A spokesperson for Friesen Drillers in Steinbach says there could be a few reasons why one home in New Bothwell is suddenly unable to draw water from their well. But, Engineer Jeff Bell says it could be a coincidence that this is happening shortly after the town of Niverville started using its new water system.

Bell says it was brought to his attention that multiple residents of New Bothwell were reporting their well had run dry. However, upon reports from the RM of Hanover and the Town of Niverville, it appears that only one resident is complaining of issues. Nothing has been filed officially at this time.

Earlier this month, Niverville began using its new water supply well field. The well field is located one mile west of New Bothwell. This has prompted concern from residents in New Bothwell, which resulted in the complaint.

(Jeff Bell, Paulynn Estrella-Legal and Justin Neufeld with Friesen Drillers)Bell explains Manitoba Water Services Board was approached by the Town of Niverville a number of years ago to develop a new water supply. The location for the well field was selected following hydrogeology research. Part of this process involved public consultation through Landmark Planning, who went out and attempted to talk to everybody in the surrounding area. Bell says consultations were done within six square miles. He adds they did a private well inventory of everybody that would talk to them, within two miles of the proposed well. This included nearly the entire community of New Bothwell.

"So we do have a private inventory ahead of time," states Bell. "So we can get a handle on how wells are operated and hooked up in the area. That's how those types of projects typically go."

Bell admits, when Niverville's new water system came on board, he expected they might get some calls from residents within the New Bothwell area. He says they typically do. Within the town's Environment Act License, is a requirement which states that any well impacted must be rectified by the Town of Niverville.

"I wouldn't say that the aquifer has run dry," says Bell.

He says water levels in the southeast are down this year, the result of our climate the last six months. In fact, Bell says water levels in the southeast are at their lowest marks in four or five years. However, he says there is still a lot of water to draw from.

"I wouldn't say wells would be running dry, it's just that the pumping system might need to be changed in order to modify that," he says. "But no, wells wouldn't be running dry."

According to Bell, Friesen Drillers has extended an offer through the RM of Hanover and the Town of Niverville, requesting to investigate the concern immediately. He notes they would love to investigate and find out what is causing the issue. If there is an issue, he says they will fix it. Bell says there has been great cooperation between the RM and the Town.

"We're still waiting for some sort of official notice," admits Bell. "We've definitely put an offer out there to go out and investigate this concern immediately."