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Alberta • 1,065 Registered Wells

Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo Water Well Depth & Hydrogeology

Regional groundwater summary • Alberta Historical Log Extraction

Bottom Line Up Front

In Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo, the median completed well is 230 ft deep.

A published hardness range for this place and aquifer is 12–288 mg/L as CaCO₃. That is a regional estimate, not a test of your well. Source: Estimate based on Alberta Health private well data.

These municipal aggregates support planning only — they do not replace an accredited laboratory potability test for your own well.

Interactive Well Depth & Modeled Typical Strata

Drag the indicator line or tap a stratum below to read the recorded depth range

Drilling in: Sandstone Bedrock Formation (50–350 ft)Basal Bedrock Aquifer

Modelled Depth

230 FT

Area median

Drilling cost

$16,100–$34,500

Estimate

Published hardness

12–288 mg/L as CaCO₃

0 ft (Surface)Median 230 ft1491 ft (Deep)
Sand & Gravel Aquifer
Sedimentary Shale Formation
Sandstone Bedrock Formation
Carbonate Bedrock (Limestone / Dolomite)
Undifferentiated Aquifer
Carbonate Bedrock (Limestone / Dolomite)
Modeled typical strata:

Modeled typical strata — placeholder from median depth + aquifer type; not local driller logs.

Well Statistics

Local measurements compared against Alberta provincial benchmarks.

Total Registered Wells 1,065
Median Well Depth 230 ft
AB benchmark: 121 ft provincial median
Average Well Depth 416.3 ft
Recorded Depth Range 8 – 4720 ft
Hardness 12–288 mg/L as CaCO₃ — Estimate. Estimate based on Alberta Health private well data
Drilling cost $16,100–$34,500 — Estimate. Typical drilling prices in Canada, about $70–$150 per foot
Domestic Household Use 31% of wells

Where This Report Applies

Approximate boundary of Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo

Shaded area is an approximate municipal outline for orientation only. Well records are aggregated across the entire Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo.

Depth Distribution

Most completed wells fall near the median depth of 230 ft. Recorded depths cover 995 wells.

0–49 ft 17.7% · 176
49–98 ft 14.3% · 142
98–148 ft 7% · 70
148–197 ft 7% · 70
197–295 ft 11.7% · 116
295–394 ft 10.4% · 103
394–591 ft 8.1% · 81
591+ ft 23.8% · 237

Median depth of 230 ft falls inside the reported range. Deeper completions here usually mean higher mineral content but steadier year-round pressure.

Aquifer Composition

Bedrock and drift aquifers recorded by drillers in this area.

1,278 holes found no usable water. test holes, observation or monitoring wells, dewatering wells, decommissioned wells, dry holes, no-aquifer holes, and other non-supply wells filtered out of the headline

Water Quality Profile

A published hardness range, when one exists for this place and aquifer. Not a test of your well.

Measured nearby

Measured government tests within 25 km of Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo.

Soft (<60) Med (61–120) Hard (121–180) V. hard (>180)

USGS (2018) bands reprinted by Health Canada. A range can cross more than one band. This is not a sample.

What this is not

  • Not a laboratory result for a well on your property.
  • Not a reason to size a softener. Size equipment from a lab test.
  • Not a drilling quote. A cost line on this page is a national estimate, not a price for one well.

Health Canada has not set a maximum acceptable concentration for hardness. A wide published range can sit in more than one USGS band.

Survey section: Section 1, Township 87, Range 9, West of the 4th Meridian, 17.07 km away, in the wider area.

2 government lab tests, dated 2006.

These results are old (tested 2006).

Hardness 249–338 mg/L as CaCO₃.

2 tests are above 180 mg/L.

Worked out by wellwaterguide.ca from 2 government lab tests.

reported hardness, or calculated from measured calcium and magnesium when hardness was not reported

Domestic Well Water Quality in Alberta: Routine Chemistry, 2001 to 2021 Open Government Licence - Alberta

Drilling Activity

Historical permit and construction activity by decade.

Pre-1970 104 wells · avg 1034 ft
1970s 212 wells · avg 505 ft
1980s 268 wells · avg 147 ft
1990s 78 wells · avg 166 ft
2000s 182 wells · avg 465 ft
2010s 161 wells · avg 383 ft
2020s 23 wells · avg 291 ft

61% of dated wells are over 30 years old (pre-1995). Steel casing installed before 1995 can lose integrity over time. Any older well should get a casing inspection and a certified bacterial test before reliance.

Treatment

Size treatment from a laboratory test

This page does not turn a hardness range or a well depth into an equipment total, a grain capacity, or a drilling price. Read the methodology, the filtration guide, and the products catalog.

Suggested system

Suggested system for Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo

1

Test kit

estimate, confirm with a lab test

A test of your own well comes before any equipment. Test for coliform bacteria.

Water testing
2

Water softener

estimate, confirm with a lab test

Some wells nearby test above 120 mg/L, a softener may help, confirm with a lab test. 2 tests are above 180 mg/L.

Hard-water guide
Local Contractors

Licensed Water Well Drillers Serving Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo

Because water wells in Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo average 230 ft, contractors equipped with heavy rotary rigs and proper casing seals are recommended. Contact local drillers directly or request competitive bids.

McAllister Drilling

Yard: Lloydminster, AB (384.6 km away)

Confirm the contractor's provincial licence before you hire
Border City Aquifers Overburden Screens Farm Water Development
(780) 875-2409

Summers Drilling Inc.

Yard: Stony Plain, AB (385.2 km away)

Confirm the contractor's provincial licence before you hire
Acreage & Farm Wells Downhole Video Inspection Pump Repair
(780) 963-1282 Visit Website ↗

Losness Drilling

Yard: Lougheed, AB (435.3 km away)

Confirm the contractor's provincial licence before you hire
Central Alberta Agricultural Rural Residential Wells Shock Chlorination
(780) 672-3333

Hopper Water Well Drilling Ltd.

Yard: Grande Prairie, AB (488.7 km away)

Confirm the contractor's provincial licence before you hire
Peace Region Deep Wells Wapiti Sandstone Acreage Domestic Supply
(780) 832-2400

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Frequently Asked Questions

Quick answers about water wells in Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo.

What is the median well depth in Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo?

Among 995 producing water wells with a recorded depth, the median is 229.7 ft (70.0 m).

Adjacent Municipalities & Nearby Well Records

Explore neighbouring hydrogeological formations and compare drilling depths

M.D. of Opportunity No. 17

159.5 km

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Lac La Biche County

204.6 km

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Athabasca County

243 km

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Athabasca

247.2 km

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M.D. of Lesser Slave River No. 124

250.9 km

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