7822DT Hunts for Beyond Oak Island Treasure

Started in 2013, Roddy Qualls Environmental Drilling is licensed in five states to complete direct push and auger projects from limited due diligence to large scale groundwater monitoring projects, including remediation and injection. During the past year they experienced an unusual surge in direct push work compared to their auger work.

“Not sure if it’s a trend toward a more limited approach to investigations providing more data for less money, but we were close to double our direct push projects with Geoprobe^® rigs compared to auger,” Eric Hutton, vice president, said.

What is more unusual is appearing on television. Someone who had used their drilling services in the past reached out to the History Channel regarding an archeological investigation, and it ballooned into an episode of the Beyond Oak Island  project hunting for buried treasure.

“We chose the 7822DT because it was versatile enough and small enough to manage the rough terrain to access the site on top of a hill but strong enough to get to depths in an easy and time-effective manner,” Hutton said. “They also wanted to do air drilling and we weren’t comfortable with the safety of putting the weight of a big rig on the side of a hill.”

The maneuverability of the 7822DT provided options for where to place the equipment. The track-mounted 7822DT also came in handy at the conclusion of filming.

“At the end of the project it rained quite a bit in a short time and became very muddy,” Hutton said. “The 7822DT helped pull out a lot of people’s vehicles who otherwise would have been stuck on top of a hill with a long walk back down.”

While they didn’t find treasure, Hutton said the drill crew had fun and the company has had an influx of calls from out-of-state consultants. Perhaps the biggest boost was seeing an environmental drilling company on television.

 “You never see anyone out of our industry on TV shows. We’re kind of the unsung heroes in a lot of things and the last thought on a lot of projects,” Hutton said. “I just think it was neat for someone out of this industry to be seen on TV.”

The 7822DT was perfect for their television debut project.

“Based on the obstacles for the project, the 7822DT met all our needs. Not only did it complete the project, but it reduced the safety issues for our crew and the camera crew,” Hutton said. “It was small enough for them to get shots and not have to move further around the rig. It was the right tool for the job.”