January 2001

DRAGIN Drilling, a full-service company that provides environmental, geotechnical,
construction, landfill and water supply drilling services, has added a custom-designed,
high-torque drill rig to its fleet.

The new unit was designed for DRAGIN and is the only one of its kind in the United
States. The rig itself is a modified CME-95, a drill rig manufactured by the St. Louis-based
Central Mine Equipment Co. This unit was designed to tackle deep and large diameter
auger drilling projects. The primary modification made to the CME-95 was to increase the
rotary torque and retract force approximately 30 percent. Applications include deep
auger drilling (up to depths of 350 feet using 4.25-inch hollow-stem augers) for the
delineation of deep contaminant plumes and investigation of new water supplies. This
feature has been of particular importance for the ongoing remediation work at the Massachusetts Military Reservation at Cape Cod.

The second modification of importance was the redesigning of the upright frame. The new design allows
for the use of a 24-inch O.D. hollowstem auger. Applications for this feature and specialty equipment
include landfill gas vent well and large diameter recovery well installations. DRAGIN continues to be the
sole provider of this 24-inch auger drilling service.

Carrie Collins, president of DRAGIN, said that the rig is used primarily for the drilling and installation of deep
environmental monitoring wells and landfill gas vent wells. "The nature and types of drilling projects that
we undertake require extra power, and this unit offers exactly that," she said. "We've been able to use this
truckmounted unit to reach depths of 100 feet at a local landfill without complications due to leachate or
wall sloughing, something a conventional bucket rig has difficulties accomplishing even with up to 40
percent more time on the job. Other auger rigs are not built to accept this size auger."

DRAGIN is one of the only drilling firms in the United States
with 24-inch auger capability.