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Water Policy and Legislation
Groundwater Protection Regulation
On November 1, 2004, a new regulation that affects all private well owners in B.C. came into force to improve the safety and quality of British Columbia’s groundwater resources. The Ground Water Protection Regulation (GWPR) establishes standards to protect groundwater supplies by requiring all water wells in British Columbia to be properly constructed, maintained, and, at the end of their service, properly deactivated and ultimately closed.
The regulations also requires that certain types of work related to groundwater and wells need to be performed by qualified driller (PDF) and pump installers (PDF) to safeguard well water resources and prevent situations where ground water may be adversely affected. View the list of qualified drillers and pump installers who are registered with the province of B.C.
For information on the new GWPR and its impact on private wells (in plain language), view B.C.'s Ground Water Protection Regulation — What Private Well Owners Should Know (PDF)
Water Act
All water in British Columbia is owned by the Crown on behalf of the residents of the Province. Although the Water Act has conventionally only focused on surface water resources, the new GWPR (Part 5) have extended more protection to groundwater. In November 2004, water management plan provisions under Part 4 of the Water Act also came into effect. Approved plans have broad powers to assist communities in resolving conflicts between users, risks to water quality and conflicts between water users and in-stream requirements and are legally enforceable.
Drinking Water Protection Act
The Drinking Water Protection Act was enacted in 2001 and brought into force in 2003. It primarily focuses on public health and end of the tap water quality, but may provide a useful tool for source protection, such as sensitive groundwater areas. The DWPA contains provisions for preventing contamination of drinking water supplies and identifying potential risks and appropriate water quality improvements. It is administered by the Health Authorities via Drinking Water Officers. The Act regulates water supply systems, but does not cover private wells servicing a single residence. The Act does not provide strong measures for protecting groundwater per se, especially quantity. It does allow a local authority or water supplier to request that a drinking water protection plan be undertaken to prevent a drinking water health hazard where no other practical measures are available under the Act.
Health Act
The BC Health Act requires that septic systems and other potential sources of contamination are located at least 30 metres away from a drinking water well or watercourse, and that landowners believed to have caused a health hazard, cease activities causing the hazard.
Environmental Management Act
The BC Environmental Management Act was brought into force on July 8, 2004. The Act replaces the old Waste Management Act and the Environment Management Act and brings provisions from both of those acts into one statute. Under this statute, the Province can require environmental assesssments on contaminated sites.
Environmental Assessment Act
The BC Environmental Asssessment Act requires an environmental assessment to be conducted for a well or a well field extracting 75 L/s or more of groundwater.