Rig's Power and Size Perfect for Installing Groundwater Monitoring Well

Beginning his drilling career during 2007, Whit Martin learned the trade at the controls of a Geoprobe^® 54DT. This was the same rig the Overland Park, Kansas, company was using when acquired by SCS Engineers out of Long Beach, California, during 2013.

“I learned on that machine as a driller helper, progressing to driller,” Martin said. “I like that every week there’s something new and new challenges, whether it's remediation systems or landfill investigation work.”

Needing better drilling equipment, they convinced corporate leaders during 2022 to invest in something more powerful and durable for soil sampling, landfill gas collection, and groundwater monitoring well installation.

“We were still using a Geoprobe^® 54DT that had a nice patina to it,” Martin said. “We wanted something very small. Lots of our work is on landfill slopes and Phase II ground around residences and businesses where it’s difficult to get larger rigs.”

They chose a Geoprobe^® 6712DT.

6712DT Sized Right

"Larger rigs can’t get to the sites we do, and with the 6712DT, we have more options for installing groundwater monitoring wells,” Martin said.

Even though the 6712DT is a little larger than the 54DT, they’ve found the perfect footprint for their workload.

“We can still traverse landfills but can now also get soil samples below foundations,” Martin said. “It’s lightweight, so can get on a trailer with a UTV as we travel across the country for jobs. It has the power, but is still small enough to travel reasonably priced and safety-wise as none of the people who drive it must have their CDL.”

Other differences include:

• Longer stroke: “Went from 4-foot to 5-foot Macro-Core^®”
• Stronger hammer: “We can get through different soils and move on to the next boring faster.”
• Winch: “It’s helpful on well abandonments. It’s really helped having those extra features.”
• Control panel display: “It provides different maintenance or error codes to get it repaired in a timely manner.”

Power to Install Groundwater Monitoring Well

For him, the more powerful hammer on the 6712DT is the biggest difference with the 54DT.

“The first soil investigation job, I got into fat clays and the 6712DT just sliced through it,” Martin said. “I had to get used to the power. I thought I’d reached a shale layer but actually bent the Macro-Core^® rod in limestone.”

He credits the ability to install a groundwater monitoring well as the biggest advantage of the 6712DT. They recently did a project which involved collecting soils samples around petroleum contamination.

“The client asked that we go ahead and install monitoring wells. Rather than rent or subcontract the job, we were able to do Macro-Core^® sampling and switch to hollow stem auger to install the groundwater monitoring wells for the client,” Martin said. “Because of increased capabilities, we’ve added revenue by being able to better satisfy our clients’ needs.”