British Columbians now have a chance to comment on their future water security.
Four papers outlining proposed new policies under the Water Sustainability Act (WSA) are currently available for public comment.
The province proposes to include these policies in new regulations under the WSA, which will come into force in 2016, and then government will begin work on the remaining components required to fully implement the act.
New policies
• The regulations and operational policies will address groundwater licensing and protection; dam safety; and compliance and enforcement.
• They will contain much of the detail related to implementation of the WSA.
• They are also intended to provide water users with greater certainty regarding their water rights, and establish clear rules about managing water during times of scarcity.
• The policies will provide new tools to help ensure water stays healthy and secure for future generations, and allow government to manage surface water and groundwater as one resource.
• In this phase, comments on these four papers will be accepted until Sept. 8 at http://engage.gov.bc.ca/watersustainabilityact.
The new WSA was passed in May 2014, after more than four years of public engagement. Government is taking a phased approach to the development of policies and regulations due to the complexity of the new act and the number of proposed regulations.
