Whereas the forest industry is critical to the success of the economy of British Columbia; And whereas communities that rely on surface water for drinking and irrigation are concerned about the effect of wildfire, tree harvesting and landslides in all consumptive water sources: Therefore be it resolved that UBCM request the provincial government to form a task force comprised of representatives that include tenure holders, wildfire specialists, biologists, hydrologists, and citizen representatives to consult with local governments to determine their concerns on consumptive watershed management.
Ministry of Forests, Lands, Natural Resource Operations Rural Development The BC Government has several activities underway to address potential concerns about the quality of consumptive water. For each of the three initiatives below, the Government will involve and engage communities. The Ministry of Forests, Lands, Natural Resource Operations and Rural Development has received a new mandate from government to work with First Nations and communities to modernize land-use planning and to sustainably manage BCs ecosystems, rivers, lakes, watersheds, forests and old growth. Work is already underway to determine how the ministry can best deliver on this mandate, and information will be forthcoming on how communities can provide input. The Water Sustainability Act which replaced the former Water Act in 2016 has new ways of aligning land use and water management goals. These include setting out water quality and water quantity objectives that must be considered by anyone who undertakes activities that could have an impact on the provinces water resources. The development of Water Sustainability Plans will help address potential conflicts between water users and environmental objectives. The BC Government is also developing a Water Tool for the Kootenay-Boundary Region. This GIS-based program will support decision-making for water use planning and approvals, and water licence applicants can use it to assist with the application process. Similarly, regional water managers can use the system to support their water allocation decisions.