Well drillers alert! Come to California.

[Ballvalve]

So the drillers here have gotten really greedy and obscenely rich. The guy that started drilling my wells 30 years ago charged 10$ a foot and no charge for a dry hole. He did about 12 for me, then he got too old and his son inlaw that was his rig hand took over. Another great and honest guy. He did another 8 or so wells for me. Got all the way up to $15 a foot in 2012. I got the last two wells he drilled, 60 feet each and 50 GPM in the mountains where it's all hard rock and no water table. Only had one bad well out of all, and I chose the area - near a creek and down low from the house 100'. He wanted to drill 100' higher next to the house and I'll bet he would have gotten a gusher at 100'.

Anyway, the new studs took over, and everyones wells are taking a cr*p. The local newby charged my friend
$24,000 to deepen his well by 80'. same pump replaced. Now hear this - He went up to the house and would not hook up the pipes until he had a check. My old guy would drill 4 wells on a handshake. Bring your rigs to central California and hang up a sign - you'll be drilling 24/7 all year.

 

[Valveman]

We can't come to California. Our fairly new trucks won't pass the emission standards. We can't get CA drilling licenses. All the equipment installed has to pass the Prop 65 restrictions. We can't afford the rent, gas, taxes, and wages.

CA drillers have all had to get new trucks, more insurance, pay more for licenses, wages, and everything else. A hand shake isn't good anymore. A lot of people don't think they should have to pay for a hole in the ground, and you can't take it back.

Thieves are stealing pumps, pressure tanks, copper wiring, and anything they can get a few bucks out of. CA residents are now required to spy and tattle on their neighbors for taking long showers. Legal residents have tons of rules to follow, but illegals can do whatever they want and use as much water as they want.

CA people did this to themselves. I would say you need to move, but a lot of people are moving to Texas, and we don't want those kinds of regulatory problems here.

 

[Sponsor]

 

[Texas Wellman]

We can't come to California. Our fairly new trucks won't pass the emission standards. We can't get CA drilling licenses. All the equipment installed has to pass the Prop 65 restrictions. We can't afford the rent, gas, taxes, and wages.

CA drillers have all had to get new trucks, more insurance, pay more for licenses, wages, and everything else. A hand shake isn't good anymore. A lot of people don't think they should have to pay for a hole in the ground, and you can't take it back.

Thieves are stealing pumps, pressure tanks, copper wiring, and anything they can get a few bucks out of. CA residents are now required to spy and tattle on their neighbors for taking long showers. Legal residents have tons of rules to follow, but illegals can do whatever they want and use as much water as they want.

CA people did this to themselves. I would say you need to move, but a lot of people are moving to Texas, and we don't want those kinds of regulatory problems here.

+1. My feelings on the subject resemble "F Ca". Maybe not quite so strong. I realize that Ca has about 2x the population that we have so some things have to be more tightly controlled but I feel the state gov't has made things worse not better.

Price is also a subject of supply and demand. I'm glad those drillers are "making a killing" even if you don't really know either way. Most drillers I know (from any area) are salt of the earth people who make a decent living and not quite the killing as is portrayed in the public. The ones I do know who are doing well are hitting about the half-century mark of operations and the 3rd generation in. I have been on plenty of jobs where we lost money. The handshake is only as good as the other person and it won't hold up in court.

 

[Craigpump]

If I had 1.25 million or more in new equipment I'd have to charge $40.00 a foot + to ever get a return on my investment.

Did I mention
Labor
Fuel
Taxes
Registrations
Licenses
Insurance
DOT regs
Office help
Advertising
Shop/real estate
Accounting
Lawyers (for the sue happy customers)
Phones
Moonbeam taxes
Etc
Etc
Etc

I have no sympathy for most Californians, I do feel for the people who will be paying a premium for produce grown there

 

[DonL]

I do not think you could drill even if you did show up. It will not be permitted.

Once the soil drys up and Cal falls off, the problem will be solved.

Sea Ya...

 

[Ballvalve]

We can't come to California. Our fairly new trucks won't pass the emission standards. We can't get CA drilling licenses. All the equipment installed has to pass the Prop 65 restrictions. We can't afford the rent, gas, taxes, and wages.

CA drillers have all had to get new trucks, more insurance, pay more for licenses, wages, and everything else. A hand shake isn't good anymore. A lot of people don't think they should have to pay for a hole in the ground, and you can't take it back.

Thieves are stealing pumps, pressure tanks, copper wiring, and anything they can get a few bucks out of. CA residents are now required to spy and tattle on their neighbors for taking long showers. Legal residents have tons of rules to follow, but illegals can do whatever they want and use as much water as they want.

CA people did this to themselves. I would say you need to move, but a lot of people are moving to Texas, and we don't want those kinds of regulatory problems here.

Your new trucks will pass. Our old trucks are grandfathered in. The carb standards are moving nationwide soon, so get ready. Come here and buy all sorts of govt trucks and equipment for nearly free - have to go out of state. The auctions only enforce carb standards for on road equipment and only for govt. owned surplus. You can still sell or use your texas polluters here. Getting a drilling license is not hard. Well permits away from the costal areas is a no brainer and all the mountain areas can drill any number of wells on their land they want. Permits in a few days based on setbacks only. "no lead" isnt costing a premium much anymore. Like when they predicted doom on 'no lead' gasoline! Looks like that got solved pretty easily.

Still can't beat California for a 4 hour radius of driving that includes nevada desert, Pacific ocean, 12,000' mountains, and redwood rain forests. there IS a reason all those screwballs moved here. Big brother has not yet got all of the state by the nuts, not nearly. Our raw land costs are likely the same or less than Texas in the remote and best parts of the state. 5 acres with water and power and roads for $75,000 pretty easy now. You can run your rigs from your house - up to 5 employees per acre with no permits.

SUCKS: No rain lately and waiting for the firestorm [again for me] .... no snow to speak of this year. Luckily I live at the junction of the only 2 creeks in a 20 mile radius, and all the rain in a huge watershed has to go thru my yard. Sounds like a locomotive in the yard in a good year. 200' waterfall behind the house and a 100 mile hike from my deck to the next private land - all across BLM - no regs. - 3 gold mines running right now in the neighborhood, small ops and not big enuf for MSHA. Have 5 myself, but never found but a few specks. Your Texas illegals strip your wires and tanks just as fast as in California. But actually, never heard of a PT stolen in the tri county area. The poor are too lazy to haul them or know what they are for. I have a shop on 13 acres - maybe 30,000 board feet of wood outside, 8000# of unlocked [for 35 years] shop, filled with a ridiculous amount of tools and supplies. Never lost anything except to employees during work. Finally moved my copper wire spools, maybe a tons worth, indoors and locked. Lots of poor people, but they are oddly honest here. Maybe welfare does work.

 

[Texas Wellman]

No thanks.

 

[DonL]

No thanks.

You would have to be a nut case, with a whole bunch of bolts missing to go there.

Well unless it was just to party. And get screwed.

 

[Ballvalve]

Plenty of nut cases mixed with unusually normal and talented people here. Pretty much like anywhere else. What to compare reg's? Maryland and D.C. and New York make us look like Uganda. And we have Death Valley. That's enough to make living here worthwhile.

 

[Ballvalve]

Hey- just a tip to fleece all the moonbeam lovers and old flower kids here. All the crazies live on the ocean. The [semi] normal folks live in the mountains and desert. It's a crazy mix here. I suspect that the regs in CT are harder than our Cali mountain ones. You guys in CT elect some weirdo's too. Plus we have maybe 30 x the population of CT... makes room for a lot of nuts.

 

[DonL]

Hey- just a tip to fleece all the moonbeam lovers and old flower kids here. All the crazies live on the ocean. The [semi] normal folks live in the mountains and desert. It's a crazy mix here. I suspect that the regs in CT are harder than our Cali mountain ones. You guys in CT elect some weirdo's too. Plus we have maybe 30 x the population of CT... makes room for a lot of nuts.

I think the Ball in your Valve is loose.

 

[Craigpump]

Think?

 

[Ballvalve]

I think the Ball in your Valve is loose.

Those loose balls have served me well. I spent some time in Houston. Look up Joel Bartsch at the Houston museum of natural science - the head honcho. He and I were big drinking buddies here in La-La land, and I went to Houston with him to design and build the California State Mining and Mineral Museum. Did some work for Houston mineral displays also. Never in my life did I feel so threatened and sweat like a miner at 8000' deep as in Houston. Damn moss grew on my eyebrows. Joel and I went on to deal specimen crystalline gold to the Russians with my cousin, the Czech ambassador to Kiev. Long story worthy of a book.

As for that mess known as Connecticut [who the hell came up with that babble of letters?] It has 3.5 MILLION people in an area LESS than the size of my COUNTY. we have 17,000 people. Do the math. Hong Kong of the eastern seaboard. No sirree, not for me! Where the hell do you drill a well in Ct ? on the 25] 5 acre parcels that are not paved over yet? I look out from my balcony over an area the size of CT. and not a light in my view.

Just saying guys! Cheers to our chosen burdens!

 

[DonL]

I will be the first to say that Houston Sucks. It is a lot like LA, but no Free Cocaine, Normally.

Do you have a Pipe Fitters Union ?

I like to lay pipe. Makes for a good bonded union.

 

[Ballvalve]

I will be the first to say that Houston Sucks. It is a lot like LA, but no Free Cocaine, Normally.

Do you have a Pipe Fitters Union ?

I like to lay pipe. Makes for a good bonded union.

I am looking at my book on 'double pipe containment systems' That's a rather complicated bit of plumbing where one pipe runs through another to hold any leaks from the internal pressurized one. I used to do a LOT of that specialized plumbing, but my wife made me cut back. Too hardon the back.