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Ontario • 7,504 Registered Wells

Sudbury Water Well Depth & Hydrogeology

Regional groundwater summary • Ontario Historical Log Extraction

Bottom Line Up Front

In Sudbury, the median completed well is 164 ft deep.

A published hardness range for this place and aquifer is under 60 to above 180 mg/L as CaCO₃. That is a regional estimate, not a test of your well. Source: Estimate based on Health Canada hardness bands.

Most production draws from Crystalline Bedrock (about 76% of local wells).

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: Sand & Gravel Aquifer (32–400+ ft)Glacial Drift Aquifer

Modelled Depth

164 FT

Area median

Drilling cost

$11,480–$24,600

Estimate

Published hardness

under 60 to above 180 mg/L as CaCO₃

0 ft (Surface)Median 164 ft400 ft (Deep)
Topsoil & Surficial Organics
Sand & Gravel Aquifer
Sand & Gravel Aquifer
Modeled typical strata:

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

Well Statistics

Local measurements compared against Ontario provincial benchmarks.

Total Registered Wells 7,504
Median Well Depth 164 ft
ON benchmark: 103 ft provincial median
Average Well Depth 184.2 ft
Dominant Aquifer Crystalline Bedrock
Hardness under 60 to above 180 mg/L as CaCO₃ — Estimate. Estimate based on Health Canada hardness bands
Drilling cost $11,480–$24,600 — Estimate. Typical drilling prices in Canada, about $70–$150 per foot
Domestic Household Use 90% of wells

Where This Report Applies

Approximate boundary of Sudbury

Shaded area is an approximate municipal outline for orientation only. Well records are aggregated across the entire Sudbury.

Depth Distribution

Most completed wells fall near the median depth of 164 ft. Recorded depths cover 7,490 wells.

0–49 ft 5.8% · 437
49–98 ft 18.4% · 1,375
98–148 ft 21.3% · 1,595
148–197 ft 14.5% · 1,084
197–295 ft 22.6% · 1,690
295–394 ft 14% · 1,048
394–591 ft 2.9% · 220
591+ ft 0.5% · 41

Median depth of 164 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. Recorded for 7,461 of these 7,504 wells.

Precambrian Crystalline Bedrock (Granite) Crystalline Bedrock Aquifer
76.3%

5,727 of 7,504 Crystalline Canadian Shield rock. Yields soft, slightly acidic water with minimal dissolved solids, relying on secondary fracture networks for groundwater storage.

Sand & Gravel Aquifer Glacial Drift Aquifer
13.5%

1,012 of 7,504 Shallow to intermediate glacial drift aquifer deposited in alluvial channels or outwash plains. Yields softer water but requires continuous sediment filtration and shallow bacterial monitoring.

Carbonate Bedrock (Limestone / Dolomite) Primary Bedrock Aquifer
5.7%

429 of 7,504 Major regional bedrock aquifer formed by Ordovician/Silurian dolomite. Known for reliable, high-volume yields with elevated mineral hardness and dissolved calcium/magnesium carbonates.

Sandstone Bedrock Formation Basal Bedrock Aquifer
2.2%

168 of 7,504 Deep basal sandstone bedrock unit (including Winnipeg Formation). Supplies exceptionally stable yields; often exhibits moderate mineral hardness with silica-rich water.

Glacial Lacustrine Clay & Silt Confining Aquitard
1.3%

99 of 7,504 Impermeable glaciolacustrine clay and silt deposits formed in ancient glacial lakes. Acts as an effective regional aquitard confining underlying aquifers.

Sedimentary Shale Formation Fractured Shale Aquifer
0.3%

25 of 7,504 Fractured sedimentary shale formation (including Odanah / Pierre members). Characterized by high total dissolved solids (TDS) and potential sulfur/iron compounds.

Undifferentiated Aquifer Regional Formation
0%

1 of 7,504 Unclassified hydrogeological formation from legacy provincial drill records.

1,516 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 Sudbury.

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.

Drilling Activity

Historical permit and construction activity by decade.

Pre-1970 1,176 wells
1970s 1,079 wells
1980s 1,339 wells
1990s 1,154 wells
2000s 1,005 wells
2010s 1,021 wells
2020s 693 wells

58% 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 Sudbury

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

Iron and manganese filter

estimate, confirm with a lab test

Manganese above the aesthetic objective, consider an iron/manganese filter. One monitoring well near this place has median iron of 4.36 mg/L and median manganese of 0.393 mg/L. Another has median iron of 10.47 mg/L and median manganese of 1.545 mg/L.

Iron and manganese guide
3

Water softener

estimate, confirm with a lab test

A softener is likely needed. The nearest monitoring well has a median hardness of 332 mg/L as CaCO₃.

Hard-water guide
Local Contractors

Licensed Water Well Drillers Serving Sudbury

Because water wells in Sudbury average 164 ft into crystalline bedrock, contractors equipped with heavy rotary rigs and proper casing seals are recommended. Contact local drillers directly or request competitive bids.

Rhude Well Drilling

Yard: Greater Sudbury, ON (23.4 km away)

Serves Sudbury
Confirm the contractor's provincial licence before you hire
Sudbury Basin Bedrock Shield Granite Drilling Hydrofracturing

Drury Well Drilling Ltd.

Yard: Barrie, ON (245.1 km away)

Confirm the contractor's provincial licence before you hire
Simcoe County Bedrock Residential Drinking Wells Pump Diagnostics

G. Hart & Sons Well Drilling Ltd.

Yard: Fenelon Falls, ON (273.1 km away)

Confirm the contractor's provincial licence before you hire
Kawartha Lakes Cottage Wells Precambrian Granite Hydrofracturing

Jim Wilson Well Drilling Ltd.

Yard: Waterloo, ON (328.9 km away)

Confirm the contractor's provincial licence before you hire
Rotary Air & Mud Drilling Commercial High Yield Decommissioning

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Frequently Asked Questions

Quick answers about water wells in Sudbury.

What is the median well depth in Sudbury?

Among 7490 producing water wells with a recorded depth, the median is 164.0 ft (49.99 m).

Adjacent Municipalities & Nearby Well Records

Explore neighbouring hydrogeological formations and compare drilling depths

Nearby communities