WHEREAS a number of resolutions have been endorsed by the Union of British Columbia Municipalities over the years requesting that the Province acknowledge and correct the anomaly that regional districts have an obligation to provide potable water and yet do not have the authority to determine what activities can take place within their watersheds; AND WHEREAS no action has been taken by the Province to provide regional districts with such authority: THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that the Union of British Columbia Municipalities urge the Province to provide regional districts with greater authority to determine what activities take place in their watersheds.
Ministry of Community Development The Province has made a commitment to ensure potable and secure water supplies, for both human consumption and ecosystem sustainability. This strategic direction is reflected in the Action Plan for Safe Drinking Water 2002; the Speech from the Throne September, 2005; and, most recently, the Living WaterSmart Plan 2008. Legislative support for this direction can be found in the Drinking Water Protection Act and the Water Act. At this time, the Province has a general policy of integrated resource management in its watersheds and while regional districts do not have direct control over all activities in their watersheds, Provincial legislation and programs include a number of provisions that could enable local governments to exercise more control over those areas. They are as follows: The Drinking Water Protection Act enables the establishment of drinking water protection plans. These plans are intended for only those situations where there is no other process by which a threat to drinking water, which may result in a drinking water health hazard, can be addressed, i.e., parties cannot come to an agreement. Discussions are underway for initiating such a plan in the Comox Valley Regional District. The Water Act enables the establishment of a water management plan, which is intended to address conflicts between water users, water quality issues, andor groundwater issues. A water management plan is underway in Langley. Both the drinking water protection plan and water management plan and legislated planning processes which may have an impact on permits, authorizations and decisions at both the provincial and local levels. However, while a drinking water protection plan may supersede the Forest and Range Practices Act, a water management plan may not. An alternative to a legislated drinking water protection plan is a form of water management plan that includes affected parties, including industry, and addresses issues that have the potential to affect community drinking water supplies. A number of such plans have been initiated by local government in cooperation with the provincial government around the province, e.g., the Trepanier Water Management Plan. A draft Provincial Memorandum of Understanding has also been prepared that specifies the development of regional protocols to ensure that different agencies, including local government, communicate with one another concerning decisions that may affect community water supplies. The Vancouver Island Watershed Protection Steering Committee, comprising representatives from government agencies and local government, is consistent with the intent of the regional protocols, and is an example of parties working in an integrated and collaborative manner to address activities inside and outside local government jurisdiction that may affect drinking water. Community forests are another option for local governments to consider. This form of tenure is intended to provide opportunities for community management of Crown forest land. They are opportunity for communities, supporting management options for recreation, wildlife and watersheds. Harvesting operations can also provide a source of revenue, supporting local priorities, while harvest rates and exact locations within the tenure can be set to meet locally determined objectives and interests. Finally, while source water protection has received a great deal of attention in the past, it is only one element in the multi-barrier approach. All aspects of the multi-barrier approach, including treatment, should be considered when examining the best options for ensuring potable water for communities.