Regulations Governing Artesian Wells

With all of its experience in this area, the team at Dufresne-Laniel Water Well Drilling in Déléage presents information concerning the applicable regulations governing artesian wells.

Obtaining a drilling permit

Before beginning the drilling work for a well, you must obtain a permit from your municipality, which is responsible for the application of the provincial Groundwater Catchment Regulation within its territory.

Distances that must be respected

As a general rule, the casing of an artesian well must be located at least 15 meters away from a septic tank (watertight wastewater system) and at least 30 meters away from a leach field (non-watertight wastewater system).

There are also distances that must be respected in relation to other existing wells, lots of cultivated land, your property limits and nearby agricultural activities. In addition, there are standards that apply to land located within flood zones (0 - 20 year and 0 - 100 year recurrence). In all cases, your municipality can provide you with the required information.

Exception

If it is not possible to respect the 30-meter limit for a non-watertight wastewater treatment system, the installation of a tubular well at a shorter distance, greater than or equal to 15 meters, may be permitted. In such a case, the annular space for the tubular well must be sealed with waterproof material, such as a cement-bentonite mixture, to a depth of at least 5 meters.

This situation involving a reduction of the mandatory distance must not become common practice, but rather an exception that can only be justified for the following reasons: The dimensions of the property, as of June 15, 2002, existing buildings on the petitioner’s property or a neighbour’s wastewater treatment system prevents the application of the regulation.

Use and sealing

You are not obliged to immediately install an artesian well once it has been drilled. However, the regulation stipulates that a well must be sealed if it has not been used for 36 months after drilling.

Water analysis

The owner of a well must collect a water sample between the second and the thirtieth day following installation of the pumping equipment, and have it analyzed with respect to microbiological and physico-chemical parameters. The team at Dufresne-Laniel Water Well Drilling can provide you with additional information pertaining to this subject.

Additional information

For more information concerning the regulations, please consult the following documents:

• Technical Guide - Groundwater Collection for Isolated Residences(French only)
• Groundwater Catchment Regulation at a glance (French only)