April 23, 2019

Well Drilling

The well drilling project was started with Dr. Russell Qualls, a civil engineering professor, at the University of Idaho. He has worked extensively in Africa drilling wells using a manual hydraulic percussion method. Our club met with him in 2018 and he shared his knowledge and expertise. When the travel team completed the assessment trip in August 2018, we did preliminary scouting for well drilling and it looked promising. This past February we completed a test hole at the WSU Organic Farm. It was a lot of work but we drilling down 10 ft until we hit bed rock. This test helped us refine the process and prepare for Panama. For the trip this June, a hydrogeologic assessment will be completed and spring sources will be located. The team will also drill some test holes, using Dr. Quall’s method, to determine if there is any groundwater. None of the holes will be made into functioning wells. We plan to return next year to implement and build more wells so the communities will have a year round source of water.

Facebook