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Chris, I used to work in the Adrar des Iforas. I know your area as I have travelled through all your towns, but I have no useful experience of drilling in these areas. I picked up that you refer to work by 'hydrologists'. There is often confusion about this professional name, particularly in franco-phone countries. If you have not done so, could I suggest that you clarify whether you are engaging, or reading the reports of, hydrogeologists (trained with groundwater skills and drilling) or hydrologists (trained in surface water, rainfall run-off relationships, channel flow)? Sometimes, local hydrologists, civil engineers and geophysicists, by necessity, pass themselves off as hydrogeologists, when they do not necessarily have the skills for your work. From what you say about your daunting project, I would recommend that you engage an experienced field hydrogeologist. You say that you work for AECOM. AECOM merged with URS. URS had some excellent hydrogeologists with over 30 years experience. The hydrogeologist(s) have to be able to get to the sites to do their work. They can't do it at a distance from the sites. They need to be on the sites while pumps are lifted and inspected or stripped down, the borehole is plumbed, airlift surged and airlift pumped, then all the information obtained is assessed by them, and if justified, and a new pump is installed. The hydrogeologist should be able to determine the condition and value of an an existing borehole if they are on site and free to use their skills and experience. They should be able to determine a correct and safe position for the new pump. The hydrogeologist also should be at the back of the rig, right next to the driller, whilst all new drilling, or borehole work-overs, are carried out; so that they can make decisions with the driller on how to modify the borehole design, during the construction in the light of the findings, as they arise. If you cannot get an appropriately skilled and experienced 'bush hydrogeologist' on site full-time, then I suggest that you use this barrier to defer the project until access by the right professional becomes possible. I am sure AECOM wants to get the project done properly, but it does not look possible if you are trying to do it remotely through unproven third parties, who may not be wildly enthusiastic about being there in the first place. I apologise if it seems that I am "teaching a grandmother to suck eggs". David

Chris, I used to work in the Adrar des Iforas. I know your area as I have travelled through all your towns, but I have no useful experience of drilling in these areas. areas.

I picked up that you refer to work by 'hydrologists'. There is often confusion about this professional name, particularly in franco-phone countries. If you have not done so, could I suggest that you clarify whether you are engaging, or reading the reports of, hydrogeologists (trained with groundwater skills and drilling) or hydrologists (trained in surface water, rainfall run-off relationships, channel flow)? flow)?

Sometimes, local hydrologists, civil engineers and geophysicists, by necessity, pass themselves off as hydrogeologists, when they do not necessarily have the skills for your work.

From what you say about your daunting project, I would recommend that you engage an experienced field hydrogeologist. hydrogeologist.

You say that you work for AECOM. AECOM merged with URS. URS had some excellent hydrogeologists with over 30 years experience. experience.

The hydrogeologist(s) have to be able to get to the sites to do their work. They can't do it at a distance from the sites.

They need to be on the sites while pumps are lifted and inspected or stripped down, the borehole is plumbed, airlift surged and airlift pumped, then all the information obtained is assessed by them, and if justified, and a new pump is installed.

The hydrogeologist should be able to determine the condition and value of an an existing borehole if they are on site and free to use their skills and experience. They should be able to determine a correct and safe position for the new pump. pump.

The hydrogeologist also should be at the back of the rig, right next to the driller, whilst all new drilling, or borehole work-overs, are carried out; so that they can make decisions with the driller on how to modify the borehole design, during the construction in the light of the findings, as they arise. arise.

If you cannot get an appropriately skilled and experienced 'bush hydrogeologist' on site full-time, then I suggest that you use this barrier to defer the project until access by the right professional becomes possible. possible.

I am sure AECOM wants to get the project done properly, but it does not look possible if you are trying to do it remotely through unproven third parties, who may not be wildly enthusiastic about being there in the first place.

I apologise if it seems that I am "teaching a grandmother to suck eggs". eggs".

David