Well water and health: Build your well

What to consider when building a new drinking water well.

On this page

• Regulations
• Licensed contractors
• Choosing the location of your well

Regulations

Most provinces and territories have specific requirements for properly building a well. A properly built well is important to protecting both your health and the groundwater source it uses.

Contact your province or territory to find out what regulations you need to follow.

Provincial and territorial resources

Licensed contractors

Licensed well contractors know the best practices and regulations for building wells, and must follow these regulations by law. They'll help ensure that your well is built correctly, taking into account:

• the suitability of the ground your well will be constructed in
• how high your well casing and wellhead should be above ground level
• how deep the well casing and annular seal should be

If you plan to build a new home that will be served by your private well, have your well built first. Then you'll know you have a water supply that meets your needs.

Once your well is built, make sure to take note of any important information, such as its:

• type
• depth and diameter
• identification or registration number

You may need this information for testing and treating your well water.

Choosing the location of your well

Choosing a good location for your well is an important step that can reduce the chances of contamination.

Make sure to choose a location where your well is far enough away from potential sources of contamination, such as:

• septic systems
• surface waters
• parked vehicles
• pet or livestock waste
• stored chemicals, gasoline or oil containers (especially if underground)

You should also consider the drainage near your wellhead, which is the physical structure of the well that's above ground. Rain or melting snow should drain away from this location so that water doesn't collect or pool around your wellhead. This will decrease the risk of contaminants entering your well water.

Most provinces and territories have regulations that set out how far your well should be from potential sources of contamination.

Provincial and territorial regulations