Most hydrogeological studies in Prince Edward County answer two questions about a rural lot: will a well on it give enough safe water, and can a septic system sit there without harming the neighbours' wells? A hydrogeological study in Prince Edward County usually follows the provincial D-5-5 and D-5-4 guidelines and goes to the County's planning staff for review.
What this means for your project in Prince Edward County
- Most County studies are for rural severances and new homes on a private well and septic system: a well test under the provincial D-5-5 guideline and a septic impact assessment under D-5-4.
- County planning decides what your application needs. Its severance requirements have been under review, so ask the planning department before you commission a study.
- Larger septic systems, commercial water supplies and activities close to the Picton, Wellington or Ameliasburgh water intakes bring other studies.
- The local factor most likely to affect scope and cost: most wells here are drilled into rock with water close to surface, so the pumping test and water quality results carry a lot of weight in the review.
Prince Edward County groundwater data
Calculated from public provincial datasets for County of Prince Edward. Each value names its source; links are under Sources at the end of the page.
| Median depth of wells with a water level | 15.2 m (6,699 records reporting depth and water level) |
|---|---|
| Median static water level | 3.4 m below ground (6,699 records reporting depth and water level) |
| Records reaching bedrock | 92.5% of all records with a depth |
| Well records | 9,860 records (all types) |
| Active Permits to Take Water | 16 permits; largest purpose categories: Water Supply 6, Commercial 3, Farm uses 2 |
| Active construction and dewatering permits | 0 of 16 active Permits to Take Water |
| Conservation authority | Quinte Conservation (98.5% of area) |
| Provincial plan areas | None in the Oak Ridges Moraine, Greenbelt or Niagara Escarpment Plan areas |
Source: Well Records (Water Well Information System), MECP (WWIS_2026a), retrieved 2026-10-14.
Source: Permit to Take Water, MECP (PermitsToTakeWater_26-01), retrieved 2026-10-14.
Source: Conservation Authority Administrative Area, Ontario GeoHub, retrieved 2026-10-14.
Source: Oak Ridges Moraine (ORM) Planning Area, Ontario GeoHub; Greenbelt Outer Boundary, Ontario GeoHub; Niagara Escarpment Plan Boundary, Ontario GeoHub; retrieved 2026-10-14.
Figures count records inside the municipal boundary that report a value; well locations and values are as submitted by well contractors, and MECP notes inaccuracies exist. How these figures are calculated.
Wells in rock, water close to surface
The County's 9,860 well records describe a different setting from the deep overburden of the GTA. 92.5% of records with a depth reach bedrock. Among the 6,699 wells that report both a depth and a water level, the median depth is 15.2 m and the median water level is 3.4 m below ground. None of the County is in the Oak Ridges Moraine, Greenbelt or Niagara Escarpment plan areas.
For a severance this matters in two places. On the well side, a bedrock well's yield and quality come from the fractures it intersects, which is why D-5-5 asks for a continuous pumping test of at least six hours at a fixed rate and a water sample from the last hour, rather than relying on a neighbour's experience. On the septic side, D-5-4 asks whether the sewage effluent is hydrogeologically isolated from existing or potential supply aquifers; where it is not, the study has to predict nitrate-nitrogen at the downgradient property boundary against 10 mg/L, with dilution the only attenuation the ministry accepts.
County requirements for severances
The County's own rules have been under review, so confirm them for your application. Its draft Official Plan Amendment 01-23 listed, among other changes, a requirement for hydrogeological studies for all severances and for additional dwelling units where development is proposed on one or more private services; the County's page shows the amendment at technical circulation. In September 2025 a County notice announced a presentation and report on the review of hydrogeological requirements for rural severances at the Committee of the Whole. We have not found a published outcome of either, and have logged both as unconfirmed.
Before commissioning a study, ask County planning which requirements apply to your lot and whether a pre-consultation is needed.
Drinking water intakes and the Quinte Source Protection Plan
The County's municipal systems draw surface water, and their vulnerable areas are intake protection zones (IPZs) mapped in the Quinte assessment report. The Quinte Source Protection Plan came into effect January 1, 2015, has been amended in 2019, 2023 and 2026, and contains the policies for activities in those zones.
| System | Source and setting (Quinte Source Protection Area fact sheet for each system) |
|---|---|
| Picton | Picton Bay, part of the Bay of Quinte; serves about 6,000 people in Picton and over 600 in Bloomfield; two shallow intake pipes; three IPZs, with IPZ 2 calculated for a four-hour time of travel because of the intake's location |
| Wellington | Lake Ontario intake about 1,500 m offshore in 8.5 m of water; serves over 1,700 people |
| Ameliasburgh | Roblin Lake, about one square kilometre, serving 75 residences; no municipal sewage, and some parcels around the lake on private wells or intakes |
How vulnerable each intake is
The assessment report scores each zone from 2 (lowest) to 10 (highest). Picton's zones score 10 (IPZ 1), 9 (IPZ 2), 8 (IPZ 3a, the land draining through urban Picton) and 6 (IPZ 3b, the wider contributing area, which reaches into the Marsh Creek drainage system, Hay Bay and tributaries in the Cataraqui Region Source Protection Area). Wellington's offshore intake scores 5 in IPZ 1 and 3.5 in IPZ 2; modelling of a tritium spill and a sewage spill showed no significant threat further out, so no IPZ 3 was established. Screening found no raw-water issues at either Picton or Wellington.
The fact sheets list the threat types that are, or could be, occurring in the Picton and Ameliasburgh zones: septic systems, the application and storage of agricultural source material, pesticides, fertilizers and road salt, waste disposal sites, livestock grazing and confinement areas and, for Picton, municipal stormwater ponds and fuel handling. A new septic system, fuel storage or farm operation near one of these intakes is where a source water protection assessment comes in, measured against the plan's policies for the zone and its score.
Hydrogeological study cost in Prince Edward County
| Study | Starting point | Full span |
|---|---|---|
| Hydrogeological study for a severance | $5,500 – $8,500 | $2,500 – $17,500 |
| Well yield and pumping test | $7,000 – $11,000 | $7,000 – $86,500 |
| Large septic system assessment | $7,000 – $11,000 | $7,000 – $37,000 |
| Source water protection assessment | $4,500 – $7,000 | $4,500 – $15,500 |
These are indicative ranges based on typical scopes, the same province-wide ranges the estimator uses, not prices specific to Prince Edward County. Locally, the work is reviewed by the County of Prince Edward and Quinte Conservation and, for water takings, the ministry, and the scope they ask for is what moves a quote. On a rural lot, the well test and septic isolation in shallow rock carry most of the work. Excludes well drilling, government application fees and HST. How hydrogeological study prices are built explains each range.
Projects that need a hydrogeological study in the County
- Rural severances. The most common case: D-5-5 well testing and a D-5-4 septic assessment, now possibly under a County-wide requirement.
- Additional dwelling units on private services. Named in the draft official plan amendment alongside severances.
- Commercial and agricultural water supplies. The 16 active Permits to Take Water in the County are led by water supply and commercial takings; new takings over 50,000 L/day need a permit and usually a pumping test.
- Larger on-site sewage systems. Any system over 10,000 L/day, or one crossing a lot line, needs an Environmental Compliance Approval with a hydrogeological assessment.
- Activities near an intake. Source water protection screening for properties in Picton, Wellington or Ameliasburgh intake protection zones.
What to gather first
- The severance sketch and the County's pre-consultation comments, if any
- Well records for any existing well (the provincial well record number is on the well tag or record)
- Past water test results, including bacteria and nitrate
- The location of your septic system and your neighbours' wells, as far as you know them
Working with a hydrogeologist in Prince Edward County
Ask County planning what your application needs before you commission anything: the County's draft amendment to require studies for all severances and additional dwelling units on private services has not been confirmed. For a typical rural lot, give the consultant the lot layout, any existing well and its record, and the planned septic location, since the D-5-5 pumping test and the D-5-4 septic assessment are scoped around them. Near Picton and the other municipal intakes, Quinte source protection screening can apply to a hydrogeological assessment in Prince Edward County, and Quinte Conservation covers about 98.5% of the County. Confirm the consultant's licence on the PGO online register.
Owners severing a rural lot in the County can read what to check before severing a rural lot while the draft amendment is unconfirmed.
Prince Edward County questions
Does every severance in the County need a hydrogeological study?
Possibly: check with County planning before you apply. The County's draft Official Plan Amendment 01-23 proposed requiring hydrogeological studies for all severances, and for additional dwelling units, where development is on one or more private services, and in 2025 the County reviewed its hydrogeological requirements for rural severances. We could not confirm the current status of either, so the planning department's answer is the one to rely on.
What does a severance study here usually test?
The provincial D-5-5 guideline sets the well side: at least six hours of continuous pumping at a fixed rate, recovery monitoring, and water quality including a sample from the last hour. D-5-4 covers the septic side, using nitrate-nitrogen at the property boundary as the measure.
Most wells here are in rock. Does that change the study?
It shapes it: in Prince Edward County, 92.5% of well records with a depth reach bedrock, and wells that report a water level have a median water level of 3.4 m below ground. Where wells draw from rock, the D-5-4 question of whether septic effluent is isolated from the supply aquifer, and the water quality results, carry a lot of weight.
My property is near the Picton, Wellington or Ameliasburgh water intake. What applies?
Those systems draw surface water, so their vulnerable areas are intake protection zones rather than wellhead protection areas. The Quinte Source Protection Plan, in effect since January 1, 2015 and amended in 2019, 2023 and 2026, contains the policies that apply to activities in those zones.
Ameliasburgh has municipal water. Does it have municipal sewers?
No: according to the Quinte source protection fact sheet, no parcels in Ameliasburgh are served by municipal sewage, so every property has a private sewage system, and some parcels around Roblin Lake are not on the municipal water system either.
Which conservation authority covers the County?
Quinte Conservation covers about 98.5% of the County's area in the provincial boundary data. The County is also in the Quinte Source Protection Area.
Studies for County properties
- Severance Hydrogeological Study (D-5-4 / D-5-5)
Groundwater quality and well supply assessments for rural lot creation under MECP guidelines D-5-4 and D-5-5.
- Water Supply Well Assessment & Pumping Tests
Pumping tests, well yield and interference assessments for commercial, agricultural and communal supplies.
- Hydrogeological Assessment for Large Septic Systems
Groundwater impact assessments for larger on-site sewage systems.
- Source Water Protection Risk Assessment
Assessments for activities proposed inside wellhead protection areas and other vulnerable areas.
- Hydrogeological study cost guide
Ranges for every study type, side by side.
Near Prince Edward County
Sources
- Well Records: Water Well Information System (WWIS_2026a) and county Well Record Data Reports (WW_Reports_2026a) (opens in a new tab), Government of Ontario (MECP), Ontario Data Catalogue.
- Permit to Take Water dataset (PermitsToTakeWater_26-01) (opens in a new tab), Government of Ontario (MECP), Ontario Data Catalogue.
- Conservation Authority Administrative Area (opens in a new tab), Ontario GeoHub.
- Oak Ridges Moraine (ORM) Planning Area (opens in a new tab), Ontario GeoHub.
- Greenbelt Outer Boundary (opens in a new tab), Ontario GeoHub.
- Niagara Escarpment Plan Boundary (opens in a new tab), Ontario GeoHub.
- Official Plan Amendment 01-23 / draft by-law (opens in a new tab), County of Prince Edward.
- Planning and Development Committee to meet September 17 (notice, September 15, 2025) (opens in a new tab), County of Prince Edward.
- Picton’s drinking water system (2024 fact sheet) (opens in a new tab), Quinte Source Protection Area.
- Wellington’s drinking water system (2024 fact sheet) (opens in a new tab), Quinte Source Protection Area.
- Ameliasburgh’s drinking water system (2024 fact sheet) (opens in a new tab), Quinte Source Protection Area.
- Public Register (registered members) (opens in a new tab), Professional Geoscientists Ontario.
- Municipal Boundary - Lower and Single Tier (opens in a new tab), Ontario GeoHub.
- OHN Waterbody, 2M generalized layer (provincial hydrography dataset) (opens in a new tab), Ontario GeoHub.
- D-5-4 Individual on-site sewage systems: water quality impact risk assessment (opens in a new tab), Government of Ontario (MECP).
- D-5-5 Private wells: water supply assessment (opens in a new tab), Government of Ontario (MECP).
- Environmental permissions for sewage and storm water management works (opens in a new tab), Government of Ontario (MECP).