Special Investigation – SIR/40
April 2014

RECOMMENDATIONS

1. Strengthening FRPA’s requirements for the protection of drinking water. Government should undertake a review of FRPA’s requirements for the protection of drinking water generally, and in community watersheds specifically. The review should include:

• revising government’s objective for community watersheds with the intent of emphasizing the importance of source water protection;
• revising the water quality practice requirement, in all applicable FRPA regulations, to address the inherent risk to human health associated with sediment;
• clarifying the meaning and scope of cumulative hydrological effects including whether the assessment and management of these effects is appropriate within the confines of FRPA or should be implemented under a different process; and
• examining the appropriate use of specific water quality objectives under the Government Actions Regulation and provisions under the Drinking Water Protection Act, where watershed condition is at risk.

2. Strengthening the content and approval of forest stewardship plans. Government should provide clear direction to delegated decision-makers that ensures results and strategies in FSPs pertaining to the community watershed objective are measurable or verifiable.

3. Ensuring the content of professional assessments is meaningful. The Association of BC Forest Professionals and the Association of Professional Engineers and Geoscientists of BC should develop guidance for their members on the appropriate content of a watershed or hydrological assessment. This should include:

• the elements necessary to address government’s objective for community watersheds, including where the surface water source has changed to a groundwater source;
• procedures for considering cumulative hydrological effects at the watershed scale;
• integration of the needs of licensed waterworks; and
• examples of recommendations providing clear direction for implementation.

4. Monitoring the protection of drinking water. Government should expand its monitoring of the effectiveness of forest and range practices in protecting water quality to include water used for drinking both within and outside of community watersheds.

5. Updating the status of community watersheds. Government should undertake a comprehensive review of the status of community watersheds and determine which watersheds warrant designation and require special management.

Responses to Recommendations – Government

Responses to Recommendations – APEGBC and ABCFP