Mr. Read has caused serious problems for people who hired him to drill wells for them. And he has failed to correct the problems. The latest incident left rural Skamania County resident Suzanne Hannonen with sand and mud in her water from two wells drilled by Read. Hannonen is now getting water from a third well through a one-inch pipe running across an easement road. When Ecology staff responded to Hannonen's complaints they found five wells that were improperly sealed.
Improper seals can allow dirt, debris and other pollutants to enter wells.
They also found that two wells drilled for Hannonen had water in them, although the driller claimed they were dry. The wells were so poorly constructed that they allowed groundwater to move from one underground aquifer to another. When this happens, contamination can spread from one well to many others. Since January 1995, the Southwest Washington Health District, under an agreement with Ecology, has had authority to administer and enforce the well sealing and decommissioning portions of the state Water Well Construction Act. Drillers working in Clark, Skamania and Klickitat counties must notify the Health District 48 hours before they work on a well.