A record for the first month of 2026, Howell Environmental’s drilling team is just beginning to share their full capabilities.

At a site in Chester County this month, they drilled 100-foot borings to determine the in-situ site soil class for seismic analysis. With the help of the Geoprobe 7822DT drill rig, drillers collected blow counts and soil samples in the upper 50 feet, then cored an additional 50 feet through the bedrock, retrieving rock core samples along the way. SPT blow counts of the soil and the quality of bedrock in the top 100 feet below the ground surface were used to calculate the site soil class for seismic site category determination.

This marks the first time that Howell has drilled to a depth of 100 feet, joining the “elite cadre of probists” who belong to the Geoprobe ‘100’ Club. Following the experience of driller Tom Plasket (pictured right), who has previously drilled to this depth, this was a milestone for experienced driller Mark Friedrichsen, EIT (pictured left).

Howell collected cored bedrock samples in runs of 5 feet, recording total recovery and rock quality designation (RQD), as well as rock type, hardness, weathering, bedding angles, and fracture lengths.

While drilling to 100 feet is quite a milestone, Howell’s 7822DT drill rig has the capabilities to go well beyond for your next project.

Looking forward to what the rest of the year brings.