All wells in British Columbia must have a secure cap in place by the end of this month to meet the province’s new ground water protection regulation, the government warned in a bulletin today.
And the regulation, which will apply to all existing wells and those under construction, doesn’t allow well owners to get away with a bucket or a piece of plywood and a rock as a lid.
A secure, vermin-proof cap for a domestic well costs about $80, the provincial environment department said. It prevents both contaminants and animals from entering the well, and thus also protects both the groundwater body that feeds the well, as well as neighbouring wells that use the same groundwater source.
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Well caps can either be installed by a well owner or by a qualified well pump installer or well pump driller. If a commercial well cap won’t fit, the province said, a qualified installer or driller can usually design, build and install a cap to meet the regulation’s standards.
The province noted that a well cap, once installed, should be secured at all times except for maintenance, repair or disinfection work, and that it’s an offence to tamper with or destroy an installed cap.
