Fifty years of the same family, the same valley
Started in a back yard in 1974 with a cable tool rig. Still here, still family-run, on Hwy 2 in Dryden.
Tumwater Drilling and Pump Inc. was started by Steve and Cherie Ballew in 1974. After four years with the US Army in Vietnam, Steve purchased a cable tool drill rig and the company was born in their back yard. Cherie ran every administrative task out of a home office in the basement.
The growth since then came from hard work, honest and fair business practices, and superior customer service. That is still the whole strategy.
Placeholder — see spec.md §7.
How we got here
- 1974 Steve and Cherie Ballew start the company with a cable tool drill rig, working out of their back yard.
- 1981 Brett Phythian is hired as lead well driller, and has been drilling ever since.
- 1986 The company invests in a state of the art Schramm air rotary drill rig to keep up with the industry.
- 1999 Tumwater moves to its current location at 9290 Hwy 2 in Dryden — shop, office and retail store, easy off the highway.
- 2001 Tim Tucker joins as office manager and water treatment specialist. Certified Water Treatment Specialist Level II, and a US Army veteran who trained as a water treatment specialist in the Army Reserves.
- 2006 Lance Ballew, Steve and Cherie's son, leaves a career in California to return to the family business and run the Pump Division.
- 2009 A 2009 Schramm T450 air rotary rig and a 1,000-gallon flatbed support rig join the fleet.
- 2020 A second drill rig, a 2020 DR12 dual rotary, gives the company a real advantage in the most difficult PNW geology.
Licensed, certified, and a member of the trade
We carry all of the necessary licenses and certifications for drilling water wells, installing pumps and performing water treatment in Washington State.
License and UBI numbers to be added — see spec.md §9, item 1.
- WSGWA Member, Washington State Ground Water Association.
- NGWA Member, National Ground Water Association.
- NCHBA Member, North Central Home Builders Association.
- Water-Right Authorized dealer for water treatment equipment.
Fifty years in, we still answer the phone.
Monday – Friday, 7:00 AM – 4:00 PM.