Watershed officials in Saskatchewan want to put more than a lid on abandoned wells.
South Saskatchewan River Watershed Stewards has launched an initiative that targets landowners in the rural municipalities of Kindersley, Chesterfield and Snipe Lake.
The organization is co-ordinating an effort to identify wells in the region, help landowners access funding to cover the costs of decommissioning them and bring a contractor to the region to do the work.
“That’s part of the stumbling block sometimes. Producers don’t have the equipment to do it themselves or just feel more comfortable having a professional do it,” said Leah Tallis, a best management practices technician with the group.
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“It’s hard to get a contractor to come in and do one well.”
Twenty wells have been identified, but officials are looking for more for a springtime project.
“If we can set it up where we can line up who is getting it done and help the contractors come out and do it, then really the farmer doesn’t necessarily have to be there,” she said.
“He can be in the fields at that point.”
Tallis works with producers who apply for funding to bring best management practices to their farms.
In this case, landowners and municipalities can receive a rebate of 90 percent of the project’s cost through the Farm and Ranch Water Infrastructure Program, said Tallis.
They can be reimbursed for the expenses they pay upfront once the project is approved. Total cost for the project can vary from $600 to a few thousand dollars.
Abandoned wells, which are often unmarked, are a safety concern as well as a potential threat to water quality from surface runoff.
“Potentially there could be some type of a contaminant going down directly into that source, which then can spread who knows where,” said Tallis.
“Say there is some type of contaminant that got into a well and went down into an aquifer. You could be potentially contaminating or poisoning your neighbour’s wells as well.”
Large diameter bored wells can be decommissioned without the help of a contractor, provided the right materials are used. The wells must be disinfected with chlorine and sealed at the top and bottom with bentonite chips or pellets with sand or gravel in between.
Small diameter, drilled wells are more complicated and require a contractor.
Landowners are advised to contact officials who can help them with the application process and identify their needs.
There are thousands of unregistered wells in the province, said Jeremy Brown of the province’s Water Security Agency.
“Often they’re just trying to address the safety risk only. They’re just filling in the well with whatever they have, which is most commonly rock, because it’s the easiest thing,” said Brown.
“But that doesn’t prevent water from flowing down, which is the contamination risk.”
