Surface Water Allocation in British Columbia
An analysis of water allocation by sector has been conducted for approximately 44,000 water surface water licences issued in British Columbia. As each licence may authorize up to three purposes, there are roughly 49,000 allocations considered in this analysis These 49,000 allocations are distributed in a sector breakdown of licensed surface water use. The following pages and graphs illuminate:
Volume by Purpose [pdf]
- Total amount of surface water authorized to be used annually in British Columbia (including waterpower)
- Surface water allocation by sector (excluding waterpower)
Consumptive and Non-consumptive Use [pdf]
- Surface water allocation by consumptive use by sector (i.e., water that is withdrawn from water body, used, and not returned e.g., irrigation)
- Surface water allocation for non-consumptive use by sector (i.e. water that is used from a water body and returned e.g. treated sewage/wastewater)
A couple of caveats to remember:
These figures should only be considered as estimates; despite the fact that most water licences specify the amount of water which is authorized to be diverted, used or storage, several hundred licences (e.g. for river improvement or habitat conservation purposes) have been issued for the 'total flow' of a water source - without a volume rate.
This summary does not include authorization under short-term water use approval, which can result for significant water withdrawals.
For example, water use approvals may be issued for a variety of purposes, including: road construction and maintenance; placer mining for exploration; and oil field injection and pressure testing supporting the oil and gas industry.
These estimates have been prepared for a provincial overview and do not provide break down by regions.
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