Alberta Water Wells
Map View Choices
There are two layers of well reports: The Water Well Drilling layer displays golden rod dots
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for all water well drilling and related reports. The Baseline Water Well Test layer displays magenta diamonds
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for all test results for the baseline water well test program. A well icon on the map represents an approximate well location.
Clicking on the icon will open a popup with information on the well and a link to the well's report. If multiple wells are in the same
approximate location then the popup will indicate the number of wells and allow switching between information for each well.
Searching For Wells
The Find Water Wells tab provides several options for searching and viewing water wells. Selecting any of the available options prompts users to type the required information and click on search. A list of the wells will show up on the right side in a table. If only one well report exists in the table, then double click on the GIC Well ID to open the full report. If there is more than one well report, click the Generate Report button to see the detailed listing of these wells in the Reconnaissance Report (PDF).
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Select By Legal Land Description option
Searches by using the Alberta Township System. Users enter the quarter-section (or legal subdivision), section, township, range and meridian for the location they want to search in. -
Select By Owner Name option (water well drilling reports only)
Searches using the name of the well owner at the time the well was drilled. -
Select By Selection
Searches within an area that users can define on the map with a selection of drawing tools. -
Select By GIC Well ID (AWWID) /Test ID (BWWT) option
Searches using the designated well or well test database identification number assigned to that particular report. -
Select By GOA Well Tag Number option
Searches using the unique identification number on the GOA well tag that is physically attached to the well. -
Select By Survey Legal Plan option
Searches using the Plan/Block or Unit/Lot system.
Frequently Asked Questions
If you cannot find the answer to your question below, contact the Groundwater Information Centre by e-mail at gwinfo@gov.ab.ca or by telephone at 780-427-2770.
Create a Reconnaissance Report as instructed above, then choose a single well report by clicking on an underlined GIC Well ID in the first column. To print, use the short cut Ctrl+P (Command-P on a Mac) or click on the print icon in your PDF viewer. Well reports are generally two pages long, but can be longer if there are additional pump tests or lithology information. All data automatically defaults to Imperial. To print in metric, click on the View in Metric button at the top right corner. If the number in the CHM column is underlined then you can go directly to the well water chemistry report and print it off. For more information, see also Explanation of Reconnaissance (Summary) Sheet.
Most wells are not precisely located within their quarter section. If no GPS has been provided but just an LSD (SW, or 05, for example), then the well dot will appear in the centre of the quarter or LSD. This is why there may be multiple well IDs under a single well dot, or why wells can sometimes appear to be in the middle of a lake!
Multiple records for the same water well (water well drilling report, additional yield tests, chemical analyses, and the decommissioning report) may be linked together in the database using the GIC Well ID Number.
When multiple records cannot be confirmed as belonging to an individual well, each record is assigned a new GIC Well ID as it is received and entered into the database.
Submission of water well drilling reports became mandatory in the mid 1970s. If your well is older than that there may not be a record of it in the database. Sometimes the well location was reported or keyed incorrectly. Sometimes the driller may not have submitted the report.
If the well was drilled within the past 5 years and the driller’s name is known, contact the Groundwater Information Centre by e-mail at gwinfo@gov.ab.ca or by telephone at 780-427-2770 to assist in the data search. If the report still cannot be found call 1-800-222-6514 to report a suspected non-submission of the drilling report.
The majority of drillers now submit their water well drilling reports using an electronic submission system so their reports are displayed on the website within an hour of submission. However, some drillers still submit paper copies which take longer to appear in the database. Drillers are required by law to submit a drilling report for each well they complete, within 60 days of completion of the well.
When a drilling report cannot be located, it may still be possible to obtain information on the well by hiring a journeyman water well driller to measure the depth of the well, obtain information on well construction using a down-hole video camera and conduct a yield test to determine the rate of flow. Water samples can also be collected for bacteriological and routine chemical analysis through the local Community Health Centre (Public Health Unit) for free or a small handling fee.
In densely populated areas such as lake lot communities or subdivisions, there may be several well records in the database without a defining lot/block/plan number. This makes it very difficult to confidently match the record in the database to an individual water well. Other parameters (well depth, casing size/material, distance from top of casing to ground level, date drilled, and driller name) can sometimes be used.
Often the original landowner name at the time the well was drilled can be used to confirm a match. The owner name found on the well report can be compared to the owner names found on historical land titles (or vice versa). Land titles can be requested through the local Land Titles Office or the municipality concerned.
As of 1992, Alberta Health and Wellness has maintained this type of information. Contact the land owner for any groundwater chemistry information reported after 1991.
Journeyman water well drillers will begin tagging newly drilled water wells in 2018. The GOA Well Tag will be securely fastened to the outer casing of the well. The GOA Well Tag Number is displayed on the well tag.
Click on the Print tab in the upper right hand area and follow the directions.
Alberta Environment and Parks (AEP) staff will make a correction to a report if the person submitting the new or changed information is either the original driller, another driller working on the well, or the current owner of the property. Changes/additions can be e-mailed to gwinfo@gov.ab.ca . Be sure to include the GIC Well ID, contact phone number, and a precise description of the corrections/additions required.
Change requests are responded to in the order in which they were received. Once the report has been updated, the new information will appear on the website within the hour.
To obtain other groundwater related information please visit the Alberta Environment and Park’s Reports/Data website.
Help with printing
Title - You can type in a title or leave it as the default.
Print Preview - click the Print Window button; a window will appear with a preview of the map. To close the window, press the 'X' in the upper right corner of the preview window.
Print - when you are ready to print, click on the “Print” button at bottom right corner of preview window to open your computer's print dialog to get the map printed.
Description/Disclaimer
Data provided through this website are preliminary in nature. This data may not have been reviewed or edited for accuracy and may be subject to significant change when reviewed or corrected. Please exercise caution and carefully consider the provisional nature of the information provided. The Government of Alberta assumes no responsibility for the accuracy or completeness of this data and any use of it is, therefore, entirely at your own risk. Users are encouraged to update their database frequently in order to have the most up-to-date version currently available.
The databases found on Alberta Water Wells is publicly accessible information. The data is for the sole use by the client who has acquired the database. Alberta Environment provides data as received, any changes to the dataset by users are not endorsed, supported, or verified by Alberta Environment. Any alterations to the dataset as presented are made at the risk of the user making the changes.
To reference this database in any reports or enhancements done by the clients, use this citation:
Government of Alberta, Alberta Water Well Information Database (or Baseline Water Well Test Database). Retrieved [date of retrieval], from http://groundwater.alberta.ca/WaterWells/d/
Note: [date of retrieval] is the date the database was downloaded from the Alberta Water Wells website or queried using Web Services.
The client agrees to the above terms when the database is obtained from Alberta Environment and Parks.
Any questions concerning the Alberta Water Well Information Database or Alberta Water Wells website can be directed to the Groundwater Information Centre by e-mail, at gwinfo@gov.ab.ca, or by telephone, at 780-427-2770.
Any questions concerning the Baseline Water Well Test Database can be sent by e-mail to CBMBaseline.testing@gov.ab.ca, or by telephone, at 780-427-9718.
The Alberta Water Well Information Database is available for download as a Microsoft Access database and is updated daily. To download a copy of the database click on the button below.
Alberta Water Well Information DatabaseThe Baseline Water Well Test database is available for download as a Microsoft Access database and is updated periodically. To download a copy of the database click on the button below.
Baseline Water Well Test DatabaseThis website, and information on it, are provided "as is" without warranties of any kind, either expressed or implied, including but not limited to, implied warranties of merchantability and fitness for a particular purpose, non-infringement or other violation of rights. The Government of Alberta makes no warranties regarding the use, accuracy, timelines, applicability, performance, security, availability or reliability of this website. The Government of Alberta will not be liable for any direct, indirect, special, punitive, incidental, or consequential damages arising from the use of, or the inability to use, this website.
Reproduction
Unless indicated otherwise, this website (and materials on it) may be copied and distributed for non-commercial use without charge or further permission from Communications and Public Engagement. We only ask that:
- the materials not be modified,
- users exercise due diligence in ensuring the accuracy of the materials,
- the Government of Alberta be identified as the source of the materials, and
- the reproduction is not represented as an official version of the materials reproduced, nor as having been made in affiliation with or with the endorsement of the Government of Alberta.
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Projection
Web Mercator (Auxillary Sphere)
Datum
WGS 84
Date
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Legend
Groundwater Drilling Report
Baseline Water Well Report
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Information as depicted is subject to change, therefore the Government of Alberta assumes no responsibility for discrepancies at time of use.
© 2009 Government of Alberta |
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