Dry and Low-Water Wells: View December 8th Virtual Information Session, Links, and FAQs
- Ward 5 Staff
- 1 day ago
- 12 min read
The City of Ottawa hosted a virtual information session on Monday, December 8 to share information about the ongoing low water conditions affecting some areas of Ottawa.
View the presentation: Dry wells and low water information session
Frequently asked questions and answers
Emergency situation
1. Why did the City of Ottawa not declare the recent low water situation as a municipal emergency?
We understand the inconvenience and stresses of operating a daily household with reduced well water capacity or dry wells. Unfortunately, the nature of this situation was unique and did not meet the threshold of a municipal emergency.
The City’s Emergency Management Plan, which was prepared by mandate under the Province’s Emergency Management and Civil Protection Act (EMCPA), defines when a state of emergency is declared. Based on these provincial guidelines, a state of emergency is declared only when there is a threat to public safety, critical infrastructure, or essential municipal services. None of those thresholds were met this past summer and fall.
Water delivery to private homes and repairs to private wells, while extremely important to affected residents, are not classified as municipal services under provincial legislation. Nonetheless, the City endeavoured to provide up-to-date information on drought conditions and advice on potential mitigation measures, and provided water-filling areas and showers City facilities to help support affected residents.
That said, public safety is always our primary focus. To date, we have not identified any equity-deserving groups who lack access to water, whether through retail options or through City-supported sites. If such needs arise, we will assess them immediately.
Active communication with conservation authorities, provincial partners, and other stakeholders remains ongoing to monitor emerging needs.
2. Why are floods treated differently from low groundwater levels, as both impact households and daily life?
While low groundwater levels are very disruptive and stressful to households operating on well water, flooding poses immediate risks to public safety – damaging critical infrastructure, such as culverts and roads, and obstructing emergency routes.
Also, households can lose access to utilities, like electricity and gas, creating an additional safety concern that requires a rapid response. These threats to public safety do not exist with the current low water situation.
It is also important to note that droughts are not eligible for provincial disaster recovery funding because they occur gradually, giving private property owners time to mitigate through conservation and other measures.
However, we fully recognize how stressful and disruptive this has been to so many rural residents and their families. As a result, the City has been making various supports available, including:
Providing access to potable water and shower facilities at select City recreation centres – in close proximity to the impacted areas.
Sharing information on well safety, water conservation, and how to access licensed well contractors through the provincial directory.
Maintaining ongoing contact with the conservation authorities, provincial partners and others to assess emerging needs.
Working with the conservation authorities to monitor the situation, and
Offering resources and supports, which continue to be aligned with and in most cases exceed those offered elsewhere in Ontario.
3. With residents experiencing low water issues with their wells, why did the City not provide technical assistance to those impacted households?
Just like a septic system, in Ontario all aspects of private wells are required to be managed by individual well owners in accordance with the Ontario Water Resources Act
While general technical assistance about private wells can be obtained from the provincial Wells Help Desk, all site specific technical assistance should be obtained from a local licensed well contractor, which can be a rural plumbing or well drilling company.
In Ontario, municipalities have no authority over private wells and related groundwater use.
However, homeowners are not alone in facing the on-going circumstances. Drought conditions are difficult and worrying for rural residents. While the City is not responsible for managing private wells, we remain committed to providing guidance, information, and resources to help well owners understand their options and make informed decisions.
4. From a preparedness perspective, what should rural residents consider when planning for future water shortages or water quality issues?
Future water shortages
In our region, groundwater levels cycle up and down every year. The aquifers underlying the City of Ottawa generally experience a stable groundwater level cycle and are not showing year-over-year declines.
In our region and for our most used bedrock aquifers, groundwater levels are highest in the early spring. They then naturally drop throughout the growing season, usually reaching their lowest levels in the autumn. Groundwater levels then start their annual rise as the growing season ends and plants decrease their uptake of water. The rise of groundwater levels can continue up to the coldest part of the winter when there may be a shorter period of decline. Spring snowmelt recharges the groundwater system then produces the highest groundwater levels of the year. The cycle then continues.
In our region, for shallow sandy aquifers, the pattern in groundwater highs and lows can have different timing.
An example of how local groundwater levels rise and fall each year can be seen from the Provincial Groundwater Monitoring Network (PGMN) well at the Dunrobin Community Centre, which is near some of the impacted residents in Ottawa.
To plan for potential future water shortages, there are several things all rural residents can do.
Know your well. From your water well record and in speaking with your licensed well technician, learn about your well, casing, and pump types, depths, and ages; the normal high and low groundwater levels for your area and for your type of well; and the types of shallow and deeper sources of groundwater at your property.
Note that shallower wells are considered the most at risk from annual low water periods and from predicted future hotter summers.
Ask a licensed well technician about the potential low water risks for your well,such as past experiences of similar wells in your area not providing water during hotter summers and later autumns.
If your well is known to be or is potentially at risk from low water conditions, ask your well technician about possible mitigation options, potentially including:
water conservation measures
lowering your pump
reducing pumping rates and increasing pressure tank size
deepening your well, and/or
installing a new well.
When these options are not feasible, you may also consider installing temporary or permanent water storage tanks and obtaining a bulk water delivery service. It is understood you should consult with your insurance provider if you are preparing to use an indoor storage tank, for instance, for winter use.
Each year, follow the conservation authorities’ watershed conditions statements to learn about current low water level declarations.
Visit the Province’s Managing your water well in times of water shortage page for additional discussion about possible remedial measures. It may be possible to obtain a well record for wells not mapped in the provincial interactive map by filling out a provincial form.
For more detailed information about groundwater supplies, download the province’s fact sheets:
Future water quality issues
To plan for potential future water quality issues, there are several things all rural residents can do.
Test your drinking water several times a year, at minimum, for the free bacteria testing available through Ottawa Public Health. Also, always test your well water several times, several weeks apart, following any maintenance work (inspection and repair) on your well and following all periods where the well has not been used, such as when it recovers following a temporary drought. And test your well water any time you notice a change in well water quality, such as smell, taste or visual appearance.
Test your drinking water for other substances that are typically found in groundwater, like trace metals, and that are occasionally found in groundwater, like nitrate, following the province’s recommended schedule. See Additional Parameter Testing and consult a Licensed Laboratory to obtain sample bottles, instructions, and advice.
For more detailed general information, download the Province’s Testing and treating private water wells fact sheet.
Treat your drinking water to protect your family, tenants, pets, and yourself. Treatment options are discussed in the Province’s Testing and treating private water wells fact sheet.
Well maintenance and repair is a key method to prevent well water contamination. Follow the provincial Well Maintenance Checklist – via your licensed well technician, upgrade your well if it does not meet all Ontario Regulation 903 requirements and always have all damage repaired immediately.
Learn if your well is in a vulnerable setting which is more at risk to contamination. To do this, the Mississippi-Rideau Source Protection Region provides a collection of local educational materials about Highly Vulnerable Aquifers. Start with the StoryMap and then check out the videos and action sheets. You can also review the province’s information about this topic on their Highly vulnerable water sources page.
Learn about known groundwater quality issues in the Rideau Valley and the type of issues that can occur elsewhere from the Groundwater Quality section of the Groundwater Hydrology(link is external) Chapter in the 2023 Watershed Conditions Report.
5. What happens during a rural fire if the aquifer is dry or very low?
Ottawa Fire Service will obtain water from designated rural water fill sites and natural sources such as rivers, lakes, or ponds. Ottawa has a network of over 110 rural water fill sites. These fill sites ensures that water can be delivered efficiently in areas without hydrants. To guarantee reliability, Ottawa Fire Service holds Superior Tanker Shuttle Service accreditation, which requires the ability to deliver water for residential, commercial or industrial protection. This accreditation means that rural residents and businesses are protected with continuous water supply during emergencies regardless of aquifer conditions.
6. What municipal supports were, and remain, in place for those rural homeowners whose wells have run dry?
Once the well is replenished with normalized groundwater levels, Ottawa Public Health will provide well-testing kits to test water quality. To ensure good water quality, you need to test more than once – to protect the health of you and your family.
Currently, the City is still providing access to potable water for showers and for filling containers at designated City sites. Further information can be found on the City’s Dry and low water wells page.
Water conservation and restrictions
7. Since water conservation is important, why did the City not impose and enforce non-essential watering restrictions?
A private well is a personal water source on private property; neither the City nor the conservation authorities have the authority to enforce reduced water usage for private wells. It is ultimately up to the property owner to manage their water use responsibly and to follow the recommendations of the conservation authorities. The City has amplified that messaging to residents via social media, a dedicated webpage, and sharing updates from conservation authorities through memos to City Council, which were sent to local media.
The City of Ottawa has no by-laws that regulate how property owners use private wells during low water conditions and cannot enforce usage restrictions.
Groundwater is a shared resource. Residents are encouraged to be considerate of their neighbours who may be experiencing low water conditions, as local water tables and aquifers are interconnected.
The City is actively sharing educational information to support safe and responsible groundwater use.
Well management
8. What are the early warning signs that a well is low and about to go dry?
Wells may stop producing water when the water table drops below the pump intake or when the well structure or equipment requires maintenance and repair, like when a screen is blocked or there is a problem with the pump. At least once a year, well owners are encouraged to work with a licenced well contractor to inspect their wells to ensure they are not damaged and are in good working condition. See the provincial Well Maintenance Checklist(link is external) for advice.
When a well is running low on water warning signs may include:
Pump noises
More frequent pump cycling
Potential spikes in power use
Low water pressure
Sputtering faucets
Discoloured, cloudy, or gritty water
You may also have cause for concern if you have a shallow well and nearby ponds and creeks are unusually low or dry.
If you are concerned that your well is running dry, you can visit the Province of Ontario’s directory for licensed well contractors(link is external). Only licensed contractors should inspect and service wells – they can advise on best practices and help keep well equipment in working condition.
Continue to monitor your well and test your well water regularly. Even in dry conditions when water levels are low, there is still a risk of contamination. Test your drinking water at least three times every year. Also, test and retest your well several weeks apart after all inspection, maintenance, shock chlorination, and repair work; or if you notice a change in the well water quality such as smell, taste or visual appearance. Visit the Province of Ontario’s Water Supply Wells: Requirements and Best Practices manual(link is external) for information on:
Bacterial testing
Additional parameter testing
Bacterial parameters information
Ottawa Public Health offers free well water testing(link is external) for bacteria and recommends testing your well water every spring, summer and fall.
For more information on best practices for wells at risk of running dry and preparing for drought, visit Ottawa Public Health’s website(link is external).
9. Where can I find more information about my well, like the water tables related to it and whether it is shallow or deep?
Your water well record may be available from the provincial mapping tool(link is external). If you cannot find the record on the map, it may be possible for staff at the Province of Ontario(link is external) to help you locate it.
Your water well record will include information such as the well depth and the geologic materials in which your well is installed. The groundwater level at the time of well drilling is usually recorded in the water well record as the “static level” in feet or metres below the ground surface.
If there is a Provincial Groundwater Monitoring Network(link is external) (PGMN) well near your community and that well was installed in similar terrain and is of a similar design to yours, the groundwater level cycle will likely be similar to that in your well.
10. With the continued reduced groundwater levels, will this impact the opening of our community outdoor rinks that are flooded with well water?
Skating and hockey are such an important winter tradition in our communities, and people staying active is always our priority.
The water level conditions are substantially improving, especially with Rideau Valley and Mississippi Valley Conservation Authorities, allowing the City to open its outdoor rinks that use well water for flooding. The exact schedule for the openings will be dependent upon Mother Nature once again – with the right combination of accumulated snowfall and cold temperatures.
Properties and new developments
11. How are new developments, including agricultural developments, assessed for water levels and approved?
In Ontario, municipalities are responsible for ensuring that proposed developments, based on private services, have sufficient capacity prior to the creation of new lots through a plan of subdivision or a consent (severance). In Ottawa, technical studies must be completed to confirm that there will be sufficient water quantity and suitable water quality before new lot creation is approved that will rely on private wells. In addition, in Ottawa, all site plans that will rely on private servicing must demonstrate that the installed well meets the supply and quality requirements for the site.
In Ottawa, technical hydrogeological assessments must follow the City’s Council-approved Hydrogeological and Terrain Analysis GuidelinesOpens in a new tab or window(link is external) when private wells are proposed. Additionally, these guidelines outline the studies required for developments that may impact existing private wells. City guidelines, which are based on Provincial Guideline D-5-5 Private Wells – Water Supply Assessment(link is external), include the requirement for pumping tests to confirm sufficient quantity, and a cumulative impact assessment to ensure the new well will not impact neighbouring groundwater users.
Although there is no direct assessment of potential impacts from climate change within the guidelines, there is some conservativism built into the water quantity assessment to allow for resiliency. In addition, it is well recognized that shallow (dug or drive-point) wells are more susceptible to going dry in times of temporary drought, as well as being more susceptible to sources of shallow contamination, such as septic systems. The City’s hydrogeological guidelines state that subdivisions will not be approved based on the dug or driven-point wells due to the higher risk to water quantity or quality issues, and lot creation by severance based on dug wells is not normally approved, except under certain circumstances which require additional detailed analyses and justification.
The City’s municipal residential supply wells (six well systems), and the City’s central water supply (two intakes in the Ottawa River), provide water to over 90 per cent of Ottawa’s population. These systems are not impacted by the current low water advisory affecting private wells. A water quantity risk impact assessment (water budget) is required under the Clean Water Act(link is external) to ensure there is sufficient supply for municipal systems and to assess if water quantity policies are required to sustain water supply in the long-term. Water budget assessments are completed on a tiered approach, with the second tier including risk assessments based on drought scenarios.
Assessments have been completed for the City’s municipal residential drinking water systems:
no water quantity risks were identified and as a result,
there are no source protection policies related to water quantity risks.
The City’s water budget assessment results are summarized in the following reports: Rideau Valley Source Protection Area Assessment Report(link is external) (includes Richmond and Munster municipal systems), Mississippi Valley Source Protection Area Assessment Report(link is external) (includes Carp municipal system), South Nation Source Protection Area Assessment Report(link is external) (includes Vars and Greely – Shadow Ridge municipal systems).
If you have a question about this or any other Ward or City issue, just send an email to Clarke.Kelly@Ottawa.ca or call our office at 613-580-2475.
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