Sector Compliance Branch: Inspections

Water Wells Sector

The Sector Compliance Branch (SCB) conducted a province-wide inspection sweep of well contractors and private well owners in the summer of 2006. 

Background The Inspections Inspection Results

Background

The branch gathered information on the awareness and understanding of the legislation and other legal requirements related to wells, and gauged compliance with these requirements. These inspections support the government’s commitment to protect well water quality. 

The inspections focused on educating and assisting the well contracting industry. Provincial Officers examined contractors’ compliance with the operational and administrative practices of Ontario Regulation 903 of the Ontario Water Resources Act (OWRA).

The Inspections

Inspections concentrated on the following: 

Well Contractors:

• Ensuring that contractor and technician licenses are valid and are up-to-date
• Reviewing well records for completeness
• Ensuring that copies of well records have been forwarded to the ministry and to the well owner, as required
• Ensuring that well information packages have been given and water samples have been offered to the home owners
• Inspecting well heads (post-construction sites) for proper contractor completion, proper tagging, grading and well location

Well Owners:

• Ensuring the wells are properly maintained by the well owners; e.g.: well caps and tags are not removed from wells, well heads are properly sealed 
• Confirming well information kits and well records are received from contractors
• Confirming water sample test/depth from the well is offered by the contractors

Inspection of active well drilling and well construction activities was not included in this inspection sweep.

View the Water Wells Sector Report.

Inspection Results

The overall results of the inspection sweep indicated that well contractors understand the requirements of the legislation and that their practices generally comply. They also showed that private well owners are properly maintaining their wells.
The branch found an 87 per cent compliance rate with the Regulation. Out of 136 inspections there were 116 Passes, 13 Administrative Fails, and four Fails. Two well contractors are retired and one inspection of a well contractor is ongoing. Where there was non-compliance, there were no serious environmental or human health concerns.

Some common issues of non-compliance include:

• no waste disposal failure to provide well information packages to well owners,
• failure to submit well records to the ministry within 30 days,
• operating a business without a valid license,
• missing well cap or broken (annular) seal of well cap,
• missing well tags, and
• incomplete well records

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