WHEREAS the provincial government, through the Drinking Water Protection Act, has imposed stringent water quality objectives for local government water purveyors; AND WHEREAS the ability of local governments to achieve the provincial water quality objectives is significantly impaired without the ability to properly manage certain activities within watersheds, such as mineral exploration activities: THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that the provincial government delegate to local government water purveyors the ability to manage and impose mitigation measures for all mineral exploration and forestry activities within their watershed which are likely to adversely affect water quality, specifically by requiring local government approval prior to issuing permits related to mineral explorations and forestry.
MINISTRY OF FORESTS RANGE Rules governing forestry activities in community watersheds: Public forest land in British Columbia is managed for integrated use, which means that land is managed to meet a range of needs, including environmental needs such as biodiversity, and human socio-economic needs, such as natural resources, economic opportunities, recreation and water supply. Community watersheds are designated under the authority of the Forest and Range Practices Act Act. This designation places constraints and limitations on forestry activities, with the aim of protecting water. A water objective instructs forest operators to conserve, at the landscape level, the water quality, fish habitat, wildlife habitat and biodiversity in riparian areas. The Act regulations also contain a water quality objective, which applies to community watersheds that dont already have their own legal water quality objectives. This objective specifically requires operators to take precautions for water being diverted for human consumption. That is, forest activities must not negatively impact the quantity or timing of water flow. Under the Act, forestry operators must not cause material harmful to human health be to deposited or transported in water being used for human consumption. As well, all forestry operations must be kept away from creeks, streams and lakes. In order to protect riparian areas, the regulations set out the minimum distances that operations may come to streams. These reserve zones may extend as far as 50 metres, depending on the water body. As well, the rules require that some of these reserve zones be protected by buffer zones, where a proportion of trees are left standing. These streamside management areas, in total, extend from 20 to as much as 100 metres of the water body, depending on the size of the stream, whether it contains fish, and the surrounding site. The Act also places constraints on road building with the aim of protecting water. For example, road construction must prevent the entry of sediment into streams, lakes or wetlands if their water is being diverted for human consumption. In addition, roads cannot interfere with subsurface flow if it contributes to a spring that is being used as source water for a licensed waterworks. Regulations also prevent the use of fertilizers for reforestation or other silvicultural treatments near water sources in community watersheds. Forest Stewardship Plans are required and these plans must be made available for public review and comment. Plans must be prepared under the authority of a professional forester, an independent professional governed by the Foresters Act. Other professionals who may be involved in the preparation of plans include engineers, geoscientists, biologists and agrologists. All these professions are regulated by associations that ensure the public is protected by enforcing accountability of their members. Government monitors forestry activities to ensure their compliance with rules and regulations. Every year, compliance and enforcement staff with the Ministry of Forests and Range Ministry conduct over 16,000 inspections to ensure protection of natural resources and Crown interests. For more details on the review and comment process, see the brochure: Be Heard: Get Involved in Forest Stewardship Plan Review on the Ministrys website at www.for.gov.bc.cacodetrainingfrpaFSPbrochure.pdf. The Forest and Range Evaluation Program has been established to monitor and evaluate the result of forest practices and range on forest values named under the Act, including water quality. Its first report on water quality is expected in 2008, with data collection occurring this summer.