Water Plans

To develop sustainable communities, we must plan with water in mind. By incorporating water considerations into existing planning processes we can create sustainable, healthy and prepared communities. Below are a number of existing plans the B.C. government requires now but in the future will need to do a better job of keeping water in mind.

While there are specific types of water plans, water supply or quality considerations need to be integrated into planning processes and outcomes in Official Community Plans (OCP) and Regional Growth Strategies (RGS).

• Official community plans are developed by municipalities to provide a vision for how the community will grow and what outcomes are important to the community. They are statements of objectives and policies to guide decisions on planning and land use management. For example development permit areas at the site level; efficient and sustainable infrastructure; and avoiding development avoids damage to water systems.
• Regional growth strategies are developed and adopted by municipalities and regional districts working together to ensure human settlements are environmentally, socially, and economically healthy.

The B.C. provincial government also completes Land and Resource Management Plans (LRMPs)

• Land and resource management plans are sub-regional integrated resource plans developed by a broad range of stakeholders that seek to create a vision for use and management of public provincial lands and resources.

Sustainable Resource Management Plans (SRMPs)

• A comprehensive, flexible, and efficient model for planning of provincial Crown land that supports economic development, ecosystem management and watershed planning. An example is The Trepanier Creek Watershed Plan.

Water Management Plans (WMPs):

In B.C., a water management plan can be legally binding or non-legally binding depending on the process.

• Water Management Plans (WMPs) are legally binding plans developed under Part 4 of The Water Act. An example is The Township of Langley Water Management Plan that is currently being developed.
• Other water management plans that are locally initiated endeavours such as the Cowichan Basin Water Management Plan.

Drinking Water Protection Plans

• Drinking Water Protection Plans can be created under the Drinking Water Protection Act and they are legally binding. Currently none of these plans have been developed.

Other examples of water plans in B.C. include:

• Water Allocation Plans (WAP) are technical plans developed by the provincial government to assist with making water licensing decisions. Vancouver Island is currently the only place in the province where a WAP has been developed.
  • BC Hydro Water Use Plans are plans developed for BC Hydro’s water control structures i.e. facilities.

The Water Act’s water management planning process (Part 4) references three issues that a plan can deal with:

1. Conflicts between users;
2. Conflicts between users and instream flow needs; and,
3. Risks to water quality.