Water planning and strategies

Planning for water use can have a major impact on the health of the humans, plants and animals that call B.C. home, as well as affecting our economy, energy production, recreation and irrigation.

The Water Sustainability Act (WSA) significantly reformed water management when it came into effect in 2016. It introduced groundwater licensing and new area-based tools, such as Water Sustainability Plans (WSP) and WSA Objectives, to support watershed planning, regional water management and watershed governance.

In addition to the WSA, a number of other initiatives use plans to protect aquatic ecosystems when developing communities and allocating water for use in agriculture, industry and energy production.

Conservation is encouraged among high volume water users as well as individuals. Working together, we can protect water sources, manage water demands, modernize water systems and infrastructure, and live water smart.

Water use planning

Water use plans were developed to protect aquatic ecosystems and fish stocks at water control structures (hydroelectric dams). Twenty-three of BC Hydro's facilities have water use plans in place, and a joint water use plan for Capilano and Seymour watersheds is in development by Metro Vancouver.

Water allocation plans exist for specific streams within the Southern Interior and Vancouver Island regions. A water allocation plan reviews how much water is available in the stream, considering the environmental flow requirements for fish and the existing and potential demands for water licences or use approvals.

WSA area-based tools

Water objectives

WSA Objectives are enabled under WSA s. 43. They are an area-based planning tool that can promote positive outcomes for water and communities across a range of land and water planning and decision processes. They can be established to sustain water quality and quantity for specified uses of water and to sustain aquatic ecosystems. WSA Objectives would be considered by decision makers for a variety of decisions and statutes.

The WSA Objectives Interim Policy (PDF, 379KB) describes the Province’s approach to developing WSA Objectives under WSA s. 43.

The WSA Objectives Technical Guidance (PDF, 863KB) document provides technical guidance to support the WSA Objectives development process as described in the WSA Objectives Interim Policy.

Current WSA Objectives:

• No WSA Objectives are currently in effect

Water sustainability plans

Water Sustainability Plans (WSPs) are enabled under WSA ss. 64-85. They are initiated by ministerial order and can provide for extensive change in how a watershed is managed. A planning area can include both public and private land.

WSPs can be developed to address conflict between users, between the needs of users and environmental flow needs, risks to water quality or to aquatic ecosystem health, or to identify restoration measures in relation to a damaged aquatic ecosystem. Both WSA Objectives and WSPs enable a whole of watershed management approach.

WSPs can include regulations that apply to all of part of the plan area. These plan regulations are described in WSA ss. 76-85.

Current WSPs:

• No WSPs are currently in effect
• No WSP plan regulations are currently in effect
• One area has been designated for the purposes of a WSP under Ministerial Order No. M8 (2022)

Drought response

The B.C. Government has collaborated with Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada to complete a B.C. Drought Response Plan. The plan builds on existing tools and outlines the actions taken before, during and immediately following a drought to reduce the impacts of drought.

Water management agreements

Managing water resources in British Columbia often requires that we make water management agreements with other provinces, territories and states.

Northeast water strategy

Wetlands in B.C.

Approximately 5% of the land in B.C. is wetland that provides critical habitat for fish, birds and other wildlife, in addition to filling an important role in recharging surface water and groundwater supplies. A comprehensive approach to conservation and management can help to reduce the loss of wetlands. Read more about wetlands in B.C.