Well remediation
Well remediation, rehabilitation and well cleaning
We redevelop, deepen, and repair older wells when their water output drops over time.
Nanaimo Well Drilling offers well remediation and well cleaning when your water production slows down. We disinfect your well after mechanical cleaning or alteration and file a report with British Columbia within 90 days under the Groundwater Protection Regulation. If your well has been deactivated for 5 years or out of use for 10 years with no plan to reuse it, provincial rules require decommissioning. We test your yield afterwards so you know what the well gives.
Water loss usually stems from clogged screens, casing damage, or pumps sitting too high when water tables drop in summer. We figure out which issue is affecting your well, which saves you the high cost of drilling a brand new hole.
We give you a clear price for well cleaning or repairs once we inspect the hole, and testing costs very little. Cleaning out an existing well costs much less than drilling new, while deepening falls right in the middle. We run the camera and the yield test first, before we propose any deepening.
Will drilling deeper get you more water?
Drilling deeper works only if water-bearing rock cracks continue further down beneath your current well bottom. Most local wells draw water from cracks in bedrock, so drilling an extra 20 m does nothing unless we hit a new crack. We check provincial records first, which show Aquifer 220 at Errington sitting at a median depth of 60 m. We review nearby well records in your aquifer so you know what depths make sense on your property.
Can a slow well be brought back?
We scrub sand, mineral buildup, and slime off well screens and rock cracks to bring back water lost to clogging. Cleaning works wonders on sand wells, and we try it on rock wells first because it costs less than deepening.
When does an old well have to be decommissioned?
Under the Groundwater Protection Regulation, you must decommission a well once it is deactivated for 5 years or unused for 10 years without plans to reuse it. To decommission a well, we fill it completely with sealant and set a 5 m plug before filing the report. An unused open well lets dirt flow into the aquifer, which is why the RDN offers a $500 rebate to close it properly. We seal and report yours to that standard.
What we quote on a rehab job
Redevelopment
We scrub the casing and rock faces to clear out dirt, mineral scale, or bacterial buildup choking off flow.
Deepening
We drill deeper into your well if local records show a good chance of hitting more water further down.
Decommissioning
Sealing a well that is out of service, with the closure plug and report the regulation requires.
How do we diagnose your slowing well?
- 1
History and records — we pull the original well log and any alteration records before we propose anything.
- 2
Downhole inspection — we run a camera survey to see casing condition, water entry and any obstruction.
- 3
Yield measurement — we measure what the well gives now, against what it gave when drilled.
- 4
Options with numbers — we compare well cleaning, deepening, or drilling new, with expected water recovery figures for each choice.
Why might your well be giving less?
Yield here is modest to begin with, so a small loss is felt quickly. At Errington, Aquifer 220 yields a median 3 US gallons a minute, with a lower quartile of 1. Aquifer 162 at Cedar and Yellow Point sits near 2. Regional groundwater levels are dropping, with Errington wells losing about 0.32 m per year across five years. If water slows in late summer, we measure casing depth and water levels before recommending adjustments to your pump.
People also ask
Will deepening a well always give more water?
No. Bedrock wells get water through separate rock cracks, so drilling deeper only helps if we strike another open crack. We review nearby well records in your aquifer so you know what depths make sense on your property.
Does rehabilitating a well need to be reported?
Whenever we alter an existing well, we submit an official report to the Province within 90 days. Standard rules state that we must disinfect your well after any deepening, cleaning, or alteration.
When must an old well be closed?
Provincial rules require decommissioning once a well has been deactivated for 5 years, or unused for 10 years with no future plans to pump it. Closing a well means sealing it top to bottom with a 5 m closure plug and submitting the completion report.
Is there help with the cost of closing a well?
The Regional District of Nanaimo's Wellhead Upgrade Rebate covers up to $500 toward well closure, as part of up to $650 per wellhead. The RDN offers one Wellhead Upgrade Rebate per wellhead, and you must finish 2026 work between 1 January and 15 December.
Related: well testing and camera surveys, pump systems, what the Province requires of a water well, and water wells in Nanoose Bay.
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