Water Well Reports
Why They're Important
Water Well Reporting is Now Required
In British Columbia, water well reporting is now a mandatory, which is a more recent requirement. In fact, the filing of most types of wells logs was still voluntary option for BC water well drillers until 2016.
Individuals researching information on water wells when purchasing real estate in the Fraser Valley question why the water well information is not more readily available and more easily accessible?
It's because water well reporting was not a mandatory requirement for the well drillers in British Columbia, thus it’s left many properties that are serviced by a water well with little factual information when required.
Water well logs are crucial for a variety of reason. To begin with the Ministry of Environment is now responsible for the tracking of ground water resources and water well data accumulation. It’s not just British Columbia, many agencies across Canada and the USA are building large water well and ground water databases as they become more responsible and concerned with sustainability and licensing.
When purchasing Real Estate with a Water Well in the Fraser Valley the drilling report or the well log information should be available to a potential purchaser.
Many purchasers are no longer prepared to move forward without the water well information and (or) full disclosure, mortgage lenders are now requesting much more water well information and will often not approve a mortgage in the Fraser Valley without the required water source data.
It may be challenging to sell a property with a well that does not have a drilling report or costly to obtain the information if the data is not available, sometimes a property owner may be requested to pay for costly pump tests and inspection so that accurate information can be disclosed to a buyer.
Purchasers and mortgage lenders normally request not only the water well data and but the water quality reports from a seller because they simply want to be ensured that the water well is viable and not going to present future issue that may be costly or even require the drilling of a new well.
Most drillers are as accurate as possible with filling out the well report information with the information they have at the time of completing the well. But the reports are generally not verified even if they are registered with BC Ministry of Environment. If there's any concern, it’s best to have the water well inspected all information verified prior to purchase.
In British Columbia, water well reporting is now a mandatory, which is a more recent requirement. In fact, the filing of most types of wells logs was still voluntary option for BC water well drillers until 2016.
Individuals researching information on water wells when purchasing real estate in the Fraser Valley question why the water well information is not more readily available and more easily accessible?
It's because water well reporting was not a mandatory requirement for the well drillers in British Columbia, thus it’s left many properties that are serviced by a water well with little factual information when required.
Water well logs are crucial for a variety of reason. To begin with the Ministry of Environment is now responsible for the tracking of ground water resources and water well data accumulation. It’s not just British Columbia, many agencies across Canada and the USA are building large water well and ground water databases as they become more responsible and concerned with sustainability and licensing.
When purchasing Real Estate with a Water Well in the Fraser Valley the drilling report or the well log information should be available to a potential purchaser.
Many purchasers are no longer prepared to move forward without the water well information and (or) full disclosure, mortgage lenders are now requesting much more water well information and will often not approve a mortgage in the Fraser Valley without the required water source data.
It may be challenging to sell a property with a well that does not have a drilling report or costly to obtain the information if the data is not available, sometimes a property owner may be requested to pay for costly pump tests and inspection so that accurate information can be disclosed to a buyer.
Purchasers and mortgage lenders normally request not only the water well data and but the water quality reports from a seller because they simply want to be ensured that the water well is viable and not going to present future issue that may be costly or even require the drilling of a new well.
Most drillers are as accurate as possible with filling out the well report information with the information they have at the time of completing the well. But the reports are generally not verified even if they are registered with BC Ministry of Environment. If there's any concern, it’s best to have the water well inspected all information verified prior to purchase.
Water Well Drilling Reports & Details
When a well is drilled, modified, restored, or decommissioned in the Fraser Valley or BC all information about the work performed needs to be submitted as required, all work must be performed by certified and or licensed trades.
A drilling report is generally composed of the name and address of the owner, legal description of the property where the well is drilled, the location of well on the property, the diameter of the well, the estimated water yield being produced and a description of lithology which is the information about the material and depth of material that was encountered while drilling.
Again, it’s extremely important to keep in mind that although the water well record may be on file in the MOE database or the driller’s office the information has generally not been validated.
Other details such as the water quality and potability of the ground water produced from the water well is customarily NOT part of the well record reporting wither. Although a well driller may take a water sample they are generally taken by others and sent to the water testing laboratory (e.g., homeowner or water treatment consultant), AFTER the driller has completed drilling. At any rate this is not information that will be filed with the well log by the driller.
A drilling report is generally composed of the name and address of the owner, legal description of the property where the well is drilled, the location of well on the property, the diameter of the well, the estimated water yield being produced and a description of lithology which is the information about the material and depth of material that was encountered while drilling.
Again, it’s extremely important to keep in mind that although the water well record may be on file in the MOE database or the driller’s office the information has generally not been validated.
Other details such as the water quality and potability of the ground water produced from the water well is customarily NOT part of the well record reporting wither. Although a well driller may take a water sample they are generally taken by others and sent to the water testing laboratory (e.g., homeowner or water treatment consultant), AFTER the driller has completed drilling. At any rate this is not information that will be filed with the well log by the driller.
Locating Lost Water Well Drilling Reports
After tagging a newly drilled well as required the water well contractor typically provides a copy of the well record to the property owner once the drilling has completed, some well drilling companies will not release the drilling report until their invoice is paid in full.
A copy of the well log is sent to the BC Ministry of Environment to be uploaded into the database with the public has access to online to search for well drilling reports. The driller will also file a copy of the report in their own well drilling office.
If a report is not on file or managed in the existing Ministry of Environment database then it's still possible that a copy of the original well record remains on file at a local drilling office, if the name of the drilling company is known. Sometimes it possible to retrieve the document if a property owner does not have the document in their possession.
Most water well drilling companies keep organized files, they may be able to access a lost drilling report quite easily. Others may not have an up-to-date filing system or perhaps the original well driller has left the industry therefore making it difficult to retrieve a copy of the report.
Occasionally the reports are lost with no way of locating a copy of the document at all. It can be frustrating and often happens when the information is urgently required as no one ever thinks of the reports otherwise.
If You Hunt the Report May Easily Be Found!
If a drilling office is prepared to locate the document there may sometimes be a small fee charged by some offices for the time required to locate the document. The older well logs are often still in their original handwritten or typed physical form and not always accessible from a drilling company's computer unless it has been scanned and saved.
Failing this, it's conceivable that the person who owned the property at the time the well was drilled may still have a copy of the well log and other documents belonging to the previously owned property stored away somewhere, it’s a long-shot but certainly possible.
If you own real estate with a water well it’s a good idea to have all your water well documents and other information put away in a protective file. All these documents are valuable, they need to be protected from loss or fading.
Preparing to Sell Real Estate with a Water Well?
If you're preparing to sell your property, then prior to listing try to obtain all the water well documents and give copies of them to the Real Estate Agent. Do NOT give the original documents away, they need to be turned over to the new owner so that they can continue to "run with the land."
Many of these important documents get stuffed into real estate listing folders never to see the light of day again, just provide copies for the purpose of listing.
This will truly help make the process of selling your property much easier. I often advise sellers to even have a full water quality test performed and have the report available. There are a few reasons why a vendor should take responsibility for paying for an independent water test... one reason is self protection.
Even though most purchasers normally hire independent water well advice, being prepared prior to listing a property will help as it gives an opportunity to resolve any existing issues that the owner may not be aware of at the time of listing which often magically appears at the time of a sale!
Water well issues can certainly become real estate deal breaker, many purchasers spend a lot of time educating themselves on water wells and ground water issues during the property purchase process if they’re not experience with independent home water system.
If you need to locate water well drilling report in the Fraser Valley you may have success online with the BC Ministry of Environment Water Well Data Search System.
The public water well report search system is free to use and quite user friendly!
A copy of the well log is sent to the BC Ministry of Environment to be uploaded into the database with the public has access to online to search for well drilling reports. The driller will also file a copy of the report in their own well drilling office.
If a report is not on file or managed in the existing Ministry of Environment database then it's still possible that a copy of the original well record remains on file at a local drilling office, if the name of the drilling company is known. Sometimes it possible to retrieve the document if a property owner does not have the document in their possession.
Most water well drilling companies keep organized files, they may be able to access a lost drilling report quite easily. Others may not have an up-to-date filing system or perhaps the original well driller has left the industry therefore making it difficult to retrieve a copy of the report.
Occasionally the reports are lost with no way of locating a copy of the document at all. It can be frustrating and often happens when the information is urgently required as no one ever thinks of the reports otherwise.
If You Hunt the Report May Easily Be Found!
If a drilling office is prepared to locate the document there may sometimes be a small fee charged by some offices for the time required to locate the document. The older well logs are often still in their original handwritten or typed physical form and not always accessible from a drilling company's computer unless it has been scanned and saved.
Failing this, it's conceivable that the person who owned the property at the time the well was drilled may still have a copy of the well log and other documents belonging to the previously owned property stored away somewhere, it’s a long-shot but certainly possible.
If you own real estate with a water well it’s a good idea to have all your water well documents and other information put away in a protective file. All these documents are valuable, they need to be protected from loss or fading.
Preparing to Sell Real Estate with a Water Well?
If you're preparing to sell your property, then prior to listing try to obtain all the water well documents and give copies of them to the Real Estate Agent. Do NOT give the original documents away, they need to be turned over to the new owner so that they can continue to "run with the land."
Many of these important documents get stuffed into real estate listing folders never to see the light of day again, just provide copies for the purpose of listing.
This will truly help make the process of selling your property much easier. I often advise sellers to even have a full water quality test performed and have the report available. There are a few reasons why a vendor should take responsibility for paying for an independent water test... one reason is self protection.
Even though most purchasers normally hire independent water well advice, being prepared prior to listing a property will help as it gives an opportunity to resolve any existing issues that the owner may not be aware of at the time of listing which often magically appears at the time of a sale!
Water well issues can certainly become real estate deal breaker, many purchasers spend a lot of time educating themselves on water wells and ground water issues during the property purchase process if they’re not experience with independent home water system.
If you need to locate water well drilling report in the Fraser Valley you may have success online with the BC Ministry of Environment Water Well Data Search System.
The public water well report search system is free to use and quite user friendly!