B.C.s new W ater Sustainability Act Coastal Water Suppliers - - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

▶
b c s new w ater sustainability act
SMART_READER_LITE
LIVE PREVIEW

B.C.s new W ater Sustainability Act Coastal Water Suppliers - - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

Jun 21, 2023 354 likes •709 views

Changing Waters: B.C.s new W ater Sustainability Act Coastal Water Suppliers Association April 3, 2014 Ian Graeme, RPF Water Protection and Sustainability Branch Ministry of Environment livingwatersmart@gov.bc.ca 1 Science and policy

slide-1
SLIDE 1

1

Changing Waters: B.C.’s new Water Sustainability Act

Coastal Water Suppliers Association

April 3, 2014 Ian Graeme, RPF Water Protection and Sustainability Branch Ministry of Environment

livingwatersmart@gov.bc.ca

slide-2
SLIDE 2

2

Science and policy

Water Sustainability Act

slide-3
SLIDE 3

Clean and abundant water is essential

  • Public health and well-being
  • Thriving communities, a growing

population

  • Healthy ecosystems and fish

populations

  • Food production and nutrition
  • Strong diverse economy
slide-4
SLIDE 4

A long history of regulating surface water

25,000 15,000 5,000 1,600 2,600 1,100 110 2,050

Number of Water Licences (Surface Water)

Domestic Irrigation industrial Waterworks Storage (non-power) Waterpower Storage (water power) Other Number of licences rounded for presentation

4

slide-5
SLIDE 5

Our water is under pressure

  • Naturally flow

sensitive areas

  • Population growth

and urbanization

  • Climate change
  • Existing Water allocation

restrictions

  • Competing demands

5

slide-6
SLIDE 6

A central piece of the legislative framework for water

6

slide-7
SLIDE 7

Public Engagement Process

7

Stage 1 – 2009/2010 Stage 2 – 2011/2012 Stage 3 – Fall 2013

  • Launched Website

and Blog

  • Discussion Paper
  • Regional

Workshops

  • Report on

Engagement

  • Released Policy

Paper

  • Analysis of Public

Input

  • Re-launch Blog

and website

  • Released WSA

Legislative Proposal

  • Overview

Document

  • Bilateral meetings

All documents & submissions available at: http://engage.gov.bc.ca/watersustainabilityact/

slide-8
SLIDE 8

8

Business/industry Local Gov’t Academia Other Partnerships Professional NGO Agriculture

Citizens First Nations

  • rganizations

Stakeholder groups

  • 3150 written submissions
  • 13,000 visits to blog/website
  • Bilateral meetings, presentations

Engaging British Columbians

Legislative Proposal (October 2014)

slide-9
SLIDE 9

9

  • Support groundwater regulation
  • Consideration of Environmental Flow Needs

should not be discretionary

  • Systematic approach to addressing demand

during times of scarcity

  • Respect First Nations relationship with water
  • Area-based tools needed
  • Water is undervalued; fees and rentals should be

reviewed

  • Resources to implement

Some of what we’ve heard

slide-10
SLIDE 10

Seven water policy areas

  • 1. Protect Stream Health and

Aquatic Environments

  • 2. Consider Water in Land Use

Decisions

  • 3. Regulate Groundwater Use
  • 4. Regulate During Scarcity
  • 5. Improve Security, Water Use

Efficiency, Conservation

  • 6. Measure and Report
  • 7. Enable a Range of Governance

Approaches

10

slide-11
SLIDE 11
  • 1. Protect stream health

and aquatic environments

  • Consider environmental flow needs

in new water allocation decisions

  • For existing licences, allow temporary

restrictions to protect critical environmental flow needs

  • Expand prohibitions on dumping

debris into streams and aquifers

11

slide-12
SLIDE 12
  • 2. Considering water in

land use decisions

  • Consider water objectives in

resource and land use decisions

  • Develop water sustainability

plans

12

slide-13
SLIDE 13
  • 3. Regulate and

protect groundwater use

  • Manage surface and

groundwater as single resource

  • Most uses will be licensed; fees

and annual rentals

  • Domestic uses excluded
  • Date of first use would guide

priority date

  • Improve understanding of

aquifers

13

slide-14
SLIDE 14

Under Water Act: Surface and non- domestic ground water licensed

Surface Water User

  • Licence
  • Application fee and

annual rental

  • Water right
  • Certainty of access to

water for my use

  • Rules apply during

scarcity

Surface Water user Licence Required Yes Application fee and Annual Rentals Yes Water right Yes Improved security from water right Yes May be regulated during scarcity Yes

14

slide-15
SLIDE 15

Under new WSA: Surface and non- domestic ground water licensed

Surface Water User

  • Licence
  • Application fee and

annual rental

  • Water right
  • Certainty of access to

water for my use

  • Rules apply during

scarcity Ground Water User

  • No licence
  • No application fee and

annual rental

  • No water right
  • No certainty of access

to water for my use

  • No rules during scarcity

Surface Water user Ground Water user (non-domestic) Licence Required Yes Yes Application fee and Annual Rentals Yes Yes Water right Yes Yes Improved security from water right Yes Yes May be regulated during scarcity Yes Yes

15

slide-16
SLIDE 16

Domestic groundwater use exempted from licensing

80,000 15,000 3,100

Domestic wells (exempt from licensing) Small-medium, non-domestic (<250 m3/day) Large, non- domestic (>250 m3/day)

16

slide-17
SLIDE 17
  • 4. Regulating water use during scarcity
  • All users could be regulated

during scarcity – including groundwater

  • Retain FITFIR with exceptions
  • Ensure water supply for essential

human and livestock needs

  • Allow temporary restrictions to

protect critical environmental flows

  • Retain Section 9 of Fish

Protection Act

17

slide-18
SLIDE 18

18

  • S. 1 - Definitions

"environmental flow needs", in relation to a stream, means the volume and timing of water flow required for the proper functioning of the aquatic ecosystem of the stream; (see S. 15) "critical environmental flow threshold", in relation to the flow of water in a stream, means the volume of water flow below which significant or irreversible harm to the aquatic ecosystem of the stream is likely to occur;

slide-19
SLIDE 19
  • 5. Improving security, water use

efficiency and conservation

  • Expand beneficial use

requirement

  • Set water conservation targets

and carry out audits

  • Make water licences reviewable
  • Allow area-based regulation for

specific regions

  • Enable creation of agricultural

water reserves

19

slide-20
SLIDE 20
  • 6. Measuring and reporting water use
  • Require large volume users to

measure, record and report water use

  • Smaller volume users to measure

in specific circumstances under “area-based” regulations

  • WSA would not require

mandatory meters in households

20

slide-21
SLIDE 21
  • 7. Enable a range of

governance approaches

  • Increase flexibility in governance

arrangements to better suit local needs

  • Allow for delegation of some activities or

decisions to agencies outside of government

  • Support the creation of advisory groups
  • Clear and consistent provincial framework

21

slide-22
SLIDE 22

Key implications for users

  • Fees/rentals for licensed

groundwater use

  • Requirements for measuring and

reporting

  • Potential for more regulation to

protect environmental flow needs

22

slide-23
SLIDE 23

Bill stages

23

BILL introduced to House at first reading (March 11) Second reading of BILL COMMITTEE Third reading of BILL ROYAL ASSENT

slide-24
SLIDE 24

Next steps

2014/15:

  • Continue delivery in accordance with current Water Act

and regulations

  • Review and update regulation on water fees and rentals
  • Draft WSA supporting regulations and policies
  • Draft WSA Amendments if and as required
  • IM/IT system(s) to support groundwater licensing

2015:

  • Target for WSA and key regulations coming into force

24

slide-25
SLIDE 25
slide-26
SLIDE 26

How Much is 1000 cubic metres?

  • 1,000,000 litres
  • 50,000 five-gallon jugs
  • Enough for 15,000 showers
  • Fills a 25 metre swimming pool
slide-27
SLIDE 27

Annual licensed volume and revenue

  • item one
slide-28
SLIDE 28

Principles to inform water pricing

  • Simplicity
  • Fairness and equity
  • Implications for water users
  • Impact on water resource
  • Cost recovery
  • Efficiency
  • Food security and public health
slide-29
SLIDE 29
  • item one

Process for water pricing review

slide-30
SLIDE 30

Website: http://engage.gov.bc.ca/watersustainabilityact/ Email: livingwatersmart@gov.bc.ca

Thank you!

slide-31
SLIDE 31

31

slide-32
SLIDE 32

32

slide-33
SLIDE 33

Local government comments ...

  • Groundwater regulation and protection of stream health
  • Streamlining planning and decision-making processes
  • Shared responsibility and decision-making
  • Varying support for governance changes
  • Concerns around fees for groundwater use
  • Priority use during times of scarcity
  • Resources to implement
slide-34
SLIDE 34

34

Stage 1 – 2009/2010 Stage 2 – 2011/2012 Stage 3 – Fall 2013

  • Launched

Website and Blog

  • Discussion Paper
  • Regional

Workshops

  • Report on

Engagement

  • Released Policy

Paper

  • Analysis of Public

Input

  • Re-launch Blog

and website

  • Released WSA

Legislative Proposal

  • Overview

Document

  • Bilateral

meetings

Engagement process

All documents & submissions available at: http://engage.gov.bc.ca/watersustainabilityact/

slide-35
SLIDE 35

35

  • Support groundwater regulation
  • Consideration of Environmental Flow Needs

should not be discretionary

  • Systematic approach to addressing demand

during times of scarcity

  • Respect First Nations relationship with water
  • Area-based tools needed
  • Water is undervalued. Fees and rentals should be

reviewed

Some of what we’ve heard