The PGWA Summer Field Conference will be held on

 June 17, 2011, at Rock Springs, PA (near State College)

A Full Day of Field Demonstrations, Training Sessions,

and Manufacturer and Supplier Exhibits

at the PGWA Well Demonstration Site

Each year, for the past nine years, the Pennsylvania Ground Water Association has held a one-day, totally outdoor, summer field conference with live demonstrations of drilling, casing, grouting, development, test pumping, hydrofracturing, and decommissioning.

 What will be demonstrated on Friday, June 17, 2011?  Public water-supply wells, high-yield industrial wells, and Marcellus Shale gas well top-holes all start with a large-diameter hole (20 to 24-inches) in which is then set the surface or starter casing (18 to 20-inches in diameter).  We will be demonstrating the air-rotary drilling of a 20-inch diameter hole, and we will set and grout in 16-inch diameter steel casing.  Laibe Corporation will be providing their Versa-Drill® V-200NG air-rotary drill rig to drill this 20-inch diameter hole (photo to the right). 

Center Rock, Inc. will be providing their 20-inch Cyclops™ button bit (see photo below) and their CR120 (12-inch diameter) down-the-hole hammer.  The piston in this huge hammer weighs a whopping 304 pounds, and so we will use an auxiliary compressor on a second drill rig to provide the more than 2,000 cfm of air that this huge hammer and bit will need.  Come and learn how to select the correct size choke for the hammer to control the rock chip size so the up-hole air velocity can carry the rock chips out of the 20-inch diameter hole.  Come and learn how to drill a really large diameter top-hole and set the casing, and watch how the completely automated rod handling system on the Versa-Drill® V-2000NG drill rig works.

Pennsylvania State Police Motor Carrier Enforcement Officer Supervisor Mitchell Scalia will be back to do a walk-around inspection on trailer carrying a backhoe this year.  Trooper Scalia will explain the CDL requirements relating to the trailer and tow truck gross weight, and will explain the backhoe chain-down requirements.  His very frank and informative session last year was well received by the drillers who attended.

 Why attend these demonstrations?  This Summer Field Conference will demonstrate procedures that you may only have read about in text books.  By direct observation of the demonstrations, you will gain a much better understanding of the procedures.  As each procedure is undertaken, it is explained step-by-step, and there is always an opportunity for questions.  There will be tabletop displays and large equipment displays.  The displays will provide product information for geothermal heat pump systems and residential water-well systems.

Who should attend?  Water-well owners, water-well drilling contractors, geologists, sanitarians, watershed specialists, hydrogeologists, water-supply regulators, municipal officials, planning commission members, members of watershed associations, and anyone interested in geothermal heat pumps and how they work.  Equipment manufacturers and suppliers to the ground-water industry and the geothermal industry should also attend and take advantage of this opportunity to display their products.   

Registration for an employee or member of any federal, state, or local government agency or entity, Master Well Owners, faculty, and students is FREE.  Registration is also FREE to any Pennsylvania State Water Plan Regional Committee member and to any Statewide Committee Member.

Schedule for Friday, June 17, 2011:  Note there are concurrent sessions.

Registration Fee:  The fee for this Summer Field Conference is $5 per person for PGWA members with paid 2011 memberships, and $45 for non-members, and includes the demonstrations, the displays, and lunch. 

Registration for an employee or member of any federal, state, or local government agency or entity, Master Well Owners, faculty, and students is FREE.  To go to the free registration form, click this link.

Registration is FREE to any Regional Committee member and to any Statewide Committee Member.

To ensure that enough meals are available, advance registration is required for every attendee.   The advance registration deadline is June 10, 2011.

Field Conference Location:  The 2011 Summer Field Conference site is at the new PGWA Well Demonstration Site in Rock Springs (near State College), PA.   To view a location map and driving directions for  the PGWA Well Demonstration Site, click this map link.

Lodging:  For a list of State College area motels, hotels, bed-and-breakfasts, and campgrounds, click this lodging link.

Registration:  Advance registration is required so we will know how many meals to provide.  The advance registration deadline is June 10, 2011.  We need a head-count to order the food and beverages.

The paid registration form is available for printing - click this link.

The exhibitor registration form is available for printing - click this link.

After you print and complete the paid registration form or the exhibitor registration form, please mail it to:  Ms. Rose Ann Hoover, PGWA, 3320 Marengo Road, Port Matilda, PA 16870.

Registration Fees:  $5 for PGWA members.  $45 for non-members who do not qualify for a free registration.

The advance registration deadline is June 10, 2011.  Walk-ins are $10 additional.

Registration for an employee or member of any federal, state, or local government agency or entity, Master Well Owners, faculty, and faculty and students is FREE.  

The PGWA Well Demonstration Site is located near State College and a map with driving directions is located at this link.  To go to the FREE REGISTRATION form, click this link.

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Last modified: November 09, 2011.