23 JUNE 2023 WorldWide Drilling Resource® by Tim Rasmussen Bucky Mowrey and Speedy Gonzales (his real name) are both from Ohio and have been volunteers for Water for Life for more than ten years. They come at least once a year and sometimes more often. They have a heart to help people and enjoy the adventure of going to a perfectly strange place and situation and drilling wells for people who have no decent supply of clean water. Their dedication led them to buy a drilling rig and ship it to Guatemala so they will not diminish our ability to drill. They let us use their rig when they are not there, and we store it securely with our tools and machines. It is a win-win situation for us and for the people we serve. This past spring, Bucky and Speedy made the trip again. They had not been down for two years due to medical issues with Bucky’s shoulder and a very serious motorcycle crash for Speedy, but despite these issues, they bought a couple of tickets and headed south. (Maybe to get away from winter weather in Ohio.) They figured they had about three weeks to work. The first week, they were busy getting their drill rig up and running. Leaving equipment sitting in the heat and humidity of Guatemala is about the worst thing you can do for it. Rust takes over everything unpainted, batteries go dead, the termites will eat anything made of wood, and small bees will find places to build nests. The bees defend the nests like rabid squatters. I got stung once and didn’t like it. After one week of getting ready, Bucky and Speedy headed out to a remote village, which had a medical facility and access to grid power, but did not have a good supply of water. There was a tank on a tower, so there was the potential for good pressure, but a well was needed. The drilling went well. In about five days, they were at 175 feet and the static level was steady. They placed a pump and got 25 gallons per minute (gpm) and the static did not drop at all. The clinic folks were very happy with the prospects of having a nearly endless supply of good, safe water. As they were working, some village people came around and told them about another situation a short distance away in Bombillo. A well had been drilled to about 80 feet by some people from Mexico, but they had left after that. The well was not developed and the people did not know if there really was water or not - and if there was, they did not know how to get the water. Bucky and Speedy set up on the Bombillo well and soon they were pumping 12-15 gpm and the static was not dropping at all at this rate of pumping. They set a pump there and counted this as the second well. While working there, they heard about a small school in the jungle nearby. There was sort of a road going there, so they decided to try and help the folks. They took the rig down and eased out along a very rough jungle track. The going was slow, but they made it without incident. The school was by a little stream the villagers said never went dry, so they set up a short way away from the stream on a little hill and started to drill. Within two days, they were at 75 feet and they could not reduce the static level with constant bailing. They estimated they were getting 75 to 100 gpm! This one they counted as number three. Then they heard about an old folks home in a desperate way for water. It is near the town of Deloris. They made a trip to visit and found a situation that brought tears to their eyes. The place was clean and neat as a pin. There were eight patients there. They had room for more folks, but not enough water to take care of them. They had very little food and someone had recently stolen their refrigerator so they could not store much food, if they could find the money to buy it. Bucky and Speedy did not have anymore time, but they did have some money. They drove back to Poptun, bought a big new refrigerator, got a full tank of propane gas, and loaded the truck with corn, beans, rice, and potatoes. The folks in the facility thought they were being visited by angels. There were tears all around. As I talked to Bucky and Speedy, they were making plans to go back as soon as they could. They have a plan for that little facility; a new well, new stove, and more of everything they need. My friends, this is the work being done by Water for Life. Good people helping good people live. We thank you for helping. If you would like to help, contact Gary Bartholomew at 509-939-1941 Tim Tim Rasmussen may be contacted via e-mail to michele@worldwidedrillingresource.com WTR
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