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Facts & Questions

1. Do I need to get a permit before I can have my well drilled?

No – you do not need a permit to have a well drilled. The Water Sustainability Act (WSA) states that you must hire a Qualified Well Driller to perform the work for you. Darrell Wangler is a Qualified Well Driller with 30 years of experience.


2. What is a Water License and Use Approval? Do I need to have one?

If your water well is to be used for domestic/household use only, you do not need to apply for a Water License or Use approval. However, your well should be registered. Integrity Drilling will complete this step for you by submitting your well log to the BC well registry.


You are required to submit an application for a Water License and Use Approval after your well is drilled, if you will be using the water for any non-domestic use (including irrigation or commercial use). Here are some helpful links to get you started:


3. How do I search for information on neighboring wells? 

Use GWELLS to search!


4. Should I have a 6″ or an 8″ diameter well drilled?

A 6” well has the potential to produce over 500 GPM, however, the pump that is capable of pumping that volume, will not physically fit into the 6” diameter of the well. Therefore, the maximum amount that a 6” well can produce, within the limits of the pump size, would be 180 GPM. If more than 180 GPM is required, then an 8” well would be necessary.


5. What is average water consumption for a home, farm, lawn/garden and swimming pool?

Average Daily Water Consumption
Home:

  • 100 gallons/person/day - For kitchen and laundry use (including automatic equipment), bathroom, sanitary use and other uses inside the home.

Farm:

  • 7 gallons/head – calves

  • 12 gallons/head - beef cattle

  • 20 gallons/head - dairy cattle

  • 12 gallons/head – horses

  • 9 gallons/100 head - chickens

Lawn and Garden:

  • 600 gallons/ 1 inch - per 1,000 sq. ft., per watering

Swimming Pool:

  • 30 gallons per 100 sq. ft. - swimming pool maintenance

6. What type of water well will I have?

There are two basic types of water wells: bedrock and overburden. Bedrock is mountainside or solid rock, Overburden is the materials (ie. sand, gravel, dirt, clay) on top of the rock.


Bedrock
Steel casing is installed through the overburden until it reaches the top of the bedrock. A hole or shaft is then drilled through the bedrock until a sufficient amount of water is acquired. Water comes into the well through cracks and damp areas where it looks like the rock is sweating.

If an insufficient amount of water is found, the well may be pressure fractured to increase the flow. In pressure fracturing, water is pumped under high pressure into the formation, cleaning and opening the water-bearing fractures. 80% of the time, pressure fracturing will increase the existing flow. For instance, if a well yields 360 gallons per day, it is possible to make 1440-4320 gallons per day after pressure fracturing. Under optimum conditions, even more volume can be produced. Threaded PVC liner is then installed the length of the bedrock portion of the well.


Overburden
Steel casing is installed through the dry overburden until a water-bearing formation of sand or gravel is found. A screen is then placed at the bottom of the casing. The casing is then pulled back exposing the length of the screen, the screen allows water to come through, keeping the sand and gravel out. There are several different sizes of screens ranging from 0.0004-inch to 100-inch slot.

well screen

7. What is developing?

When a well screen is set, there are many different sand and gravel sizes laying against the screen. Air and water are forced in and out of the screen through the developing process, forcing the finer materials to come through the screen. This allows the coarser material to lay against the outside of the screen, creating a natural gravel pack. The result is more flow and sand-free water.

8. What is an aquifer?

aquifers

Contact us today to book your services with Integrity Drilling! Feel free to give us a call at 250-833-2111.

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We offer free estimates on all of our well drilling services.

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