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October 22, 2025 - Well Worth It

Understanding and maintaining one of your properties’ most valuable assets.

Despite being one of your home’s most vital systems, water wells are often overlooked. They ensure you have water for that hot pot of coffee in the morning, a freshly mopped floor, happy and healthy plants, and watered pets and livestock. With little to no thought, we expect them to continue providing these daily services, and often only think about the health and care of our wells when we run into a problem. 

Just like a vehicle, your water well needs regular maintenance and care to keep it running smoothly. Understanding how it works and what is needed to maintain the health and quality of your water is essential. Without proper maintenance, small issues can turn into much bigger problems, threatening water quality and ultimately your family's safety. Taking the time to learn about your well and what is required to keep it in top shape is one of the smartest investments you can make for your home. 

It is important to take initiative and get to know your water well. How deep is your well? What’s your static water level? What size of well casing do you have? What year was it drilled? You can find this information on your water well drilling report, which can also be found on the Alberta Water Well Information Database. You do not have to become a well expert, but familiarizing yourself with this information can help you understand your well if you run into an issue. 

As a well-owner, it is your responsibility to make sure that your water is safe to drink. Over time, your groundwater can become contaminated with things like viruses, bacteria, and other substances that can cause illness. You should test your well water regularly for water quality and safety. In addition to regular testing, there are several other reasons that you should test your well water: if you notice a sudden change in the taste, odour, or colour of your water, if you’ve recently drilled a new well or moved to a new home, and after periods of prolonged non-use. Water sample bottles and instructions for sampling are available at many Alberta Health Services facilities. 

In addition to regularly testing your water, there are various other things you can do to take proper care of your well. Annual shock chlorination of your well to keep bacteria growth in check, conducting regular inspections of your well for any damage to the well cap and casing can help prevent contamination, and monitoring your wells productivity and keeping good records can help with staying on top of maintenance and identifying if servicing is required. 

You are not alone in your journey to understanding your water well! A virtual fall workshop series that explores groundwater, well construction, common well problems, contamination risks, water well protection and best management practices is also available to you through the Environment and Protected Areas “Working Well” program. Visit the Working Well website (https://www.alberta.ca/working-well-resources) to register for an upcoming virtual workshop or to find resources relevant to your water well. 

Understanding and maintaining your water well is an essential part of responsible homeownership. A general appreciation of your well and how it functions combined with regular monitoring, testing, and maintenance can help ensure a safe and sustainable water system for you and your family.