Yes, a record has to be filed for abandonment (i.e. removal) , just as it has to be filed when a well is constructed. There are three situations in which an exemption from filing is offered:

• The well is a test hole or dewatering well that is which is being be abandoned within 30 days of initial completion
• The well is not actually being removed but just altered, and the alteration made to the well is minor or involves nothing more than the installation of a pump, or
• All four of the following are true:
  i) The well is not more than 3.0m deep
  ii) The well is not constructed in a contaminated area
  iii) The well is not likely to become artesian
  iv) The well does not penetrate a formation which is not an aquifer (such as a confining formation).

Because it is the law.

The Regulation states that abandonment must include the following steps:

• Return of the well tag to the Ministry of Environment
• Make all reasonable efforts to remove the well casing or well screen and all other equipment and debris in the well (unless the well is removed by overdrilling)
• Plug the annular space with a continuous column of an abandonment barrier that prevents any movement of water, natural gas, contaminants or other material
• Seal the well at ground surface with 50 to 150 cm of bentonite chips, pellets, granules or powder
• Fill the remaining well opening to ground surface with soil cover or other material that is in keeping with the surface material immediately adjacent to the well opening

Yes, the regulation cites many instances in which a well must be abandoned (“removed”). These include:

• Holes that are abandoned before the well is fully installed
• Wells that are no longer being used or maintained for future use