Detroit – Michigan’s search for PFAS contamination now touches the Gordie Howe International Bridge, where multiple samples over four months on the Detroit side of the joint Windsor, Ont.-Detroit project showed the chemicals in both soil and ground water. MLive.com reports. | READ MORE

Sicamous, B.C. – Ground water near the landfill in the municipality of Sicamous in the Shuswap region of British Columbia shows levels of various substances that exceed provincial standards, according to an environmental monitoring report. Summerland Review reports. | READ MORE

Regina – Saskatchewan's Water Security Agency is generally expecting below normal snowmelt runoff in the far north, near normal snowmelt runoff over central areas of the province, and below normal snowmelt runoff over much of southern Saskatchewan, according to the agency's recently released spring runoff forecast for 2019.

Ottawa – The federal government is taking practical steps to better manage the use and disposal of plastics, and reduce plastic waste, in its own operations.

Tatamagouche, N.S. – An exploratory mineral drill hole that is leaking high levels of arsenic and iron on Warwick Mountain should be a warning to Nova Scotia that more stringent regulations are required, an environmental group says. The Halifax Chronicle-Herald reports. | READ MORE

Here's a roundup of some of the major remediation projects happening in Canada – several of which impact ground water – and the technologies being used. Hazmat Management reports. | READ MORE

Ottawa – The federal government is on track with its pledge to end long-term boil-water advisories on First Nations reserves, but the overall reliability of the underlying water systems is little improved since the Liberal party came to power, according to a Globe and Mail analysis. | READ MORE

Victoria – New rules for agricultural waste management will better protect B.C.’s water and provide more clarity for the agricultural sector, the B.C. Ministry of Environment and Climate Change Strategy said in a news release.

MN – A former Minnesota Pollution Control Agency Commissioner has asked for a study of nitrates in the ground water of the karst region of southeastern Minnesota. Although this duplicates two current studies of ground water and nitrates, writes Brian Todd in the Post Bulletin, there is plenty to learn about ground water, nitrates and how widespread the problem might be.  | READ MORE

Guinea – Water for Life, a major project of the United Methodist Church in Liberia, has now crossed into Guinea, with plans to build at least five water wells in the country. UM News reports. | READ MORE

Walkerton, Ont. – Ontario's Walkerton Clean Water Centre has added a new pilot-scale water treatment technology to its Technology Demonstration Facility.

Edmonton – As permafrost in the North thaws, it's releasing record levels of mercury into Arctic rivers and waterways, graduate students at the University of Alberta have found. CBC News reports. | READ MORE

Texas – Operators active in reusing and recycling produced water for fracking in the Permian Basin of Texas offered their experiences and best practices at a conference, while emphasizing the need to protect water resources, writes The Midland Reporter. | READ MORE

A loan program in some municipalities of Nova Scotia provides qualified homeowners with help if their wells run dry.

This column is both hard and easy to write. Hard because I’m looking back on the career of Lewis Hopper, a champion of Canadian water well drilling who is no longer with us. Easy because I’m looking forward to a new generation of the industry – and they are an inspiring bunch.

By now, everyone in the industry probably knows this story, but just in case. In September 2015, in West Vancouver’s expensive, densely urban Kerrisdale neighbourhood, a homeowner contracted a homebuilder who contracted a drilling company to install a geothermal heating system.

Toronto – VersaDrill Canada has worked with Groupe Rouillier and RIDD to produce an Inner Tube Puller for mineral drilling that could potentially have applications for geotechnical, geothermal or core drilling.

You provide high-quality wells and servicing, but are you meeting your customers’ less tangible need for information and peace of mind? We spoke with a ground water educator, established drilling companies and a satisfied would-be customer to get insight into what constitutes great customer service.

Barbados – Barbados stands to gain significantly more foreign exchange from the sale of desalinated water being produced on the island, says the chairman of the company expanding a reverse osmosis plant on the island. The desalination facility is capable of supplying drinking water to about 20 per cent of the population, the Barbados Advocate reports. | READ MORE

West Chester, PA – The Schramm engineering group is upgrading its existing T450 rigs to use a CAT C15 ACERT, Tier 4 compliant engine.

Newport, WA – A third-generation water well driller discusses the ups and downs of the job as well as public perception about the business. The Spokesman-Review reports. | READ MORE

South Jordan, UT – The "Village Drill," a model envisioned by John Renouard and developed by Brigham Young University students, is human-powered and capable of drilling up to 295 feet into the ground – deep enough to reach clean, unpolluted ground water almost anywhere in the world. The Deseret News reports. | READ MORE

Qualicum Beach, B.C. – Ken Fyfe of Fyfe Well Drilling in Qualicum Beach, B.C., has worn many hats during some 43 years as a water-well driller. Fyfe shared with Ground Water Canada photos of his recently restored steam drill rig made by Keystone Company in Beaver Falls, Penn.

Toronto and San Bernardino County, CA – NewCastle Gold recently reported on the water supply drilling program for its Castle Mountain gold project in San Bernardino County, Calif.

Vancouver – The biggest building in the province, Vancouver International Airport in Richmond, B.C., will get a new heating and cooling system that will include one of the largest geoexchange systems in the country. Richmond News reports. | READ MORE

Vancouver – The biggest building in the province, Vancouver International Airport in Richmond, B.C., will get a new heating and cooling system that will include one of the largest geoexchange systems in the country. Richmond News reports. | READ MORE

Vancouver – An Italian company and its two principals are facing four charges each for the breach of a massive aquifer on a residential construction site in Vancouver in September 2015. The breach has cost the city more than $10 million to fix. CBC News reports. | READ MORE

DEEP Earth Energy Production Corp. has begun drilling on the first well for its geothermal power facility, located in southeastern Saskatchewan.

Vancouver – GeoExchangeBC has shared with its members information provided by the B.C. government related to the Water Sustainability Act and regulations that are relevant to the geoexchange industry. GeoExchangeBC reports. | READ MORE

Newport, RI – A ground-source geothermal system has been installed at The Breakers, the former summer home of the Vanderbilt family in Newport, Rhode Island, in order to stabilize humidity and reduce the building’s carbon footprint.

Iran – In a new study of geothermal heat pumps published in The Journal of Renewable and Sustainable Energy, systems using ammonia (R717) or n-butane (R600) were found to be more efficient than those employing R22 or R134, as well as more economical. Hydrocarbons21 reports. | READ MORE

Irving, TX – The Plastics Pipe Institute Inc. has created two groups as part of its Building and Construction Division: the Polypropylene Pressure Pipe Steering Committee and the Geothermal Steering Committee.

Moncton, N.B. – The federal government will invest almost $51 million to help New Brunswickers make energy-efficient upgrades to their homes, businesses, and industrial operations.

Montreal – The Canadian GeoExchange Coalition and its members welcomed the news that New Brunswick Power has released a range of energy efficiency and renewable energy incentives including for GeoExchange (a.k.a. geothermal heat pump) technology.

Peterborough, Ont. – Fleming College will install a new geothermal heating and cooling system at its Sutherland Campus to help reduce greenhouse gas emissions thanks to funding from the provincial government.

Montreal –­ The Canadian GeoExchange Coalition welcomed the news that the Quebec government will continue its RénoClimat incentive program through to 2021.

Watson Lake, Yukon – An atmospheric water generator created by a Calgary company is being used by the Liard First Nation in Yukon to gather moisture from the air like a dehumidifier, then purify it for drinking by using UV light. CBC News reports. | READ MORE

Memphis, TN – A Lowe’s store is about to sell 300 plastic buckets to the University of Memphis that are part of a much broader effort by the university to map breaches in the aquifers that hold Memphis' ground water. The Daily Memphian reports. | READ MORE

Natural Resources Canada, in partnership with the Canadian Water Resources Association, will present a webinar on the Federal Airborne LiDAR Data Acquisition Guideline Version 2.0. 

Few people in Canada have thought more deeply about ground water than Dr. Alfonso Rivera, the Chief Hydrogeologist of the Geological Survey of Canada. Dr. Rivera shared with us his thoughts on the past, present and future of ground water.

Surrey, B.C. – Kwantlen Polytechnic University has launched a new course to meet the strong demand for qualified workers to maintain the network that safely delivers water to homes and businesses.

Kelowna, B.C. – Using a small and inexpensive biosensor, researchers at the University of British Columbia have developed a novel, low-cost technique that quickly and accurately detects cryptosporidium contamination in water samples. Kelowna Captial News reports. | READ MORE

A series of research papers on transboundary aquifers were recently published by the Journal of Hydrology: Regional Studies in the form of a special issue.

Kelowna, B.C. – The potential for large countries rich in freshwater such as Canada to contribute to environmental protection worldwide is being overlooked, suggests new research out of the University of British Columbia Okanagan.

Urbana-Champaign, IL – A new study has identified microplastic fibres, along with a variety of medicines and household contaminants, in two fractured limestone aquifer systems in Illinois.

Hamilton, Ont. – A new study by the United Nations University compares for the first time the effectiveness and costs of different technologies designed to remove poisonous arsenic from ground water.

Bacterial water contamination is a serious issue that has ramifications for human health. The importance of a health-unit water test cannot be overstated as it can identify potential for illness due to bacteria present in water.

A new paper looks at the degradation of water wells, which is observed as a reduction in hydraulic efficiency throughout their lifespan. The paper is an open-access study published by MDPI.  | READ MORE

Flomatic Corporation’s new constant pressure pump control valve, Cycle Gard model C153SS, has an added pressure setting of 70 pounds per square inch (PSI).

The Monitor high-efficiency pitless spool is new from Bakers Hughes Water Systems. Each design integrates the manufacturer’s patented Monitor Flow Divider (U.S. Patent No. 8.960.275).

Yonkers, NY – Consumers Report experts weigh in on the pros and cons of tankless water heaters and storage tank water heaters, based on test results and payback time. | READ MORE

Heron Instruments has launched the dipperLog SMART, an independent, wireless, real-time data transfer system that allows for collating, viewing and recording remote data from water wells on any computer, tablet or smartphone from anywhere.

Every region of Canada has unique geographic features that set them apart from the rest.  However, while that description also applies to our newest province – Newfoundland – when you are there, there is also a vaguely perceptible “other world” sense about the place. 

Drilltracker was demonstrating what its business management software could do for drilling companies at Groundwater Week. The Australia-based developer has designed a program to help drilling businesses give their clients high-quality reports quickly, easily and directly from the drilling site.

Flomatic Corporation introduces their new Model 508S6 Ball Check Valve; a simple, yet reliable 316 stainless steel check valve.

Flexcon Industries had its CIPHEx award-winning Argosy pressurized composite buffer tank suitable for both geothermal and hydronic systems.

TDH Manufacturing’s pump hoists got some attention at Groundwater Week. The company, of Fort Worth, Texas, had several of its pump hoists on display at the annual trade show in Las Vegas.

Canature WaterGroup announces the Aqua Flo High-Efficiency Reverse Osmosis (H.E.R.O.) system.

The Model 101D Water Level DrawDown Meter from Solinst Canada Ltd. indicates static water level, monitors falling hydraulic head and switches easily between water level and drawdown modes.

Ann Arbor, MI – The American National Standards for health effects of drinking water treatment chemicals (NSF/ANSI 60) and plumbing system components (NSF/ANSI 61) have been updated for the Canadian market and published as National Standards of Canada.

Customer service expert Shep Hyken explains why it's important for workplace leaders to set a good example for those they lead.

It’s hard not to feel good about the future of the ground water industry after talking with 10 young people who work hard and love what they do.

It’s hard not to feel good about the future of the ground water industry after talking with 10 young people who work hard and love what they do.

The Canadian Federation of Independent Business recently hosted a free webinar on how small businesses can pay bills and get paid more efficiently. The emphasis was on how Interac e-Transfers work and their benefits for businesses.

If you’re one of the people experiencing extreme cold this week and you have to venture outside, the National Ground Water Association has shared a handy chart with tips for protecting yourself from the cold.

It’s hard not to feel good about the future of the ground water industry after talking with 10 young people who work hard and love what they do.

Westerville, OH – The U.S. National Ground Water Association is inviting contractors, scientists and engineers, manufacturers and suppliers to share their expertise with other professionals at Groundwater Week 2019, to take place Dec. 3-5, 2019, in Las Vegas. 

Our fall edition showcased 10 fine young ground water professionals. Unfortunately finding great employees like those we featured seems harder and harder to do. It’s still the No. 1 challenge and threat to the water well industry.

Groundwater Week welcomed more than 5,000 attendees and 286 exhibitors to Las Vegas for a unique opportunity to learn about their own and other facets of the industry, scope out new products and compare notes with their peers.

Las Vegas, NV – The National Ground Water Association has created this slideshow of highlights from Groundwater Week 2018. Get a glimpse of the speakers, award winners and the trade show floor.

Charlottetown – Prince Edward Island's environment minister says the province will soon get their first look at some of the regulations to go with the province's Water Act. First to be dealt with will be regulations for well construction and municipal water systems, followed by regulations for high-capacity wells. CBC News reports. | READ MORE