Eagle Drilling is excited to announce our upcoming Eagle Drilling Academy taking place March 27th, 2025. This complimentary event is designed to highlight the most common forms of drilling in the region, as well as provide insight to the drilling process from planning to implementation, to site restoration. In addition to instruction from the experts at Eagle Drilling Services, professionals from the Southern Nevada Water Authority, Geotechnical & Environmental Services, the Las Vegas Valley Water District, and Terrasonic will share their expertise throughout the program. Professional Development Hours (PDHs) will be provided with options for half day (4 credits) and full day (8 credits) certificates.
8:00am – 9:00am Before You Drill
There is more to drilling than making a hole. This includes researching potential underground utilities, equipment calibration, preparing for patching/backfilling, and, of course, safety.
About the speaker: Eduardo Luis-Sanchez, Drilling Supervisor, Eagle Drilling Services. Mr. Luis-Sanchez has over 16 years of experience with geotechnical and environmental drilling as well as installation and plugging of wells. He is responsible for ensuring that all work conforms to Eagle quality standards, that clients are satisfied with the work, and that all deadlines and schedules are met. He assists in the tracking of various drilling equipment and materials to ensure that jobs are not held up due to lack of resources.
9:15am – 10:15am Air Knife Excavation
Air Knife Excavation is a tool for breaking up soil that uses high-pressure air and/or water to penetrate and expand the soil. This presentation will dive into when and how it is used.
About the speaker: Derrick Lonk, Driller’s Assistant, Eagle Drilling Services. Mr. Lonk has six years of experience with Eagle Drilling Services. In that time, he has worked on a variety of projects including both geotechnical and environmental drilling projects in remote and inner city locations.
10:30am – 11:30am Sonic Drilling
Sonic drilling is one of the newer drilling methods in the industry and is often chosen due to its speed, minimization of water use, and to power through hard materials.
About the Speaker: Casey Wallace, Regional Business Development Manager, Terrasonic International
Mr. Wallace has more than a decade of industry experience, primarily using sonic drilling rigs. He began his career as a Driller’s Assistant before working his way to his current title. He holds drilling licenses in seven different states and has drilled across the country and in the Arctic Circle.
11:30am – 12:30am Lunch – Geothermal Heating and Cooling
With the moratorium of evaporative coolers in Southern Nevada, architects, developers and building owners are considering geothermal alternatives. What are the benefits to a ground source heat exchange system, and what buildings will see the most from those benefits?
About the Speaker: Ty Miller, Ground Source Heat Exchange Lead, Geotechnical & Environmental Services.
Mr. Miller is a subject matter expert for ground source heat exchange systems in Nevada. In this position he discusses the benefits of geothermal heating and cooling and performs geothermal investigations.
12:30pm – 1:30pm Hollow Stem Auger
The Hollow Stem Auger drilling system has both geotechnical and environmental applications with internal flights or blades to remove soil from the hole. Learn the drilling technique and how they apply to both geotechnical and environmental applications.
About the Speakers:
Daniel Wiggins, Driller, Eagle Drilling Services . Mr. Wiggins has a eight year history in the drilling industry. His experience includes a variety of drilling methods such as flooded reverse, HQ rock coring, horizontal, hammer drilling, and case advancing.
Mitch Gerlinger, CEM, Project Geologist, Geotechnical & Environmental Services.
Mr. Gerlinger is a Certified Environmental Manager with more than two decades of experience. In that time, he has performed numerous Phase II Environmental Site Assessments (ESAs), soil and gas sampling, hazardous waste reporting and soils management plans.
1:45am – 2:45pm Sampling with Mud Rotary
Developed in the late 1800s, mud rotary drilling pumps fluid through a hollow drill pipe. What are the requirements of this drilling method and when is it best used?
About the speakers:
Eduardo Luis-Sanchez, Drilling Supervisor Eagle Drilling Services
Mr. Luis-Sanchez has over 16 years of experience with geotechnical and environmental drilling as well as with the abandonment of wells. He is responsible for ensuring that all work conforms to the Eagle quality standards, that clients are satisfied with the work and that all deadlines and schedules are met. He assists in tracking of various drilling equipment and materials to ensure that jobs are not held up due to lack of materials.
Michael Wacker, Geologist, Geotechnical & Environmental Services
Mr. Wacker has over 21 years of geological experience supervising data acquisition and interpretation. In addition, he performs duties as a well-site geologist for monitoring well construction. Previously Mr. Wacker was a professor at Florida International University where he taught courses on Physical Geology, Oceanography, and Natural Hazards and Environmental Geology for 20 years.
3:00pm – 3:30pm Las Vegas Valley Aquifer Trends: Evaluating Ground Water Levels and Chemistry Results
Description: Groundwater in the Las Vegas Valley is an important par of the potable supply to the Valley whether you are on a private well or the distribution system. Evaluations of the groundwater levels and chemistry of the Las Vegas Aquifer is necessary to ensure that this supply is uninterrupted.
About the Speaker: Jason Mace, Hydrologist 2, Southern Nevada Water Authority
Jason grew up in the Las Vegas Valley and graduated with a degree in Geology from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. He has worked for the Southern Nevada Water Authority for over 27 years as a Hydrogeologist with experience in surface and groundwater evaluations, water well exploration, and the design and maintenance of large-scale production wells.
3:30pm – 4:00pm SNWA Ground Water Management Program
The Groundwater Management Program was established by Nevada Legislature in 1997 to protect and manage the Las Vegas Valley’s primary groundwater supply. Well users pay an annual fee to fund several groundwater programs including the Well Conversion Grant Program and the Well Plugging and Abandonment program. The Well Conversion Grant Program offers a reimbursement of up to 85% of project costs for well users to connect to a municipal water system. The Well Plugging and Abandonment Program is offered at no cost to the well owner and further protects the quality of the aquifer in our valley by plugging unused or abandoned wells.
Speaker: Alisa Blaylock, Public Affairs, Las Vegas Valley Water District
4pm – Networking
