Editor, The Times:
I would like to respond to Ben Parfitt’s recent comments on our government’s efforts to modernize the Water Act (“It’s time to modernize B.C.’s Water Act,” June 27 issue).
I have been given a mandate by the Premier to preserve British Columbia’s leadership in our fight against climate change and to protect our natural environment. In particular, I have been tasked to consult on the proposed new Water Sustainability Act in 2013 with the intention of passing this legislation in 2014.
The new act will update and replace the existing Water Act, respond to current and future pressures on water, and position B.C. as a leader in water stewardship. To date, the B.C. government has engaged widely, and received suggestions and ideas on an unprecedented scale and quality with more than 2,250 written submissions from individual citizens, First Nations organizations and stakeholder groups, and more than 50,000 visits to the Living Water Smart blog and website (www.livingwatersmart.ca/water-act). Further engagement is planned for later this year.
Since 2011, the B.C. government has been working on the detailed legislative proposals and assessing implications. Government continues to refine the legislative proposals, seek to better understand sector concerns and work out the details of implementing the new act.
Government recognizes that measurement and reporting are essential to meeting the emerging challenges of water stewardship in B.C. Currently, oil and gas operators are required to report on water use on a quarterly basis to the BC Oil and Gas Commission. Local authorities such as municipalities and irrigation districts are required to report annually on water use to the provincial Comptroller of Water Rights. For other water users, individual water license documents specify the maximum volume of water that may be used.
Improved measurement and reporting of water use is a key feature of the proposed new act.
The complexity of this legislation and its widespread implications must be taken into consideration, which is why our government plans to introduce it into the legislature in 2014.
Mary Polak
Minister of Environment
