Well Construction

A properly constructed well can greatly increase the safety of your well and your water quality. There are different ways to construct wells depending on your well type. Regardless of whether it is drilled or dug, water must infiltrate and pass downward through the soil and/or rock before it can reach the aquifer from which your well gets its water. Over the years, well design has improved to reflect advances in technology and our understanding of potential pathways of contamination. There is an awareness that even the smallest creature, surface water leak, or reaction with well construction materials can have a major effect on your water quality. If you are constructing a drilled well, the Well Drilling Regulations, under the Water Resources Act, outline minimum construction requirements that must be followed. A provincially licensed well driller, certified by the Department of Environment and Conservation, must drill your well. Guidelines for the construction of dug wells are managed through the Department of Health and Community Services and a new dug well must be designed in consultation with an Environmental Health Officer.

Proper construction depends on the quality of the well casing, the effectiveness of the annular seal, the security of the well cap, and the well's location and distance from possible contaminants.