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Well Water Testing in BC, and the Septic Checks That Go With It

Buy a rural property in the Fraser Valley and the water supply and sewage system become your job, not the city's. Here is what to test, which records to ask for, and how to build both into your offer.

By Shawn Kandola, PREC · Published November 5, 2026 · 8 min read

Your well, your responsibility

Fraser Health describes private wells as having minimal regulatory oversight, and HealthLink BC is clear that the owner of a well serving 1 household is responsible for testing it. The Province does not license groundwater used only for household purposes, such as drinking, cooking, sanitation and watering a garden of up to 1,000 m², but it strongly encourages owners to register their wells, at no cost. Wells drilled, altered or decommissioned after February 29, 2016 must be registered in the GWELLS database, so older wells may not appear there.

For a buyer, that means nobody has checked the water for you. The seller may have old results, but well water can change, so order your own. Fraser Health calls lab testing the only reliable way to know whether water is safe, because water that looks clear and tastes fine can still carry bacteria and chemicals.

What to test for, and what the results mean

Ask a qualified lab for a potability test. HealthLink BC points to the CALA directory of qualified labs, and Fraser Health notes that labs generally do not collect samples: they send a kit with bottles and instructions, or you can hire a professional to sample. These are the results that matter most in the Fraser Valley:

Nitrate and arsenic: the 2 Fraser Valley watch-outs

Nitrate deserves extra attention near farms. Fraser Health notes that it is common in shallow wells in agricultural areas, that levels above 3 mg/L usually reflect human activity, and that a neighbour's result tells you nothing about your well. Provincial monitoring has found nitrate above the drinking water guideline in parts of the Abbotsford-Sumas aquifer. Fraser Health recommends testing for nitrate at least once a year, in spring or fall, when levels are highest, and never giving a baby untested well water.

Arsenic has no taste or smell, and Fraser Health says some Fraser Valley groundwater exceeds the guideline. If a test detects it, even below the guideline, get a second test to confirm. Boiling concentrates arsenic, and chlorination and ordinary filters do not remove it. Reverse osmosis or distillation units certified to the matching NSF/ANSI standard can.

How often to test after you move in

BC's health guidance gives a simple schedule to put in your calendar:

• Bacteria: at least once a year, and right away if the water changes in clarity, colour or taste (HealthLink BC).
• Chemistry: when a new well is finished, then every year (HealthLink BC).
• Nitrate: at least once a year in spring or fall (Fraser Health).
• After a flood: treat the well as contaminated if it was under flood water, or is shallow and near flooding, then disinfect it and test for total coliform and E. coli before drinking it again (Fraser Health).

How much water: well records and yield tests

Quality is only half the story. Ask for the well driller's log, which Fraser Health says shows the well's depth, the soil it passes through, how much water it produced and how it was built. If the seller does not have it, search GWELLS.

Fraser Health estimates household use at about 490 litres (108 gallons) per person per day. A well yield test by a qualified professional measures what the well delivers in litres per minute, and asking the neighbours whether they run short costs nothing. Shallow wells, under about 50 feet, are more exposed to seasonal swings in both quantity and quality.

Look at the wellhead yourself

Fraser Health's buyer checklist is quick to do on a first visit. Older dug wells, usually concrete rings less than about 15 m deep, and small driven sandpoints are more likely to have bacteria problems than drilled wells, so note which type you are looking at. Then check for:

• A casing that sticks up 12 to 24 inches above the ground.
• No cracks or holes in the casing.
• A secure, watertight cap.
• Ground that slopes away from the casing so water cannot pond and seep in.
• Septic fields, livestock pens and other contamination sources at least 30 m (100 feet) from the well, on the lot and on the neighbours' lots.

Septic systems: who can work on them

Septic systems in BC fall under the Sewerage System Regulation. Only an authorized person can design, install, repair, maintain or inspect one: a Registered Onsite Wastewater Practitioner, registered through ASTTBC, or a professional engineer. Practitioners can work on Type 1 and Type 2 systems, while Type 3 systems are for professionals only.

When a system is built or altered, the authorized person files a Record of Sewerage System with Fraser Health before work starts, files a Letter of Certification within 30 days of finishing, and gives the owner the plans, a maintenance plan and a copy of the letter. Operating a system with no Letter of Certification on file is an offence, and owners must maintain the system to its maintenance plan and keep records.

Getting the septic records and an inspection

Ask the seller for the plans, maintenance plan, Letter of Certification and pump-out receipts. Fraser Health also takes requests for sewerage system information on a property; the fee is $50 and is not charged if nothing is on file. A search can turn up a permit, a filing, a Letter of Certification, a maintenance plan or an outstanding order, or no record at all, and Fraser Health cannot promise the file holds an accurate diagram. Third party personal information may be removed, so the simplest route is to ask the seller to request it early.

Then hire an authorized person to inspect. Ask them to locate and open the tank, check its condition and components, look over the dispersal field for wet spots or odour, confirm the system suits the house as it stands today, including any suite or added bedrooms, and put it all in writing.

Subjects to put in your offer

Your agent and lawyer will word the clauses, but on a property with a well and a septic system, these subjects protect you:

• A satisfactory potability test from a qualified lab, covering bacteria and chemistry including nitrate, arsenic and manganese.
• A satisfactory well yield test.
• Receipt of the well driller's log or GWELLS record.
• A satisfactory septic inspection by an authorized person.
• Receipt of the septic records and maintenance history.

Frequently asked questions