Water Well Testing
Environment and Local Government
Overview
The Water Well Protection Program is responsible for addressing questions and public concerns regarding water quality and quantity issues associated with the estimated 100,000 private water wells in the Province. Program staff are also responsible for licencing well drillers and insuring both drillers and homeowners respect Provincial regulations when it comes to well location, tagging and reporting, well construction and well water testing etc.
Ensuring that water wells are constructed in a manner that does not compromise water quality and the environment is a critical component to proving safe potable water to the citizens of New Brunswick. For this reason, when a new well is developed by a Water Well Contractor, the property owner is charged a fee prescribed in the Potable Water Regulation (93-203) - Clean Water Act to provide potability testing
Eligibility
Property owners who are having a well developed, drilled, or re-drilled.
Description
The purpose of the Water Well Protection program is to protect private water wells. Both the Water Well Regulation and Potable Water Regulation – Clean Water Act provide regulatory support for the program.
Water well contractors and well drillers are responsible for renewing their permits each year and for constructing water wells according to regulatory requirements in terms of the materials used, construction methods and location of the well on a given property and in relation to potential sources of contamination. The well contractor is also responsible for attaching an identifying tag to the well casing and the well owner is provided with a voucher to have a water quality analysis done at the department’s laboratory. The well owner and the Department are provided with a copy of the well log. It is important for a well owner to redeem their voucher in order to be aware of the quality and potability of their drinking water.
In order to confirm that well water is clear of bacteria and other contaminants, private wells should be tested twice per year (preferably in the spring and fall).
Appropriate water sampling bottles and instructions on proper sampling may be obtained from:
● select Service New Brunswick offices; or
● RPC Analytical Services offices in Fredericton or Moncton.
Contact RPC Analytical Services offices at (506) 452-1212 or select Service New Brunswick locations for current pricing information.
Fees
Unless otherwise specified, Fees exclude the harmonized sales tax (HST).
| Fee Description | Rate in $ | Effective Date YYYY-MM-DD | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fees for newly drilled or re-drilled wells | 1993-01-01 | ||
| Water quality analysis on a newly drilled well (Standard Inorganic Drinking Water Quality Package and Total Coliform & E. coli) / Well identifier tag attached to well casing. Well log is submitted to owner and the Department of Environment and Local Government. | 122.00 | 1993-01-01 | |
| Contact Information | Location |
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