Well Drilling Update - September 2025

Thank you for your cooperation over the summer months during the well drilling and testing.

Work Completed

The Regional District of Nanaimo (RDN) completed the well drilling and well screen development of four new groundwater wells at the locations shown in the map image below. Twenty-four-hour pumping tests of PW06 and PW07 were completed in early September 2025, and the twenty-four-hour pumping tests of the other two wells, PW05 and PW08 will be completed by mid-September 2025. The long-term continuous and sustainable pumping test rate (safe yield) from each well will be determined after the completion of all the pumping tests. Based on the safe yield from each well, an appropriate well pump and motor will be ordered and installed.

The preliminary analyses, based on the completed twenty-four-hour pumping tests of PW06 and PW07 and the short pumping tests of PW05 and PW08, show that the safe yield of PW06 would be approximately 30 United States Gallons Per Minute (USGPM) and the other three wells would be approximately 5 USGPM each. Since the RDN's initial plan was to withdraw a total of 60 USGPM from these new wells, this leaves a shortfall of approximately 10-15 USGPM production rate. To accommodate this shortfall, an additional well will be drilled, PW09.

Next Steps

PW09 will be drilled at one of the RDN's existing well sites, PW01, near 2260 Peterson Road (see photo below). The existing wells at this site were completed in the lower aquifer and they are only being used for monitoring purposes. The new well at this site will be completed in the middle aquifer layer where the good drinking water source is located. Considering there is already a transmission main installed at this site which could be connected to the new well, and the RDN has a utility right-of-way at this site requiring almost no additional site preparation for the new well, PW09 can be drilled and brought into operation within the existing budget. Additionally, having PW09 drilled as part of the ongoing drilling project reduces the contractor's mobilization and demobilization costs allowing the drilling, development and pumping tests to be completed at the competitive tender rate obtained for the other four wells. The drilling, development and pumping test of PW09 is planned to be completed by October 31, 2025.

The RDN is also in the process of retaining an engineering consultant to provide survey, design and construction supervision for the civil, structural, mechanical, electrical, instrumentation and control/automation aspect of the transmission mains and well site infrastructure for all of the wells completed in this project. The construction of this phase is tentatively planned to begin in the summer of 2026.