• Can’t your crew backfill above the screened zone with cuttings like my old driller did?

    No, because it is illegal. The Regulation requires that we fill the annular space above the well screen with a sealant, rather than a potentially permeable material like drill cuttings.

    This protects groundwater from a surface spill which might travel directly to the water table, rather than be filtered by intervening layers of soil.

    The only circumstance which lets us backfill the annulus above the screened zone with cuttings occurs when the well is scheduled to be abandoned within 180 days of completion.

  • My well is not exempt from the Reg – what are the implications?

    Some of the key regulatory obligations that apply to your Kodiak-drilled well are:

    • Construction methods
    • Well tagging
    • Record filing
    • Abandonment requirements

  • Are there ever situations when a well is exempt from Regulation 903?

    Yes, a well that is drilled by your Kodiak crew is exempt if all of the following conditions are met:

    • It must not be more than 3.0 meters deep.
    • It must not be constructed in a contaminated area.
    • It must not be in an area where an artesian well is likely to develop.
    • It must not penetrate a formation that is not an aquifer (such as a confining formation).

    However, even exempt holes that are to be abandoned.

  • I don’t need a well pipe – can you backfill my hole with cuttings?

    No, the regulation clearly states that even shallow holes, which are exempt from the regulation, must still be backfilled, according to one of the following two methods:

    • Preserve and keep clean the major horizons of soils removed from the hole, and backfill the hole with this material in the same relative positions that they originally occupied.
    • Backfill with a sealant, such as commercially produced dry bentonite, or with clean, uncontaminated soil that has a grain size that is the same or finer than the soil that was originally excavated.

    Holes which are to be abandoned within 30 days must still be backfilled with a suitable sealant.

  • I just need a temporary hole – shouldn’t I be exempt from the Reg?

    Not necessarily. The Ontario Water Resources Act defines a well as any hole in the ground made to locate or to obtain ground water or to test or to obtain information in respect of ground water. So – if your intent in drilling the hole is to use or test water, even briefly, the hole is a well and must be treated accordingly.

    However, some sections of the Regulation do not apply to wells which are to be abandoned within 30 days or within 180 days.

Is your borehole location proving challenging with a truck-mounted drill? We get it.
Contact Kodiak for a solution.