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Attendance was up at this year’s National Ground Water Association
Groundwater Expo, and you could certainly feel it as the folks poured in
when the doors opened Dec. 4. The NGWA reported an increase in every
attendance category and listed over 300 companies as exhibitors.

Attendance was up at this year’s National Ground Water Association Groundwater Expo, and you could certainly feel it as the folks poured in when the doors opened Dec. 4. The NGWA reported an increase in every attendance category and listed over 300 companies as exhibitors. Ground Water Canada found plenty of new products on the show floor, heard lots of great buzz and even caught a little of the cowboy Christmas spirit.

It was shoulder to shoulder on the show floor once the doors flung open. Advertisement

“In case after case, exhibiting manufacturers said they had a very good Expo,” said Kevin B. McCray, CEO of the NGWA, in a news release.

“Many of the workshops were packed, which is another good sign for the ground water industry.”

NGWA numbers show attendance was up two per cent from last year, with 12 per cent more suppliers, and four per cent more scientists and engineers. There were two per cent more water well contractors, or 1,810 who made the trek to the show. Manufacturers attending were up slightly more than one per cent at 1,300.

Country western and horse fans take note: Next door to the expo, the annual Cowboy Christmas Show and Sale opened up on Dec. 5 in conjunction with the National Rodeo Finals December showdown in Vegas. This annual event tends to run side by side with the ground water show.

Stephen Anderson of Merrill Manufacturing mugs for the camera.

There were 291 Canadians in attendance at the NGWA, according to association figures. Ground Water Canada magazine found many familiar faces on the show floor, including CGWA executives Kevin Constable and John Friesen. Multiple exhibitors noted the strong Canadian presence on the floor, and there were many Canadian companies to visit as well.

Of note, Bariod auctioned off an M2 Mixer worth $12,000 in support of the National Ground Water Research and Educational Foundation’s annual auction. The Korea Groundwater and Geothermal Energy Association had a booth this year and representatives said they were looking for opportunities for both sides of the pond. The association website is www.kogga.or.kr . 

And, of course, there were plenty of new products to peruse as we toured up and down the aisles. Here’s a snapshot:

Xylem unveiled several new products at the show. The company introduced the CentriPro Xtreme Duty four-inch submersible motor. Designed especially for sandy wells and coal bed methane applications, the motor uniquely combines both sand fighting and coal bed methane motor capabilities into one unit.

This new wee tool by PMC is specially designed for smaller diameter bore holes, specifically those as tiny as 0.39 inches.

YSI, a Xylem brand, has used its long experience in water quality monitoring to develop multiparameter sondes for challenging ground water conditions, including low-flow purging and down-well monitoring.

Xylem added data matrix codes on all Goulds Water Technology 5 – 25 GPM submersible products. The scannable data matrix code, located on the product label, provides information on such critical performance data as psi, watts, amps and other important operational criteria.

Xylem introduced the Goulds Water Technology Aquavar SPD Plus variable speed pump controller. Built for demanding conditions in a wide range of applications, the SPD Plus is the newest addition to the Goulds Water Technology product line of variable speed pump controllers.

Lastly, they rolled out the Goulds Water Technology Grinder Pump Retrofit Kit for residential grinder pump stations. Designed to provide a more economical option to replacing the entire pump system, the retrofit kit allows for continuous operation is a replacement core for an existing installed E-One grinder pump station.

Grundfos showcased a new design change on large submersibles. Previously, the outport was welded stainless steel. The design has a single cast stainless steel pit with a hex head design. The design is intended to make the product easier to use with standard wrenches, said Mike Mamone, marketing head at Grundfos Canada.

Grundfos showcased a new design change on large submersibles.

The front of the Grundfos booth was an often-busy spot where attendees checked out their new variable frequency drive. The new CU331 is intended to replace the CU321, said Mamone. The new SmartFlo constant pressure system is for four-inch wells or larger and works with two-, three- or five-horsepower submersible pumps (the two-horsepower option is new). Product carries NEMA four or 12 enclosure options and is meant to work with any combination of matched pumps and motor.

Process Measurement & Controls (PMC) displayed its latest submersible depth and level transmitters with the debut of the MTM 3000. This new wee tool is especially designed for smaller diameter bore holes, specifically those as tiny as 0.39 inches. Booth reps said it is the smallest diameter tool on the market.

 Franklin Electric showcased a solar-powered sub drive pumping system and QuickPak selector to help decide the best settings for a particular project. The system automatically switches to AC generator backup if there is no DC power available from the solar array.

Fecon showcased new compact drills for the geothermal industry: the GL300 and GL14. The drills are billed as easy to transport and weighing under 10,000 pounds. The GL300 is a rubber-tracked drill and the GL14 is a support trailer.

Myron L Company had several new pocket testers on display: the Ultrapens PT1, PT2 and PT3, each with differing parameters and performance features. The Ultrameter III Titration kit model 9PTK and Ultrameter II were also new.

WaterGroup featured its 2510AIO chemical-free iron filter that has a patented construction that creates an air bubble at the upper portion of the tank to oxidize any ferrous iron prior to being filtered. The 2510AIO can also be used for removal of dissolved hydrogen sulphide and manganese.

After three consecutive years in Las Vegas, the NGWA Groundwater Expo will be held next December in Nashville’s new Music City Center – the most expensive publicly financed complex in the state’s history, reports the NGWA. The $623-million downtown convention centre is the length of more than a dozen football fields. With 1.2 million square feet of total space, it’s among the largest convention centres in the South.

It won’t be held during cowboy season in Vegas but country fans will still get their fix in Nashville!