Water Policy in British Columbia

Abstract

British Columbia is Canada’s third-largest province, with most people located in the lower mainland and the city of Greater Victoria. British Columbia has abundant natural resources and good water quality in some areas that rank among the highest in the world. However, the current laws and regulations could be strengthened to promote resource conservation without discouraging business growth. The water allocation principle of first in time, first in right results in an over-allocation of water rights regardless of changing water inventories, and changing inflows and recharge rates for aquifers. The government of British Columbia has now passed the Water Sustainability Act of 2014, which will come into force in 2015. The purpose of this chapter is to assess the progress that British Columbia has made in water management. We show that cattle farming, mining, oil and gas, as well as the forestry and logging industries pose potential hazards to water quality in British Columbia.