Well Rehabilitation in Alberta

How this works in Alberta

A tired well can often be cleaned or redeveloped before you pay to drill again. Restoring flow is usually cheaper than starting over and keeps the same hole in the same aquifer.

Rehabilitation is for a well that still has a sound structure but has lost yield or water quality. The usual causes in Alberta are biofouling by iron or sulphate-reducing bacteria, mineral incrustation and sediment. Over-pumping makes all three worse. Warning signs listed by the Province include slime in the toilet tank, staining of fixtures and laundry, a bad taste, a rotten-egg smell, and a well that produces less water than it used to.

Owners can do routine shock chlorination themselves, but the Province notes that it may not work on older wells or wells without regular preventative maintenance. Those wells may need to be inspected and cleaned by a licensed water well contractor. Before the visit, gather the drilling report, any past flow and water-level readings, and your water test results. A contractor can then compare current performance with the original yield test to judge whether the cause can be fixed.

Sometimes the honest answer is that the well cannot be restored. If you drill a replacement, the old well remains your responsibility. Under the Water (Ministerial) Regulation, owners must have abandoned wells properly decommissioned (plugged), because an open well gives surface contamination a direct path to the aquifer.