Built to spec
Built to your engineered drawings, survey, and the real site conditions, not a one-size-fits-all approach forced to fit.
Commercial & Heavy-Civil Construction
Monitoring Well Installation
We drill, construct, seal, develop, protect, and document groundwater monitoring wells for commercial, industrial, municipal, and heavy civil sites across Toronto, the GTA, and Ontario, following the consultant’s design and Ontario Wells Regulation requirements.
- Licensed, Insured & WSIB-Covered
- 20 Years in Business
Get a Quote
Tell us what you need and we’ll get you a quote. Licensed, insured & WSIB-covered · Free, no-obligation quote & on-site assessment.
Get a Quote
Licensed, insured & WSIB-covered · Free, no-obligation quote & on-site assessment.
20 Years in Business
Licensed, Insured & WSIB-Covered Completed to code & Ontario requirements Completed on site and built to the drawings Performed & installed on site across Ontario
Why Harrowgate Group
What to expect from monitoring well installation
Made to last
Durable materials and methods chosen for the load, traffic, and environment on site.
Quote-ready
Send specs, drawings, or photos and get a free, no-obligation site visit and estimate with no guesswork.
Code-conscious
Installation and site work completed in accordance with Ontario requirements.
Our Process
How we plan and deliver monitoring well installation
A groundwater monitoring well is a screened, sealed, and protected installation that allows repeatable measurement or sampling of a defined subsurface interval. Harrowgate installs wells directly across Toronto and the GTA for environmental, geotechnical, remediation, dewatering, landfill, and industrial monitoring programs.
- 01 Send your inquiry, a few photos or a description of the site.
- 02 We come out, assess the site, take measurements, and confirm the scope.
- 03 We complete the monitoring well installation on site, to the load and finish the job needs.
- 04 We install it, finish to grade, and clean up, one accountable crew, start to finish.
Local Context
A closer look at monitoring well installation
Scope
Understanding monitoring well installation
How we construct and develop a monitoring well
We clear and drill the location, log formation changes, confirm final depth, assemble clean casing and screen, install the filter pack to measured elevation, place the bentonite or grout seal, complete the protective casing or flush cover, label the well, develop it, and document construction and water observations.
Common small-diameter wells use factory-slotted PVC screen and riser selected for expected chemistry, with clean silica sand around the screen and a hydrated bentonite or cementitious seal above. Exact materials and dimensions follow the design. Tremie placement or measured lifts reduce bridging and inaccurate seals. Development removes fines introduced during drilling and establishes hydraulic connection without over-pumping the formation. Water, sediment, and wash fluids are contained for approved handling. The completed well is surveyed where data interpretation requires coordinates and elevations.
Ontario well construction and record requirements
Monitoring well installation follows R. R. O. 1990 Reg. 903, the applicable O. Reg. 153/04 investigation requirements, CSA Z769 where specified, Ontario construction safety rules, and the qualified person’s design. Regulated wells require appropriate construction, sealing, protection, field notes, logs, tags, and well records unless a specific exemption applies.
Reg. 903 requires logs of overburden and bedrock materials and up-to-date construction field notes at the site for applicable work. An unattended opening must be securely covered against surface water and foreign material. Annular seals are installed to prevent unwanted movement between formations and the surface. The well record documents location, construction, geology, and completion information. Surface protection is selected for traffic exposure, frost, drainage, snow clearing, and future access, with bollards or concrete where the design calls for them.
Monitoring-well construction failures we prevent
A well fails when the screen bridges two zones, filter sand is placed too high, bentonite bridges and leaves a void, surface water enters the casing, development is incomplete, or the well is lost under paving. We prevent these failures with measured placement, volume checks, clean assembly, and durable identification.
Loose formation can collapse before the screen reaches depth, requiring supported drilling or temporary casing. Fine sand can pass through an unsuitable screen and make every sample turbid. An oversized filter pack can create a vertical pathway beyond the target interval.
We compare calculated and actual material volumes and investigate discrepancies. At grade, flush covers are sealed and set so runoff does not pond over the well. Protective casings remain accessible but outside wheel paths where practical. Baseline condition and measured stickup or cover elevations are photographed.
Planning monitoring well installation? Talk it through with our team.
Where groundwater monitoring wells are installed
Monitoring wells are installed for Phase Two ESAs, records of site condition, spill and plume delineation, remediation performance, landfills, brownfields, fuel systems, industrial facilities, excavation dewatering, geotechnical studies, baseline monitoring, and long-term compliance programs. Well networks are arranged around sources, boundaries, and groundwater flow.
Nested or clustered wells can monitor different elevations where vertical gradients matter, but each completion must remain hydraulically distinct. Shallow wells track fill or perched groundwater, while deeper overburden or bedrock wells investigate separate units. Inside buildings, flush completions protect operations and sampling access. Roadway or parking locations require traffic-rated details specified by the design. We coordinate drilling and surface restoration with active facilities so the wells remain findable and usable for the intended monitoring period.
Have drawings for monitoring well installation? Send them over and we will scope it.
FAQ
Monitoring Well Installation FAQ
How is a groundwater monitoring well constructed?
A borehole is advanced to the target, clean screen and riser are installed, filter sand is placed around the screen, and bentonite or grout seals the annulus above. The well receives a secure surface completion, identification, development, and documentation. Exact diameters, intervals, and materials follow the consultant’s design.
What is the purpose of the sand pack and bentonite seal?
The clean filter pack supports hydraulic connection between the screened formation and well while limiting fine soil entry. The bentonite or grout seal blocks surface water and vertical movement through the annulus. Their elevations and volumes are measured because overlap, gaps, or bridging can compromise sample meaning.
How long after installation can a well be sampled?
The sampling schedule is set by the consultant based on well development, formation recovery, analytical objectives, and regulatory program. Installation water and suspended fines need time or development to stabilize. Harrowgate records completion and development details so the consultant can choose an appropriate first groundwater level and sampling event.
Do monitoring wells need Ontario well records?
Applicable long-term test holes and monitoring wells generally require records under Reg. 903 unless a defined exemption applies. Construction, alteration, and abandonment can each trigger documentation. We confirm the project’s regulatory classification, maintain field notes and logs, and provide the construction information needed for the required well record.
What is the difference between a flush and stickup well?
A flush well terminates below or near surface inside a sealed protective cover, suiting traffic or paved areas. A stickup well extends above grade inside a protective casing, improving visibility and access. The design considers drainage, vehicle impact, frost, snow clearing, security, and facility operations.
How are monitoring wells protected from vehicles?
Protection can include traffic-rated flush covers set into concrete, steel protective casings, bollards, raised concrete pads, locks, and placement outside wheel paths. The selected detail follows expected loads and site operations. Covers are kept sealed, labelled, accessible, and graded so surface water does not collect over the casing.
What happens to a monitoring well when sampling is finished?
A well no longer used or maintained for future use must be assessed for abandonment under Reg. 903. Proper decommissioning removes equipment, seals the full pathway with approved barrier materials in the required sequence, addresses casing and surface structures, restores the ground, returns tags where applicable, and completes required records.
Still have a question about monitoring well installation? Ask our team directly.
Explore
Related Harrowgate services
Drilling methods, for environmental programs
Soil logging beside well installations, soil logging beside well installations
Groundwater treatment and recovery systems, groundwater treatment and recovery systems
Plugging wells after monitoring ends, plugging wells after monitoring ends
Field support, for regulated investigations
Our Work
View Our Projects See real projects across Toronto & Ontario
Commercial and heavy-civil construction delivered for developers, contractors, property managers, and municipalities.
Get a quote for monitoring well installation
Send drawings, a site plan, or a description of the scope. Harrowgate Group is licensed, insured, and WSIB-covered.
Licensed, Insured & WSIB-Covered, work managed and documented on every job
Send your project details
Tell us what you need and we’ll get you a quote. Licensed, insured & WSIB-covered · Free, no-obligation quote & on-site assessment.
Monitoring Well Installation Across the GTA
View all service areas →Harrowgate Group provides monitoring well installation, delivered and installed with quote-ready support across Toronto and surrounding Ontario communities.
