Here are a few useful informations to realize and well coordinate a groundwater catchment job.

To start, we recommend to all property owners to meet with their well driller on the construction site. This way, the well driller will be able to evaluate your water consumption and hand you a quote regarding the work to be done for your well, your pumping system and give you information concerning the sampling and physico-chemical water analysis.

After which, he will discuss with you the best place to locate your well on your property and what needs to be done before the arrival of the drill. Then, he will plan, according to your schedule, the drilling work. The drilling of a well requires a day’s work and you must plan about half a day for the installation of the pumping system. It is although possible to do the pumping system installation in two steps. The first step would consist of having a trench dug by an excavator, descending the submersible pump in the well and installing the pipe and wire in the trench from the well to the house. In the next step, we proceed with the interior connection. An appointment will be given when we are informed by the client that he is ready to finalize the connection. If you should need to have some dynamiting done for your construction, we suggest that you do it before the drilling of the well so that it doesn’t get damaged.

Please take note that the excavation and water analysis are not part of our work but necessary to the realization and conformity of the well. It is therefore the client’s responsibility to plan and pay for these services. The same thing goes for the electrician, who must connect the system to the electrical box, and the plumber, because only he knows if your plumbing is ready for the start-up of the pumping system.

A property owner planning on having an artesian well drilled must :

• Have his groundwater abstraction permit given by his municipality before the work begins.
  The client must therefore ask for it a few weeks preceding the scheduled work.
• Have a location plan, indicating the location of your well, of your wastewater treatment system and the ones of your immediate neighbors. The owner will chose the location after discussing with his engineer and the driller during his first on-site evaluation. The location of the well must respect the rules of the Ministry of the Environment regarding groundwater catchment work (article 3.1.1.).

In date of June 15th, 2003, the Ministry of the Environment adopted a new rule on groundwater catchment (L.R.Q., c.Q-2,r.1.3.). From now on, an artesian well must be located ;

• At more than 30 meters (100 feet) of a wastewater treatment system.
• At more than 15 meters (50 feet) of a septic tank.
• At more than 30 meters (100 feet) of cultivated plot.
• Outside a floodplain.

It’s possible to reduce the minimal distance required between the well and your wastewater treatment field by sealing the well, although this shouldn’t be a common practice but a case of exception. Therefore, these distances must necesarelly be respected when drilling the well if the size of the property allows it.

When the client receives his permit he must put it in plain sight and notify his driller. The driller needs the permit number to inscribe it on the drilling report that will be drafted in four copies after completion of the work (owner of the property, driller, municipality and Ministry of the Environment).

The drilling report will allow the municipality to transmit a well conformity report to the owner when he makes the subsequent request. Furthermore, the identification number, given on the drilling report by the driller, will allow the client, after the disinfection of the well, to take a groundwater sample for the analysis of certain bacteriological and physico-chemical parameters in a laboratory accredited by the Ministry of the Environment, and this, between the second and thirtieth day after the start-up of the pumping system. The results will be given to the client and the Ministry of the Environment by the accredited laboratory.

The owner of a well has the responsibility of ensuring the quality and safety of the water that he offers for consumption. The water must be of good quality and respect the standards listed in the regulations on the quality of drinking water. Even if it appears to be clear and limpid and have no particular odour or flavour, the water can contain elements that may have undesirable effects on our health. The Ministry of the Environment therefore recommends a water analysis at least twice a year, in spring time and in the fall.

The information in the present section is an abreviated summary and it doesn’t necesarelly apply to every project. We recommend you to visit the Groundwater catchment regulation directly for more information and to inform yourself at your local municipality since the regulations, laws and norms constantely change and differ from one municipality to another.