Are water well drillers in Alberta busy?

Water well drillers in Alberta are experiencing high demand, with increased drilling activity and longer wait times for both oilfield and domestic water wells in 2025. Multiple industry forecasts predict a 7–10% rise in drilling sector activity, and reports note that many drillers are struggling to keep up with heightened demand and a shrinking workforce, especially for private and agricultural water wells.boereport+2​

Drilling Activity Trends

• Alberta is seeing some of the highest drilling activity in a decade, driven by an increase in oil, gas, and groundwater well projects.energynow+1​

• The Canadian Association of Energy Contractors (CAOEC) projects about 6,604 wells will be drilled in Alberta in 2025, a 7.3% increase compared to 2024.caoec+2​

• Drilling service companies and related jobs have also increased, reflecting sustained or rising levels of business for drilling contractors.boereport+1​

Water Well Drillers Specifically

• Severe drought in recent years and increased rural/off-grid development have driven up demand for new water wells and well repairs.thedriller​

• Many small water well drilling operations have shut down, resulting in fewer available crews and longer wait times for bookings.thedriller​

• Costs for drilling new wells have increased substantially, with some reports noting prices have doubled or tripled over the past decade, making both scheduling and affordability more challenging for landowners.thedriller​

Operational Realities

• Drilling companies report that much of their workforce is self-employed or operates small businesses, making industry capacity sensitive to both labor shortages and equipment costs.alis.alberta+1​

• For Alberta-specific regulatory data, the provincial government and Alberta Energy Regulator maintain up-to-date statistics and daily activity reports on all types of wells drilled, including domestic water wells.open.alberta+1​

In summary, water well drillers in Alberta are very busy, and both demand and costs are at some of the highest levels seen in years. Landowners seeking new or replacement wells should expect longer delays and plan ahead.caoec+2​

1. https://boereport.com/2024/11/29/caoec-releases-their-2024-25-drilling-and-service-rig-forecast-and-2024-state-of-the-industry-report/
2. https://caoec.ca/files/CAOEC%20-%202024%20SOTI%20Report%20WEB.pdf
3. https://www.thedriller.com/articles/93324-the-state-of-water-well-drilling
4. https://energynow.ca/2024/12/oil-and-gas-drilling-activity-to-reach-10-year-high-in-2025-industry-group/
5. https://www.thealbertan.com/beyond-local/oil-and-gas-drilling-activity-to-reach-10-year-high-in-2025-industry-group-9883505
6. https://www.lakelandtoday.ca/bonnyville-news/industry-growth-predicted-for-2025-10005380
7. https://alis.alberta.ca/occinfo/occupations-in-alberta/occupation-profiles/water-well-driller/
8. https://open.alberta.ca/publications/drilling-water-wells-in-alberta
9. https://www.aer.ca/data-and-performance-reports/activity-and-data/lists-and-activities/general-well-data
10. https://www.aer.ca/data-and-performance-reports/industry-performance/water-use-performance/water-use
11. https://static.aer.ca/prd/documents/sts/ST98/2025/Alberta-Energy-Outlook_report.pdf
12. https://boereport.com/2025/09/03/alberta-drilling-opportunity-mannville-stack-lloydminster-area/
13. https://oilgasleads.com/cnrl-drilling-trends-q1-2025-sees-6-increase/
14. https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/274068/Arrow-Announces-Exploration-Well-M5-Results
15. https://www.aer.ca/data-and-performance-reports/statistical-reports/alberta-energy-outlook-st98/crude-oil/crude-oil-well-activity
16. https://groundwater.alberta.ca/waterwells/d/
17. https://economicdashboard.alberta.ca/dashboard/new-wells-drilled/
18. https://www.aer.ca/data-and-performance-reports/industry-performance/water-use-performance
19. https://www.aer.ca/data-and-performance-reports/data-hub/well-status
20. https://www.workbc.ca/career-profiles/water-well-drillers