MD of Pincher Creek hosts Working Well workshop

ESRD Jeff Gutsell

Toni Lucas

The MD of Pincher Creek hosted a free Working Well Workshop presentation at the Heritage Inn on Thursday, November 13, with over 30 people in attendance. The presentation team consisted of Ken Williamson of Sagewood Communications, Alberta Agriculture and Rural Development (AARD) Joe Harrington, Environment and Sustainable Resource Development (ESRD) Jeff Gutsell, and Alberta Health Services Michael Swystun. To answer questions about local drilling Alberta Water Well Drilling Association Sheldon Dollman of Dollman Water Well Drilling was on hand. They held an comprehensive, educational presentation that covered a wide variety of aspects from where the water comes from, to putting in a well, maintaining a well through its life-cycle, and decommissioning the well properly when it is time so that the underground aquifer cannot become contaminated.


 What was stressed throughout the seminar by all presenters was that if you maintain your well regularly you will have less issues that you may not be able to correct later on. Some of the access points to water that they covered included hydrants, wells, and pumps.

Binders full of information were given out to all participants. The presenters understood that people who have wells on their property range from the most rudimentary understanding, to a working knowledge of their water systems. The presentation had hands-on exercises, visual aids, and examples of equipment to be able to teach everyone various things from the parts of a pump, types of end caps, to the consistency of the clay that occurs when bentonite shale is mixed with water.

Ken Williamson

Ken Williamson of Sagewood Communications opened the meeting and introduced the presenters. There is paperwork that has to be filled out and filed if you own a well.  Williamson explained well driller reports, showed the forms and explained how to fill them out. He walked everyone through the top 10 enemies of wells, had everyone try to draw their own well, and finished off the evening's presentation with a participant survey. During a short discussion on sewage and septic systems, Williamson said that if anyone was interested in a seminar on waste water they should contact Lindsey Cockerill of Agricultrual Services at the MD to put in a request, as it is an entirely different but equally important presentation.

Environment and Sustainable Resource Development Jeff Gutsell talked about ground water, aquifers, and how wells work. Confined aquifers are water sources that do not have access to the surface. Once these are accessed by drilling a well they have the chance to become contaminated, which is one reason why it becomes necessary to maintain a well throughout its entire life cycle. He explained that over 20% of all Albertans rely on water accessed through underground aquifers. "Many of the troubles that we see are because a well or pump has not been maintained."

AARD Joe Harrington

Alberta Agriculture and Rural Development Joe Harrington discussed well water problems, and how to shock chlorinate your well. "Water quality does not change in a well, generally," he said taking the group through some of the reasons that it might, including structural failure of a well or pump. "Do not over-pump your well," he cautioned the group. Every well is given a pumping rate, and he cautioned everyone of the problems that can happen from over pumping.

Public Health Inspector Michael Swystun

Alberta Health Services Public Health Inspector Michael Swystun talked about how to take and test well water samples. As this is the water you, your family, and your animals drink, if it becomes contaminated it can have disastrous effects. In addition to your regular maintenance schedule for testing your water Swystun recommended, "Whenever your water changes, test it."

Everyone that attended went away with a better understanding of their own well, water rights and responsibilities in Alberta, and how important it is to protect the water they access as a precious resource.