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.

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.

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.

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

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

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.

Well records must be filed for every well that is drilled or modified in Ontario, regardless of the purpose of the well, with two exceptions:

• The well is a test hole or dewatering well that will be abandoned within 30 days of completion
• The alteration made to the well is minor or involves nothing more than the installation of a pump

One record must be filed for every well drilled. However, if a group of wells meet certain conditions, a single record may be filed for a “cluster” of wells.

Yes, we have a nominal charge for every record we file. That charge goes towards the time spent to file the well record, provide and keep track of the tag, and update our tracking system to ensure that the Ministry has an accurate record of the wells we have drilled at the end of the year.

If we have drilled several wells for you, we will make every effort to file a single cluster record, rather than one record for each well. That saves us time, and saves you money. But we need some details from you in order to file the cluster record, such as signed permission from the property owner to file the cluster record. If you can’t get signed permission, please let us know before the job and we’ll simply bring enough tags to the site to tag every well.

You can help reduce costs by filling out the information package that we provide when you book the job. This way, our drill crew will spend most of their time drilling, and only a short time reviewing the information that you have provided.

When you book a Kodiak drill crew, you receive a package requesting several pieces of information. That information will enable us to file either individual or cluster records. Our drillers can collect some of the field information, but if your technician collects it, we will spend our time drilling, and then use only a short time to review the information that you provide.

Here are the conditions that must be met to file a “cluster record”:

• Each owner of land on which a well in the group is located must give written consent to the use of a single (“cluster”) well record (Note: This poses one of the most difficult obstacles for many consultants).
• All wells must be test holes or dewatering wells
• All wells must be located on the same property, on adjacent property (that may be separated by a road) or under specific conditions, within one or two intervening properties of another well in the cluster.

If you know that you won’t be able to get signed permission from the property owner to file a cluster record, please let us know before the job starts. Our crew will simply bring enough well tags to tag every well individually.

No, some consultants have done this in the past, leading Ministry of Environment staff to visit their offices and demand to know why the company appears to own so much Ontario land, all of it with well installations.

The purpose of getting the property owner’s signature is to ensure that the owner is aware that there are one or more wells on his/her property. Without that knowledge, the owner might conduct some future activity that which could inadvertently compromise the well.

First, any alteration to the well or its tag must be made by a licensed well technician working for a licensed well drilling contractor. Normally, the tag cannot be removed unless:

• The tag is being temporarily removed and protected during alterations to the well
• The tag is being replaced due to damage
• The well is being abandoned

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

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, 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).