New Well Report (Well Log) Form

Mike Wei, P. Eng., WLAPDiana Allen, P. Geo., SFU

Tammy Blair, WLAP

BCGWA AGM Penticton, March 4, 2005

Outline

• Purpose for a new well form

• Overview of form

• Next steps

• Example of information in well construction reports to assist in regional mapping of the aquifer at Grand Forks

Why change the current well log form?

• Update existing form with new terms in the Ground Water Protection Regulation (GWPR); e.g., class of well

Elements of the new form• Primarily designed for water wells

• Record of work of:

– Well construction,

– Significant alteration,

– Well closure

• Incorporates new terms and requirements in the GWPR

• Promotes standardization of well reporting, with particular focus on lithologic description

• Facilitates more efficient analysis of well data

How was the form developed?

• Based largely on the existing well log form

• Incorporates GWPR reporting requirements for well construction, alteration or closure work

• Review / input from the Ground Water Advisory Board (GWAB) and select water well drillers

Two options for the form

• Two options for the form are available:

– “free” form

– “Ontario” form

• Both promote the use of standard lithological terms; difference in the form is how lithology is entered by the driller;

• Everything else on the form is the same

Overview of the form - header

Overview of form - top part

• Well owner and mailing address• Well location (critical for processing into WELLS)

– Address, Legal or PID and

– GPS (UTM or LAT LONG)• Type of work• Method of drilling• Type of well (refer to class and sub-class on back of form)

Overview of form - lithology

• Refer to standard lithologic descriptions on the back of the form

• What are standard lithologic descriptions?– Lithology type

– Hardness

– Colour

Overview of form – lithology(Ontario form)

• Requires a “shift in thinking” on how lithology is filled out “by numbers”

• Benefit: standardized lithology provides a common basis for describing, processing and eventual interpretation of data

• Electronic well report can be printed out with lithologic terms as word descriptions, not numbers

Example of Ontario Litho Entry

1 = most dominant; 2 = second most dominant; 3 = minor; 4 = trace

Overview of form – casing and screen details

Overview of form – development, yield, water quality, summary, (closure)

Overview of form – footer

• Disclaimer

• Form number

• Additional sheets, if necessary

• Copies

Overview of form – back• Class, sub-class of wells

• FOI statement

• Guidance on how to fill out the lithologic table

• Guidance on how to fill out the well closure table

• Information on who is responsible for the work

• Abbreviations

How does the form relate to the WELLS database?

• Database is now being formatted to accommodate this new form

• 8 ½” X 14” forms (hard copy “pads”) will need to be entered into WELLS by WLAP staff

• A driller will be able to enter the data directly on-line using a new web-based well entry form (under development). For on-line submission, the report may be formatted to print on an 8 ½” X 11” sheet

Next steps

• Indication of interest from drillers in trying out one or both versions of the form in the field

• WLAP to print up well form “pads”

• Get feedback from drillers for improvement of structure of the form

• Revise and finalize version of form by Nov. 1, 2005

Well records are critical to ouroverall understanding of aquifers

• Recent aquifer assessment studies:

– Grand Forks, Abbotsford, Gulf Islands

– Okanagan Basin

– All aquifer classification mapping and vulnerability studies

• Contaminated site assessments

Grand Forks valley

Kettle River

Grand Forks city

Bedrock surfacemodel (bottom ofvalley sediment fill)

Deep sands (probably more extensive in reality)

Clay / Till (deep, mostly unknown sediments)

Silt / silty sands (lacustrine deposits, with fluvial sediments)

Sands (“aquifer”) (fluvial & glaciofluvial sediments)

Gravels (“aquifer”) (most recent fluvial sediments)

Thank you!

Questions?