Alberta Water Well Drilling Association
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Capability verified
Service area based on publicly available information and/or Land Intelligence research.
Water & Sanitation › Water Supply
Irrigation Well in Alberta
Good coverage · 4 providers
Drilling and completion of a well for irrigation or agricultural water supply.
When to use: Farm or market garden requiring higher-volume water supply for irrigation.
- Duration
- 2–7 days
- Typical size
- 80–400 ft depth typical
- Permits
- Water license may be required for irrigation use; well report filed with Alberta Environment
Scope of work
- Site selection
- Well drilling
- High-capacity pump installation
- Flow testing
- Well completion report
How this works in Alberta
An irrigation well is volume for crops, not just a kitchen tap. It is how a market garden or pasture stops competing with the house for every litre.
The main difference from a house well is the licence. A Water Act licence is required to divert and use surface water or groundwater in Alberta. The exceptions include statutory household use, traditional agriculture use by original landowners, firefighting and wells with hand pumps. The household right does cover watering gardens, lawns and trees, but only within the 1,250 cubic metres per year that also covers the home. A market garden or field irrigation system will usually need more than that, so speak with Alberta Environment and Protected Areas before drilling, not after.
A licence sets the source, diversion location, volume, rate, timing and priority of the water right. Priority matters when neighbours share an aquifer, because licensing gives you priority of right for your stated purpose. A licence may be issued where the source can supply your needs without harming the source, other users or the environment. Plan for the application to ask for pump specifications, a layout of the land to be irrigated and, for crop production, possibly an Agricultural Feasibility Report.
The drilling standards are the same as for any well: a licensed contractor, a constant-rate yield test and a Water Well Drilling Report. The yield test decides what the well can sustainably deliver, and that number should drive the irrigation design, not the other way around. If the well cannot meet peak demand, consider storage that fills slowly and irrigates from the tank.
Typical cost in Alberta
Irrigation wells often need more depth, larger casing or a larger pump than household wells. The per-foot figures below are for domestic 6-inch wells and are a floor, not a full price.
| Item | Range | Source | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Irrigation well, 80-400 ft, high-capacity pump | $20,000–$60,000 per well | Land Intelligence planning estimate (Aug 2026), not a quote | Land Intelligence planning estimate · 2026-08-11 |
| Completed 6-inch cased well (domestic reference) | $65–$115 per foot | Seismic Waterfinder - Water well drilling costs (commercial, BC/AB) | Commercial estimate |
| Well drilling, national average (domestic reference) | $70–$150 per foot | Green Building Canada - Water well drilling cost in Canada (commercial, national) | Commercial estimate · 2025-08-13 |
Required flow drives everything else: casing diameter, screen, pump size, power supply and testing length. Licensing work, any engineering, and the irrigation system itself are extra.
Ranges are planning figures from the sources shown, not quotes. Get written quotes for your site.
Alberta rules and permits
- A Water Act licence is required to divert and use surface water or groundwater. Licences are not required for statutory household use, traditional or exempted agriculture use (original landowners), firefighting, wells with hand pumps, and some alternate livestock watering systems. (Government of Alberta - Water Act: Licences fact sheet (Environment and Protected Areas))
- The traditional agriculture exemption lets users who used water before January 1, 1999, divert up to 6,250 cubic metres a year to raise animals and apply pesticides to crops. Irrigation is not on the list of exceptions. (Government of Alberta - Water allocations and transfers)
- Licence applications are submitted through the Digital Regulatory Assurance System. Applicants requesting more than 62,500 cubic metres a year pay an application fee. (Government of Alberta - Water Act: Licences fact sheet (Environment and Protected Areas))
- In the South Saskatchewan River Basin, surface-water licence applications are no longer accepted. Applications for groundwater not hydraulically connected to surface water are still accepted. (Government of Alberta - Water Act: Licences fact sheet (Environment and Protected Areas))
- Diverting water without authorization can lead to fines of up to $50,000 for an individual and $500,000 for a corporation. (Government of Alberta - Water Act: Licences fact sheet (Environment and Protected Areas))
- Only a licensed water well contractor with a current Approval to Drill Wells may drill the well, and a yield test of at least two hours at a constant rate is required. (Working Well, Issue 9 - Drilling a New Well (Alberta Environment and Protected Areas))
Sizing and planning
- One millimetre of water over one square metre is one litre. The Province's rainwater guidelines use 25 L/m² for an irrigation application equal to 25 mm (1 in.) of rain (Alberta Rainwater Harvesting Guidelines, Table B-2).
- Estimate peak-season demand in cubic metres per year to see whether you exceed the 1,250 m³ household right and need a licence (Water allocations and transfers).
- Design to the recommended pumping rate from the yield test, and add storage if peak demand exceeds it (Working Well, Issues 6 and 9).
Alberta providers
4 providers identified. Good coverage.
Big Iron Drilling
UNCLAIMED
Identified
Service area based on publicly available information and/or Land Intelligence research.
Westar Drilling Ltd.
UNCLAIMED
Identified
Service area based on publicly available information and/or Land Intelligence research.
Summers Drilling Inc.
UNCLAIMED
Identified
Service area based on publicly available information and/or Land Intelligence research.
Common questions
Do I need a water licence to irrigate from my well?
Usually, if you use more than the household right allows. Household use covers gardens, lawns and trees within 1,250 m³ a year per household. Larger irrigation needs a Water Act licence.
Is there a fee for a small irrigation licence?
According to the Province's fact sheet, the application fee applies only to annual diversions over 62,500 cubic metres.
Can I water livestock without a licence?
Original landowners who used water before 1999 may divert up to 6,250 m³ a year to raise animals and apply pesticides under the traditional agriculture exemption. That exemption does not cover irrigation.
Should I drill first and license later?
No. The licence depends on the source being able to supply your needs without adverse effects. Talk to AEPA early so the well design and yield test match what the application needs.
Sources
- Government of Alberta - Water Act: Licences fact sheet (Environment and Protected Areas) (2024-02)
- Government of Alberta - Water allocations and transfers
- Working Well, Issue 8 - Well Owner Responsibilities (Alberta Environment and Protected Areas) (2023-11)
- Working Well, Issue 9 - Drilling a New Well (Alberta Environment and Protected Areas) (2023-11)
- Working Well, Issue 6 - Over-pumping Your Well (Government of Alberta) (2019-08)
- Government of Alberta - Alberta Guidelines for Residential Rainwater Harvesting Systems (2010) (2010-07)
- Seismic Waterfinder - Water well drilling costs (commercial, BC/AB)
- Green Building Canada - Water well drilling cost in Canada (commercial, national) (2025-08-13)
- Land Intelligence planning estimate (Aug 2026), not a quote (2026-08-11)
Grant-ready: programs this package may fit
Programs whose funding lists have covered this kind of work in Alberta, for farm operators who meet the producer test. Intake and rates change; each program page says what it pays, what must happen before work starts and how the claim works.
- Water Program — On-farm Water Supply Accepting applications; limited funding, assessed case by case On-farm water supply incentives (wells, dugouts, springs, pipelines, livestock watering, cisterns); program maximums app
- Water Program — On-farm Irrigation Stream Accepting applications; limited funding, assessed case by case Agricultural irrigation purchases/upgrades; maximum listed funding up to $35,000 per applicant/fiscal year context.
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