three methods used to ultimately deliver bidding products to customers and details the ones most often used in the groundwater industry.

He also explains what is involved in bidding on government-contract work and a number of particular concerns the bidder on a project must be aware of—all leading to why the decision to pursue such work is a critical one for a business.

To read these articles and more, visit WaterWellJournal.com.

04/15/2026

April is NHTSA National Awareness Month, and Tanner Nielsen, ASP, of Yellow Jacket Drilling Services discusses his company’s usage, the company’s program, & on Water Well Journal podcast: https://waterwelljournal.com/episode-27-dash-cam-usage-in-the-drilling-industry/.

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03/27/2026

That’s a wrap on the 2026 NGWA Fly-In
With 60+ meetings held with federal offices, staff, and agencies, groundwater professionals came together to advocate for the industry’s top priorities, from infrastructure to workforce to protecting vital groundwater resources. Water Well Journal

Read more: https://www.ngwa.org/detail/news/2026/03/27/2026-ngwa-fly-in-leads-to-60-plus-meetings-with-federal-offices--staff--and-agencies

03/25/2026

Day one of the 2026 NGWA Fly-In was a great success, with groundwater professionals from across the country coming together to connect, and strengthen our collective voice. We’re looking forward to continuing the momentum tomorrow as attendees head to Capitol Hill to meet with lawmakers and advocate for the issues impacting the groundwater industry.

03/24/2026

The 2026 NGWA Fly-In kicks off today in Washington, D.C., bringing groundwater professionals together from across the country to meet directly with federal decision-makers and advocate for the issues shaping our industry. From workforce development to PFAS, geothermal tax credits, and national monitoring programs, these conversations help ensure the voice of the groundwater community is heard where it matters most. Water Well Journal

Read more: https://www.ngwa.org/detail/news/2026/03/24/2026-ngwa-fly-in-kicks-off-today

03/19/2026

The April 2026 issue of the National Ground Water Association's Water Well Journal focuses on water quality and water treatment and contains multiple feature articles and a column on the subjects.

The cover story is titled “Guidelines for Successful Water Well Maintenance.” Author Michael Schnieders, PG, PH-GW, stresses that successful well maintenance is proactive and features a strategy for the well system and is not about reacting to a declining performance.

Schnieders then offers guidelines that can serve as best practices for a well maintenance program designed to protect the well and sustain its performance for years. He begins by highlighting the importance of setting a baseline upon the completion of the well that can be measured going forward. He also covers properly diagnosing well fouling and using mechanical and chemical means for treatment efforts.

Mike Heatwole, MWS, contributes the feature article titled “Taste and Odor Issues in Water.” With this the subject of his Groundwater Week 2025 workshop, Heatwole looks at the causes, identification, and treatment of common taste and odor issues that he’s seeing.

Heatwole explains that taste and odor work together. Both need to function to make a proper identification. He says “we cannot have one without the other although we tend to separate them when trying to make identification and diagnosis.”

The Groundwater & Wells column by Thom Hanna, PG, continues the three-part series titled “Corrosion in Water Wells.” The second installment evaluates materials used in water wells for corrosion resistance.

Hanna states that corrosion is one of the biggest challenges to a well system’s longevity and can lead to failures, contamination, and costly repairs. He then details the corrosion characteristics of materials that are often used in water well casing and screens such as carbon steel, low carbon steel and HSLA steel as well as type 304 stainless steel and type 316 stainless steel, providing guidelines for when each will work best in a water well system.

The monthly Engineering Your Business column continues its year-long look at business topics with “Asset Management.” In it, columnist Ed Butts, PE, CPI, points out that sound asset management can be critical to a water well company’s success.

The column emphasizes prioritizing regular maintenance of assets, ensuring that critical, profit-centered equipment such as drilling rigs and pump hoists remain functional, and discusses supply chain management of stocked goods within a company. He concludes by detailing inventory control and the best methods for recording and tracking it, noting that physical inventory is “often the wild card on a firm’s balance sheet, and if inaccurate or excessive, can significantly impact the firm’s year-end profit.”

To read these articles and more, visit WaterWellJournal.com.