This Newsletter is published quarterly, March, June, September and December by the B. C. Ground Water Association. For more information please contact: Secretary Treasurer, Joan Perry, 1708 - 197 A Street, Langley, B. C. V2Z 1K2 Phone or Fax: 604-530-8934

Archived Newsletters:

Click here for the BC Government Document: NEW STANDARDS TAKE EFFECT FOR PRIVATE WELL OWNERS

Click here to download the PDF file of an important update on Ground Water Protection Regulation (GWPR) from the BC Ministry of Environment. (updated Sept 17, 2007)

March 2009 Newsletter

President’s Address

I regret not being able to put something together for this issue that would be interesting, but the simple fact is that I am very busy. Hopefully everyone in our industry is in the same boat and we can collectively look back over the last year and say we survived the storm.

However, the one thing that I do want to mention is that by the time this newsletter has reached you, the majority of our Executive and Directors will have convened in Abbotsford to review and discuss the goals of our organization. We are calling this meeting a Strategic Planning Workshop and the objective is to solicit feedback from drillers, pump installers and professional/technical members regarding what the association currently is and what they think it should or could be.

Simply put, there are many water-related associations and government ministries in British Columbia that have their own ideas and agendas regarding water (and groundwater) in this Province. I believe the time is critical for our association to evaluate where we fit in to the big picture. Based on where we think we fit in and any changes we think we want to make, we need to develop a strategic plan on how to do this. Such a plan will include the identification of what changes we want to make, how we might go about making the changes and setting realistic timelines for moving our organization forward.

It may take several months for us to develop and implement the strategic plan. I will keep you all posted.

Remi Allard, President, BCGWA

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From the Desk of the Managing Director – June 2009

It is with great pleasure that I am able to put pen to paper (“keys to screen”) as the recently appointed Executive Director (Manager) of our association. Most of you know me or have met me at one time or another. For new comers that have not, I have been around since 1975, when I was a lot younger and had hair. The Board of Directors has had to put up with me since the late 1990’s. However, I look forward to working with the present and future Directors and members of our organization to meet the BCGWA Mission and Objectives as outlined on the back cover of our Membership List directory. Now on to other matters.

Geothermal…………….

There has been a lot of discussion recently among our members with respect to the rapid expansion of the geothermal drilling industry and what that may mean to impacting the groundwater and surface water regime. Recently I read three interesting articles* on this very subject. The articles present a broad view of this rapidly growing industry from the potential for expanded drilling opportunities, to the issue of environmental concern, to the need for more control and regulation within the industry.

In BC, most if not all, the geothermal drilling and equipment installation is done by non-water well drilling contractors, usually using adapted air track drilling equipment. The cost of this type of drilling is significantly lower than traditional water wells and the object is to get the hole in the ground and materials in place as fast as possible. Considering the often vast numbers of holes needed in a project, this approach from an economic point of view is understandable. However, growing concern is occurring with respect to the impact this type of drilling and water temperature variation may have on aquifers and potentially even surface water. Issues of concern at the forefront include the risk of cross contamination of two or more aquifers when the bore hole penetrates more than one aquifer, and the re-injection of “geothermally used” water in an open-loop system that may impact the same aquifer or be injected into a totally separate aquifer.

In other parts of Canada these concerns are now starting to be addressed. One of the articles noted that a significant portion of a new subdivision in Winnipeg was denied the installation of geothermal wells due to potential impacts on aquatic habitats. Unlike most water wells and drillers, geothermal wells and drillers are not regulated, at least not to the same degree as the water well industry. In Ontario, movement towards understanding and managing the geothermal industry for environmental reasons is beginning to happen, specifically the inclusion of geothermal drilling in existing water resources legislation. Here in BC, it is imperative that our groundwater industry (represented by the BCGWA) work with organizations like the Canadian Geoexchange Coalition, Geoexchange BC and our Ministry of Environment to protect the aquifers of our province.

I encourage readers to obtain and review the following articles for a more in-depth perspective on this subject matter.

*
1 “GEOTHERMAL, Untapped Opportunities” – Ground Water CANADA – spring 2009 (CGWA);

2 “Unfinished Business in Geothermal Energy” – Ground Water – March/April 2009 (NGWA);

3 “Digging up Dirt” – Canadian WATER TREATMENT – March/April 2009.

Bruce Ingimundson – Managing Director

Note: The opinions expressed in this editorial column are those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of the BCGWA.

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Upcoming Events

CanWell 2010
May 26-29, 2010
Winnipeg Manitoba
http://canwell2010.shawwebspace.ca/

Membership Changes

M & S Division:

Extreme Products & Drilling
Supplies Inc.
#102-17910-55th Avenue
Surrey, B. C. V3S 6C8
Ph: 604-575-6660
Fax: 604-575-5494
Toll Free: 1-866-535-6699

Performance Industrial Products
#9 2807 107 Ave SE
Calgary, AB T2Z 4M2
www.brichem.com
Fax: 403-236-5037
David Martin – Ph: 403-869-2535
e.mail: dmartin@brichem.com
Matt Atkinson – Ph: 403-862-5407
email: matkinson@brichem.com

West Coast Drilling Supplies
Unit 101 2567 192 Street
Surrey, B. C. V3S 3X1
Ph: 604-542-9595
Fax: 604-542-9599

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Donation

The following is a letter of thanks from David Bethune, CARA Network Coordinator, International Project Director. The students in Bolivia were very excited about the materials that Sylvia Kenny was able to purchase with the funds and she will be taking some pictures with the gear in action. She specifically purchased several different types of augers with the donation. Sylvia will be sending us more stories in the future of how things are going. She is back in Bolivia now continuing with her studies. This money was spent from the Laurie Desilet’s Memorial fund.

Pump Installer Wanted

Pump installer wanted, experience/licensed preferred. Southern Vancouver Island – Cowichan Valley Company.

- Well pumps, water systems
- Treatment, filtration
- Effluent, sewer
- Pump stations, mechanical + electrical controls
- Some welding + Fabrication
- Grundfos + Franklin dealer

I.P.M. is a local, well established, growing company, with a large client base and over 15 years of local experience.

Interested in high quality workmanship and service? Competitive wages and benefits? Look forward to hearing from you.

Fax resume to 1-250-743-3058 or e.mail to independentpump@shaw.ca

Thank you and good luck. Shane Black.

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HAFER, Albert (Ding) July 14, 1932 to May 30, 2009 - We are greatly saddened by the passing of a very well respected and knowledgeable member Albert (Ding) Hafer on May 30, 2009 after a courageous battle with cancer.

Born in Victoria in 1932, Ding grew up and worked at his father's shop, Hafer Brothers Machining. He then worked as a mechanic for Ramsay Machine Shop in Vancouver. After returning to Victoria for a time he eventually branched out on his own starting up his own pump and irrigation business, C.P.I. Equipment LTD in Langley. CPI Equipment was one of the largest pump and irrigation companies in BC. The business included branches in Langley, Victoria and Parksville with Ding eventually retiring to Parksville.

Ding was one of the pioneers of the BC Well Drilling Association, and continued to support the Association through out his working life.
At Ding's request there will be no service but please join his family and friends for a celebration of life at the Mary Winspear Centre, 2243 Beacon Avenue, Sidney, BC, June 18th, 1:30-4:00. Please bring your fond memories to share with us. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the B.C. Cancer Foundation, 2410 Lee Ave., Victoria, BC V8R 6V5, or the charity of your choice.

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Hot, dry June could mean water shortages

Metro Vancouver’s reservoirs are full now, but an unusually hot, dry start to the summer combined with rapid snowmelt means the area could be facing water shortages later in the year.

“We’re in as good a condition as we can be for this time of year,” said Metro Vancouver spokesman Bill Morrell. “We had a very normal spring in terms of rainfall, which charges the reservoirs. We have had some snowmelt that occurs during these warm-weather periods, so there is significant inflow.”

But because most of the snowpack has melted, our water supply may have reached its peak, said Jim McKerr, chairman of the Coastal Water Suppliers Association.

The association includes municipalities, regional districts improvement districts and private businesses involved with water supply along the B. C. coast and Vancouver Island. It provides education to members and lobbies the provincial government on water issues.

“[The reservoirs] might be full, but they are not going to stay that way because there is no snow,” he said. “Once the snow-pack is melted and it has run its course down the river, it’s in the ocean. We don’t have the ability [to use it in our water supply].”

The provincial government reported on June 1 that snow levels are 50 to 60 per cent of what they usually are at this time of year for Vancouver Island and the south coast. An updated report, expected to be similarly gloomy, will be issued later this week.

Of particular concern is the south interior, in the Nicola, Okanagan, Similkameen and Kootenay areas, where snow-packs at winter’s end were 70 to 80 per cent of normal and rainfall in April and May was 40 to 60 per cent of normal.

“One of the comparative measures we evaluate is inflow to Okanagan Lake,” said Allan Chapman, head of the government’s River Forecast Centre. “For the November ’08 to May ’09 period, inflow to Okanagan Lake was only 39 per cent of normal.”

Chapman said this year is the sixth driest since 1921. “Unless the weather turns very wet very soon, the summer of 2009 appears destined to experience very low river, lake and reservoir levels through the south interior, with the myriad of water-supply and ecosystem challenges that result,” Chapman said in an e.mail Sunday.

McKerr, whose organization oversees water supply in some mainland B.C. areas south of Whistler and Vancouver Island, said reservoir levels have been lower than normal in the last five years, and this year “could be far worse than past years.”

He said water supplies in the area he’s concerned with are down substantially. “I have to believe that we are seeing the impacts of climate change,” he said. “With the way June has been, we are definitely heading for a very challenging late season.”

While April and the first half of May were fairly normal in terms of weather, June has been hot and dry, said meteorologist Mark Madryga. He said there has only been one day of rain at the Vancouver International Airport since May 19.

“Normally in the first half of June, we should have 27 millimetres of rain. And we’ve had none,” he said. “In the middle of July and August, it is not uncommon to have a long dry spell like this. But it is uncommon to have it in the middle of May and the middle of June.”

The average temperature this month has been 18.7 C, significantly higher that the usual 15.2. “It’s way above normal,” he said. “It’s been mid-summer weather here the last three weeks.”
McKerr said the quality of water declines with warm weather because of a process called stratification, which increases the concentration of solid particles in water. He predicts we will see the effects of the warm, dry weather on our water supply “fairly soon.” “It’s all going to depend on what Mother Nature does for the next month. If this trend of hot temperatures with high winds continues, which all creates evaporation, it’s going to be fairly quick. If it stays cloudy and cool, and we get little bits of showers, it’s going to take longer,” he said.

The Old Farmer’s Almanac predicts June will be cool and wet in southern B. C., with average temperatures of 14.5 and 65 millimetres of rain by the time the month is over, with even more rain in July and average temperatures of 15.5. “I can’t go beyond five or six days,” said Madryga, “but this week doesn’t look like we’ll get much, if any, rain all week.” If temperatures stay warm, McKerr said it’s possible some communities could face a fate similar to that of the Vancouver Island surfing town of Tofino in 2006, when its reservoir ran dry and the town ordered some businesses to close in order to preserve water. He said if Tofino hadn’t built another reservoir since 2006, it would be at a “very high risk” of running out of water. “There are lots of communities [facing those risks],” he said.

David Karp
The Vancouver Sun

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Small Water Systems of British Columbia: The Challenge

The Small Water Users Association of BC was established in 2003, shortly after the enactment of the Drinking Water Protection Act in 2001. The Act defined a water supply system as a “domestic water system other than (a) a domestic water system that serves only one single-family residence, and, (b) equipment, works or facilities prescribed by regulation as being excluded.” As a direct consequence of this definition, the number of water supply systems in British Columbia currently subject to regulation likely exceeds 6,000, the vast majority of which are small systems.

The Act requires a water supplier to provide its users with water that is: (a) “potable”; and (b) “meets any additional requirements established by regulations or by its operating permit.” Since the dictionary merely defines potable as ‘drinkable,’ the Act has left it up to either future regulation or the health authorities to establish what treatment standards will be applied, either across the board (by regulation), or by conditions on individual operating permits (by the health authorities). This somewhat ambiguous situation has caused a lot of misunderstanding and confusion on the part of small water system owners, managers and operators.

Further confusion resulted in 2005 when the Drinking Water Protection Regulation was amended to define a small system as a “water supply system that serves up to 500 individuals during any 24-hour period.” The confusion resulted from the fact that small systems were excluded from the requirement that a person qualified to operate, maintain or repair such a system be certified under the Environmental Operators Certification Program (EOCP), unless required by its operating permit. Since operator training requirements are not specified in either the Act or the Regulation (training was assumed as necessary in order to pass the EOCP certification exam), the unintended effect of the new regulation is that operator training for small systems is also not required unless specified by the operating permit.

These dual levels of confusion (treatment and operator training requirements) have been evident in discussions with attendees at the various workshops the Small Water Users Association of BC has delivered throughout the province. The current situation has also placed a difficult burden on the health authorities, which must decide on a case-by-case basis, both the level of treatment, and the level of operator training and/or certification required for each small system. Presentations at our workshops by representatives from the five health authorities have helped to clear up some of this confusion. However, their message has thus far reached only a small fraction of the small water systems in the province.

Perhaps symptomatic of this situation is the current number of outstanding (and frequently long-term) boil orders that are in place throughout the province. The acknowledged number is about 450, but the real number is much larger since numerous small systems without adequate treatment are unknown to the regulatory authorities. In June 2008, the BC Ombudsman issued a report entitled Fit to Drink: Challenges in Providing Safe Drinking Water in British Columbia. The report is quite critical of many of the government’s practices in administering and enforcing the Drinking Water Protection Act. One of its key recommendations is that the provincial health authorities commit to reducing by 10% per year the current number of systems on an advisory within their regions.

In summary, many challenges remain if all regulated water systems in British Columbia are to achieve the requirement to consistently provide potable water to their users. The Small Water Users Association of BC remains committed to the goal of assisting small systems to obtain the information and advice they need, and to advocate on their behalf for more and better information and assistance from all levels of government.

For more information, please visit: www.smallwaterusers.com

By Denny Ross-Smith
Executive Director,
Small Water Users Association of B.C.
(Watermark Spring 2009)

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The Year 1908

This will boggle your mind, I know it did mine! The year is 1908. One hundred and one years ago. What a difference a century makes! Here are some statistics for the Year 1908:

The average life expectancy was 47 years.
Only 14 percent of the homes had a bathtub.
Only 8 percent of the homes had a telephone.
There were only 8,000 cars and only 144 miles of paved roads.
The maximum speed limit in most cities was 10 mph.
The tallest structure in the world was the Eiffel Tower.
The average wage was 22 cents per hour.
The average worker made between $200 and $400 per year.
A competent accountant could expect to earn $2,000 per year.
A dentist $2,500 per year, a veterinarian between $1,500 and $4,000 per year, and a mechanical engineer about $5,000 per year.
More than 95 percent of all births took place at home.
Ninety percent of all doctors had no college education! Instead, they attended so-called medical schools, many of which were condemned in the press and the government as ‘substandard.’
Sugar cost four cents a pound.
Eggs were fourteen cents a dozen.
Coffee was fifteen cents a pound.
Most women only washed their hair once a month, and used Borax or yokes for shampoo.
Canada passed a law that prohibited poor people from entering into their country for any reason.
Five leading causes of death were:
1. Pneumonia and Influenza 2. Tuberculosis 3. Diarrhea 4. Heart disease. 5. Stroke.
The American flag had 45 stars.
The population of Las Vegas, Nevada, was only 30!!!
Crossword puzzles, canned beer, and ice tea hadn’t been invented yet.
There was no Mother’s Day or Father’s Day.
Two out of every 10 adults couldn’t read or write.
Only 6 percent of all Americans had graduated from high school.
Marijuana, heroin, and morphine were all available over the counter at the local corner drugstores.
Back then pharmacists said, ‘Heroin clears the complexion, gives buoyancy to the mind, and regulates the stomach, and is, in fact, a perfect guardian of health’ (Shocking? DUH!)
Eighteen percent of households had at least one full-time servant or domestic help.
There were about 230 reported murders in the entire USA!

Now I received this from someone else who forwarded this without typing it and sent it to others all over Canada and the U.S.A. and possibly the world, in a matter of seconds!

Try to imagine what it may be like in another 100 years!

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Save Money on Fuel

Shockwaves vibrated around the world when crude oil hit its highest price yet at US $100 per barrel last year. The crude oil price has since dropped but there’s still little respite at the pumps. We have prepared some handy hints and useful resources for saving money on fuel.

Nine Tips for the Hip Pocket:

1. Stick to the speed limit – high speeds use more fuel. A car traveling at 110 km/h can use 30% more fuel than at 80 km/h.
2. Avoid letting your engine idle. Most vehicles don’t need to be “warmed up” by idling before setting off. This simply wastes fuel. Start your vehicle when you are ready to go. Once on the road, minimize fuel wasted in idling by stopping the engine whenever your vehicle is stopped or held up for an extended period of time. By having the engine switched off, even for a short period, you will save more fuel than is lost from the burst of fuel involved in restarting the engine. The net increased wear and tear from this practice is negligible.
3. Drive smoothly. Fuel efficiency can vary as much as 45% between different drivers using identical vehicles. Rapid acceleration and constant acceleration and braking uses much more fuel than gently accelerating to cruising speed and then maintaining a steady speed.
4. Drive in a higher gear. Driving in a gear lower than you need wastes fuel and letting the engine labour in top gear on hills and corners is also wasteful. In a manual vehicle, change up gears as soon as the vehicle is comfortable with the higher gear but without accelerating harder than necessary. Automatic transmissions will shift up more quickly and smoothly if you ease back slightly on the accelerator once the car gathers momentum. Avoid the use of power options which drop the car into a lower gear and therefore use more fuel.
5. Keep your vehicle in shape. Clean air filters keep impurities in the air from damaging the engine and can improve fuel economy.
6. Maintain proper tire pressure. Under-inflated tires can increase fuel consumption by 10% or more.
7. Reduce air conditioner usage. Don’t turn on the air conditioner as a first response to heat. Air conditioners use up fuel.
8. A warm engine is more efficient than a cold one. Reduce the number of short trips.
9. Remove excess luggage. A heavy load increases fuel consumption.

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This Newsletter is published quarterly, March, June, September and December by the B.C.
Ground Water Association. For more information please contact: Executive Secretary, Joan
Perry, 1708 – 197 A Street, Langley, B. C. V2Z 1K2. Phone or Fax: 604-530-8934.
BCGWA Website address: www.bcgwa.org
BCGWA e.mail address: secretary.bcgwa@shaw.ca

________________________________________________________________________

Report from the Ministry of Environment

We’d like to take this opportunity to let you know what has been going on since the last newsletter. We’d also like to wish everyone a safe and happy summer!

Ground Water Program Update – Vancouver Island Region
By Jillian Kelly, Ground Water Protection Officer, Nanaimo and Pat Lapcevic, Regional Hydrogeologist, Nanaimo

We are pleased to provide a brief report on some of our activities related to groundwater protection being carried out through the Ministry of Environment – Water Stewardship Division’s Regional office in Nanaimo. In addition to our regular staff we were assisted this year by two interns (Katie Warnock and Melanie Mamoser).

Katie Warnock (BC Conservation Corps intern), completed the sampling portion of the groundwater geochemistry survey of private domestic wells on Thetis, Quadra and Cortez Islands. Between July and October 2008, 82 wells were sampled for a comprehensive suite of chemical and bacteriological parameters. The results are currently being compiled and analyzed and we expect to release reports on the data in 2009/10. These surveys follow the Salt Spring Island study in 2007 and will increase the knowledge of the quality of the groundwater resource in the region.

The Vancouver Island and Gulf Islands regional observation well network currently has 52 active wells that are maintained by Ground Water Technician, Graeme Henderson. Groundwater levels in these dedicated observation wells are continuously recorded every hour, every day and this data provides a measure of the changes in groundwater levels in a number of priority aquifers in the region. The data are publically available at: http://a100.gov.bc.ca/pub/gwl/disclaimerInit.do.

In October 2008, Jillian started as the new groundwater protection officer for this region. We very much appreciate the support our industry colleagues provided while Jillian was “learning the ropes”. While the learning curve has been steep, a number of compliance issues have been dealt with in the last few months. To date, we have issued three Engineer’s Orders under the Water Act for non-compliance of the Ground Water Protection Regulation. These orders include:

(1) An order was issued to a property owner to close an unused dug well that was a public hazard in the Langford area; the well has since been closed.
(2) An order was issued, as a result of a complaint from a well owner in the Victoria area, to an unregistered pump installer who was doing the work of a Qualified Well Pump Installer (QWPI). The order was to cease the installation of well pumps and works unless working under a QWPI.
(3) A third order was also issued to an unregistered pump installer in the North Island. Again, the order was to cease well pump installation work unless supervised by a QWPI. Under the Water Act, it is an offence to not comply with an Engineer’s Order and the Crown may take further action.

In addition, we requested the closure of an unused well on a development site in the Saanich area, which was located 40 cm from a sanitary sewer line. The property owner voluntarily complied with the request and hence no order was issued.

Finally, 45 wells were inspected on a Gulf Island development site earlier in the year. Of those 45 wells, 23 had been recently drilled and 22 were older wells. Further inspection of the 23 new wells revealed that 14 did not have a secure, water tight, vermin proof cap. The well driller responsible for the uncapped wells was contacted and voluntarily complied to properly cap the wells. Of the 22 older wells, 10 had either missing or unsecured caps and of those 10, one was full of foreign material. The land owner was contacted and has agreed to bring the wells into compliance. We will be following up on this.

In the coming year we hope to continue to focus on the ongoing Phase I Compliance Project involving the inspection of wells (particularly surface seals) while a pitless adaptor is being installed by a QWPI. In April 2009 one well was inspected as part of this project. The well did not have a surface seal installed, however since the well was drilled in January 2005 (prior to the enactment of the Ground Water Protection Regulation) no further action was taken. The QWPI did install a surface seal as part of the pitless adaptor installation.

Our Ministry policies direct us to attempt to bring any wells or actions by well owners, property owners, pump installers or well drillers that result in non compliance with the Water Act or the Ground Water Protection Regulation into compliance voluntarily, depending on the severity of the offence. This framework has been established by the Ministry is used to guide decision making and all staff involved with compliance and enforcement must work within this process.

All complaints we receive with regards to ground water wells and applicable legislation are investigated and followed up appropriately. Complaints are treated confidentially and the name or information regarding who or where the complaint originated is not disclosed.

All Orders and Tickets that are issued by the Ministry of Environment are published in the Quarterly Compliance and Enforcement Summary Report available online at: http://www.env.gov.bc.ca/main/prgs/compliancereport.html#2008

Over the past year the Nanaimo office has received approximately 150 inquiries from the public, consultants, other government agencies and industry. Inquiries range from water quality, general well information, data from the observation well network to well setback distances, the Ground Water Protection Regulation and aquifers. We often refer inquiries and suggest to callers to contact qualified professionals (i.e. groundwater consultants, drillers and pump installers), therefore, it is important that all consultants, drillers and pump installers listed as registered, Qualified Pump Installers (QWPI) or Qualified Well Drillers (QWD) keep their contact information on the registry up to date by notifying Mike Wei of any changes. Groundwater consultants can also contact Mike Wei to have their names and contact information added to or updated in the list via the link below. http://www.env.gov.bc.ca/wsd/plan_protect_sustain/groundwater/library/consultants.html

Lastly, we would like to thank our colleagues in other regions and Victoria for their continual support and advice. We also very much value and appreciate our partners in the drilling, pump installation and consulting business on Vancouver Island who have been generous in sharing their expertise with us and being our ears and eyes in the field!

Complaints
By Mike Wei, P. Eng, Deputy Comptroller of Water Rights, Victoria

Responding to complaints is an important way for the Ministry of Environment to address non-compliance with a results-based regulation such as the Ground Water Protection Regulation (GWPR). In the past, staff have responded to a variety of complaints related, for example, to:

• Qualifications of a specific driller or pump installer,
• A flowing artesian well,
• Perceived bad well construction practices, and
• Abandoned wells that need closure or capping.

When a well driller, well pump installer or groundwater consultant, observe something that they think is in non-compliance with the GWPR, they are welcome to contact their local Ministry of Environment, Water Stewardship Division groundwater staff (see listing of Groundwater Staff at end of this article). In filing a complaint, please provide as much relevant information as possible about the suspected breach (e.g., date, location, well ID plate number, what was observed, who was involved, etc.). This is the information we need to assess the complaint and help verify the non-compliance. If possible, send a digital photo(s).

What should one expect as the Complainant? Timely response from Ministry staff, an indication of the follow up that staff plan to do, as well as outcome of the complaint. Some complaints will take days to address while others may take weeks to months, depending on the complexity of the case.

Please understand that Ministry groundwater staff may not be in a position to address all complaints as staff only have authority to deal with requirements under the Water Act and GWPR. Some complaints like unsafe work practices should be directed to WorkSafeBC (http://www.worksafebc.com/). Other complaints such as a well that pumps sand, or shoddy wellhead completion practices for an older well are not requirements under the GWPR. Acts of pollution are handled by another arm of the Ministry – Environmental Protection Division. If groundwater staff receives a complaint and determines that it is not within their authority to deal with, they will do their best to re-direct the complaint to the appropriate agency.

Wells Database Update
By Lindsay Macfarlane, Sr. Ground Water Data Specialist, Victoria

As mentioned in the last newsletter, the BCGWA has received funding from the BC Real Estate Foundation to help reduce the backlog of water well records. The BCGWA is working in partnership with the Ministry of Environment to help spatially located well records (those without GPS coordinates) from the backlog.

One well data contractor has been hired to spatially locate the wells from the backlog. Since the beginning of March, approximately 1,280 wells have been spatially located and have been added to the WELLS Database.

Well Construction Forms
By Lindsay Macfarlane, Sr. Ground Water Data Specialist, Victoria

Some helpful tips for completing screen and casing information on the well construction form.

Screen Information:
When completing the screen details be as specific as possible. For example, separate the measurements for the K-Packer and Riser Pipe as well as each section of screen. This is helpful to us, as the WELLS database currently only allows one choice per row.