Message from the B.C. Government

B.C.’s growing communities, economic growth, healthy food, clean energy and our beautiful environment need a plentiful amount of clean water. As a finite resource, water’s limits must be recognized, meaning that the days of taking our “unlimited” supply of water for granted have passed.

We have to carefully manage our water to ensure this precious resource is available for everyone. Living Water Smart – B.C.’s Water Plan is government’s vision and commitment to ensuring that our water stays healthy and secure for future generations.

Everyone can be part of the solution. Together we need to challenge ourselves to think about the steps we can take daily to protect our water today and for tomorrow.

B.C.’s water is essential to our quality of life. Impacts of climate change, our growing population and booming economy means that we need a different approach to water management.

Living Water Smart provides government’s vision for sustainable water stewardship. This vision will be achieved through actions and targets that include:

• Keeping water in mind when we develop our communities, protecting sources of drinking water and strengthening flood protection to adapt to climate change.
• Ensuring wetlands and waterways will be protected and rehabilitated and land activities will not negatively impact our water.
• Modernizing B.C.’s Water Laws to ensure adequate stream flows, ecosystem health, more community involvement, and protection of groundwater.
• Setting strong water efficiency targets and working with all sectors to reduce water consumption.
• Improving science and information so British Columbians can better prepare for the impacts of climate change.

It will take a collective effort to make this vision a reality. We must all work together to protect water sources, manage water demands, modernize water systems and infrastructure, and live water smart.