Well testing and camera surveys
Well testing, camera surveys and yield tests
Get the real flow and quality numbers your bank, home buyer, or land application will demand.
Nanaimo Well Drilling provides well testing and downhole camera surveys for your property across Cedar, Nanoose Bay, and Gabriola Island. We help you meet Regional District of Nanaimo rezoning standards that require 3.5 cubic metres per day per new lot. We test by pumping at no less than 2.5 litres per minute for 12 hours or until water levels stabilize. We conduct these rezoning tests between July and October as required by regional rules.
You cannot look down a steel pipe from the driveway, so real estate sales and mortgages rely on clear testing data. Running a camera down the hole reveals structural condition. Running a pump test measures water yield. Sending samples to a lab proves water quality.
We price testing on what your result has to prove. A camera survey before buying a home and a formal pump test for rezoning are different jobs, and rules require a professional with competency in hydrogeology to evaluate the pump test.
What does a camera survey show you?
Our downhole camera checks casing condition, water entry points, sediment buildup, and screen integrity. Testing tells you if casing broke at 12 m or if your pump is buried in mud, rather than guessing why water slowed down. Regulations do not force you to run a video camera down your well casing. We use one because it shows the condition of the casing and the screen directly.
What standard does a pump test have to meet?
Where regulations require a pumping test, the test must be performed or directly supervised by a professional with competency in hydrogeology, who interprets the final results. Rezoning un-serviced lots requires 3.5 cubic metres per day per lot, tested at 2.5 litres per minute for 12 hours or until stable, recovering 90 per cent in 6 hours between July and October. We conduct flow tests to meet whichever technical standard your bank or local government demands.
Should you test your water too?
Your yield figure says nothing about what the water carries. The RDN Well Water Testing Rebate pays half of lab costs up to $350 once every 5 years for total coliform, E. coli, pH, total dissolved solids, hardness, nitrate, nitrite, sulphate, fluoride, chloride, and metals. HealthLink BC recommends testing your well for bacteria at least once a year, and right away if colour, clarity, or taste changes.
What we quote on a testing job
Downhole camera survey
Casing condition, water entry, obstructions and sediment recorded on video.
Yield and pump testing
We track water drawdown and recovery using the exact testing standard your property situation requires.
Pre-purchase well report
Condition, capacity and records assembled into one written result.
How do we put your well's condition in writing?
- 1
Records first — we pull the existing well log and any alteration records from GWELLS.
- 2
Camera survey — we record casing, water entry, obstructions and sediment on video.
- 3
Pump test — during a pump test we track drawdown and water recovery to match whatever standard your lot requires.
- 4
Written result — we deliver a detailed written report with all flow numbers so you know exactly what your well supports.
What's in your water here?
Underground water in this area contains minerals and bacteria that are worth testing before you drink it. At Errington, Aquifer 220 shows fluoride up to 2.90 milligrams per litre, along with reports of sulphur smells and salt. In Cedar and Yellow Point, Aquifer 162 shows high fluoride, sulphur, coliform bacteria, and sea water intrusion. On Gabriola Island, tests confirm sea water intrusion at both Silva Bay and Degnen Bay. You cannot see chemical issues or bacteria in a glass of water, which is why we test samples at a lab.
People also ask
What does the Regional District require for a rezoning?
Development rules call for 3.5 cubic metres per day per new lot, pumping at 2.5 litres per minute for 12 hours or until stable, 90 per cent recovery in 6 hours, tested between July and October.
Who is allowed to carry out a pump test?
Under the Groundwater Protection Regulation, a required pumping test must be performed or directly supervised by a professional with competency in hydrogeology, who also interprets the results.
How often should well water be tested?
HealthLink BC recommends testing your well for bacteria at least once a year, and right away if colour, clarity, or taste changes. HealthLink BC advises testing well water for bacteria at least once a year, and testing chemical parameters when the well is finished and every year after.
Is there a rebate for water testing?
The Regional District of Nanaimo's Well Water Testing Rebate covers 50 per cent of lab analysis costs up to $350, once per well every five years, for residential landowners with a private domestic well.
Related: well rehabilitation, drilling a new water well, what drives the cost of a water well, and water wells on Gabriola Island.
Find out what is under your property.
Free written quotes across the rural Regional District of Nanaimo and in Parksville.