Why can’t your crew backfill above the screened zone with cuttings – like my other drillers do?
Because it is illegal. The Regulation requires that we fill the annular space above the well screen with a sealant, rather than a potentially permeable material like drill cuttings.
This protects groundwater from a surface spill which might travel directly to the water table, rather than be filtered by intervening layers of soil.
The only circumstance which lets us backfill the annulus above the screened zone with cuttings occurs when the well is scheduled to be abandoned within 180 days of completion.
Exemptions and Well Construction
- I just need a temporary hole – shouldn’t I be exempt from the Reg?
- Are there ever situations when a well is exempt from Regulation 903?
- I don’t need a well pipe – can you backfill my hole with cuttings?
- My well is not exempt from the Reg – what are the implications?
- Can’t your crew backfill above the screened zone with cuttings – like my old driller did?
Tagging and Well Records
- Do you have to tag my well and file a Ministry Record?
- Does it cost extra to file the well record?
- What can I do so that my wells qualify for a single cluster record instead of multiple records?
- It’s extremely difficult to get the property owner’s signature for a cluster record. Can’t I just sign the form myself, as the owner’s consultant?
- Can I Remove the Well Tag that Kodiak Has Affixed to the Well?
Well Abandonment
- We give our clients cost estimates to install wells and do testing – but we never include costs for removal. Do we really have to remove the well when our project is done?
- I want my well removed and there are no ongoing operations at this property and no chance of contamination. Why does the Kodiak crew insist on backfilling my abandoned well with sealant?
- Does a Well Record Have to Be Filed When A Well Is Abandoned?