Resources · Water
Cost to Drill a Well in Alberta in 2026
There is no honest single price. Quotes move with depth, diameter, casing, grout, mobilization, and whether the hole is easy sandstone or a fight. Treat any number you see on a forum as last year’s neighbour, not your bid.
The usual line items
- Mobilization to a rural road
- Drilling per metre, often with a minimum
- Casing and well screen
- Grout / annular seal
- Development and a pump test
- Pitless adapter, trench, and electrical
- Water treatment after the chemistry comes back
Depth is the lever most buyers can estimate early. That is why county water-table pages exist: they give a planning band, not a quote.
How not to get surprised
Ask for a per-metre rate and a not-to-exceed conversation if the hole goes twenty metres past the neighbour. Ask what happens if the first hole is dry. Ask who owns the abandoned hole.