GOOD WORKS
WALK THE LINE Erin Ernst, P.Geo., and student Peter Kuya lay cable in a dry river bed near the Kakuma camp. For the first few days of the trip, the team surveyed near existing boreholes — where the geology, water levels, and water chemistry were already known — to help them gain confidence in their data interpretations. -photo courtesy Josie Bauman
An agreement was hammered out by UNHCR, IsraAID, and the Turkana chiefs — and the scope of the project quickly expanded. “You definitely have to be able to adjust and have backup plans and deal with things you may not have been able to take into account,” says Mr. Bauman. After two exhaustive weeks, the team was able to gather and interpret enough data to identify several potential wellsites in zones of thicker gravel — locations that would likely have high volumes of water and minimal fluoride. Its final task was putting together a
possible, and by the end of our time there, they could pretty much run the surveys without any help or direction.” That included planting geophones, running GPS, laying cable, operating a truck-mounted seismic source, and doing other tasks — like chasing goats off the line and stopping camels from eating cables. Early on, crews ran their geophysical lines through existing wells, where the geology, water levels, and water chemistry were already known. “Initially, we thought we’d go in and bang, bang, bang, it will all be easy,” says Mr. Bauman. But the local geology proved a real challenge. Kakuma is located at the edge of a basin, or dish, filled with sediment, he explains. That dish is made of a variety of volcanic rocks, which rapidly rise and fall below the surface. The sediment can be sand, clay, volcanic gravels, sand and clay. It can be saturated with fresh water, it can be saturated with salt water. Or all of the above. Interpretations of geophysical results, therefore, were compli- cated and uncertain. Another twist was added by tribal chiefs from nearby villages. They demanded that the crew search for water for the Turkana, in exchange for access to their land. “The relationship between the Turkana and the refugees is very tense. The Turkana view the refugees as usurpers and are bitter that the aid provided to the refugees has not been extended to them,” explains Ms. Ernst.
detailed report outlining the best water well targets. Now it was up to the UN and NGOs to start drilling.
SO FAR, SO GOOD
Good news arrived in June: using data from the Alberta team’s report, three wells had been drilled on the northern edge of the camp. All were successful. For Mr. Bauman and his team, that was a huge relief. “In any kind of drilling program, there’s some uncertainty. So we’re pleased that we were correct,” says Mr. Bauman. “Not only does it actually give the refugees water, but hopefully it gives them a better understanding of the aquifer and a methodology to move forward for developing new sources.”
72 | PEG FALL 2016
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