On Groundwater Licensing

By Marta Green

Since fall 2015, I have been presenting to clients and at conferences on the new BC Water Sustainability Act. On February 29, 2016, six of the regulations associated with the Act came into force, bringing the Act itself into force.

One of the cornerstones of the new Act and its regulations is the regulation and licensing of groundwater.  The regulations make a clear distinction between an Existing User and a New User. An Existing User is a well owner who was using groundwater on or before February 29, 2016, the date the Act came into effect.  A New User is all others, that is all those who begin to use groundwater after February 29, 2016.  The regulations also make reference to a 3-year transition period which is in effect between February 29, 2016 and March 1, 2019, during which “transitional” rules apply.

To assist Existing and New Users in interpreting the transition period rules regarding the licence application process, I have prepared the following table (and had it reviewed by provincial government hydrogeologists).

Tasks related to a Water Licence Application for Groundwater Use between February 29, 2016 and March 1, 2019 (i.e. during the Transition Period)

Water licence applications are made through Front Counter BC.  Only on-line applications are being processed:  Click on “existing” if you used groundwater on or before Feb 29, 2016, and click on “new” if you are planning on using a new water well supply, or have drilled a well after Feb 29, 2016 on the following link http://www.frontcounterbc.ca/Start/ground-water/ .

More information can be found if you google Water Licence BC.

Editor's note: The new BC-WSA requires that any golf course using water wells for irrigation or commercial use is required to license their wells under the WSA.  If wells are licensed before March 2017, the Ministry will waive the application fee which can range from $1000-$10,000 per license.  This could mean a substantial savings depending on the number of wells and volumes used.

About the author:
Marta Green, PGeo, spoke at the 2016 WCTA Conference in Whistler, BC.  She is a Senior Hydrogeologist at Associated Environmental Consultants Inc. in Vernon, BC. Marta has been active with the development of the Water Sustainability Act as a regional director with BCGWA, and has provided advice to irrigators and other water suppliers on the WSA and its regulations.  Marta can be reached at 250-545-3672 or greenm@ae.ca