MARCH 2019 • COUNTRY LIFE IN BC


Well registrations lag in advance of


final deadline Province issues last-ditch plea at Pacific Agriculture Show


by DAVID SCHMIDT


ABBOTSFORD – Thousands of BC farmers and ranchers could lose their FITFIR (first- in-time, first-in-right) water rights in March if they did not start the process of registering their wells before the end of February. When BC’s new Water


Stewardship Act was proclaimed on March 16, 2016, it required the licensing of all wells not used for domestic water consumption. All users had to start paying for water usage, including for irrigation and/or livestock watering. BC Ministry of Forests, Lands, Natural Resource Operations and Rural Development estimated the number of existing wells across BC at 20,000. The government gave


owners of existing wells a year to register their wells at no cost and promised them priority status on water rights depending on when their wells were first used. When that failed to elicit much of a response, the application fee waiver and registration deadline were extended to December 31, 2017, and then to February 28, 2019. As of mid-February, there was no indication the government is prepared to extend the deadline any


further. As it has so far received only a few thousand applications, it is possible many existing well-owners could not only lose their FITFIR rights but lose the complete use of a well until after the well is licensed.


Final warning Greg Tyson of the BC


Ministry of Environment and Climate Change Strategy made a last ditch attempt to convince well owners to start the registration application process during the Pacific Agriculture Show in Abbotsford, January 25. He admitted approvals have been taking up to a year or more but insisted that is no reason not to apply. “Get your application in


even if it isn’t complete,” Tyson said.


He noted that as long as an


owner applied to register a well before the February 28 deadline, it can continue to be used while the application is processed. However, the owners will have to pay for water used since March 16, 2016 ($50 plus 85¢/1,000 cubic metres). After the deadline passes, existing well owners must apply as “new users” and pay an application fee of between $250 and $1,000. New users may not


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IT’S A DRAW! BC agriculture minister Lana Popham was among the first to enter the 4-H BC Gator Lottery, launched during the Pacific Agriculture Show on January 24 by fund development coordinator Belinda Field, centre, and 4-H BC manager Aleda Welch. Tickets are available from 4-H members province-wide and the winners of two John Deere 4x4 Gators donated by PrairieCoast Equipment will be drawn on June 8. RONDA PAYNE PHOTO


construct a new well until receiving a licence. Since existing users who miss the deadline are considered new users, technically they may not use the existing well until it receives a licence. As new users, their FITFIR rights will be based on when they receive their licence rather than when the well


was first used. In times of water scarcity, that could create a real issue as demand already meets or even exceeds the capacity of some water sources. “If there is not enough


water, we can enforce FITFIR,” Tyson said, adding that in the case of an environmental issue, “the minister can


declare a water shortage and the ecosystem gets the first priority. The minister’s order to protect fish supercedes even FITFIR.” Tyson admits some users


have held off registering their wells to avoid paying water usage fees, as new users only have to pay for water usage once licences are granted.


GROUNDWATER LICENSING SERVICES


Under the Water Sustainability Act, ALL groundwater wells used for any purpose other than single family household domestic use require a licence.


Apply now to secure your water rights and priority date! Need help submitting the application? Ask us!


1-844-585-0802 (Toll Free) 250-585-0802 (Direct) wsa@waterlineresources.com www.waterlineresources.com


Lower Mainland, Vancouver Island, Okanagan, & the Cariboo


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