To drill core wells in the Lower Grand River watershed, southern Ontario

The Geological Survey of Canada under Natural Resources Canada is inviting bids to conduct hydrogeological characterization in the lower Grand River watershed of southern Ontario, covering approximately 2000 square kilometers. The project involves drilling core holes at a minimum of four sites, with the potential to expand to seven, to assess groundwater flow patterns and the presence of contaminants in both surficial sediments and bedrock. Each site will be developed into an environmental monitoring well, either as a combination of a PQ overburden core hole and an HQ bedrock core well, or as a single HQ bedrock core well. Drilling depths are targeted at approximately 50 meters, with the possibility of extending two wells to 65 meters if budget permits. The primary objectives include characterizing subsurface geology and collecting groundwater samples to evaluate water quality and geological conditions. All drilling activities are scheduled to commence in the third week of September 2026, with the exact number of boreholes and final depths subject to field findings and financial constraints. The solicitation, identified as NRCan-5000094817, was posted on June 30, 2026, with responses due by August 10, 2026. The contract is issued by the federal government under the Department of Natural Resources, with contracting authority held by Len Pizzi at the Ottawa office. All performance work is to be carried out in the Lower Grand River watershed region, and there is no set-aside designation specified. Prospective bidders must align their proposals with the technical and logistical requirements outlined, including the field-adaptive nature of site selection and well configuration. The contract represents a critical effort to improve understanding of regional groundwater systems under the influence of natural and human-induced contaminants, supporting long-term water resource management in the area.