Canadians are among the world’s top water guzzlers, with each person using enough water, on average, to fill almost 13,000 bathtubs each year, and pay little for the privilege. For example, in B.C., oil and gas companies pay pennies on the dollar compared to regular users for their water usage.

But just how healthy are the lakes, rivers, and streams in B.C. that supply us with drinking water and H2O for industrial uses such as fracking?

No one really knows, according to a report recently released by the Real Estate Foundation of B.C.

The foundation aimed to paint a picture of how B.C.’s freshwater ecosystems are faring against a range of threats, including pollution, climate change, agricultural runoff, and oil and gas development.

Instead, researchers were thwarted by a dearth of critical data, said Real Estate Foundation CEO Jack Wong.

“The data was unavailable, out of date or hard to access,” Wong told DeSmog Canada. “We need good data to make good decisions. How do you respond to threats if you don’t have proper data?”

The foundation’s 44-page report, Murky Waters, said the combined effects from agriculture, forestry, fracking and mining activities have shaken public confidence in the health of B.C.’s freshwater ecosystems, widely regarded (according to the foundation’s survey results) as the province’s “most precious resource.”

It cited the 2014 environmental disaster at Imperial Metal’s Mount Polley mine — where a massive tailings pond impounding toxic wastewater failed, resulting an uncontrolled spill of sludge and mine waste into nearby waterways — as one example.

“With so much stress, it is essential to have sufficient and accessible water health data to indicate the extent of damage these threats are causing,” said the report, which comes as worldwide concerns about freshwater scarcity and pollution heighten.

Oliver Brandes, co-director of the University of Victoria’s POLIS Project on Ecological Governance, said the historic abundance of fresh water in B.C. has created a sense of complacency.

“We all know that water is critically important, but water has not been front of mind for most people.”

The double whammy of climate change and expanding industrial development, in tandem with other threats, means “water is just more important now,” said Brandes, an advisor and early reviewer for the Murky Waters report.

“This report further underscores that we need to revitalize our water agenda, but that we don’t know enough to manage it really well. This is yet another symptom of the conundrum.”

Almost 90 per cent of British Columbians favour stricter rules and stands for water protection, while 87 per cent believe communities should have the right to approve or reject decisions that affect their fresh water, according to polling done by the foundation.

The report urged the B.C. government to improve data collection, noting that the government has already committed to reporting on lake eutrophication — when dissolved nutrients like nitrogen or phosphorous create algae blooms, deplete fish and result in poor water quality in 2018.

It also zeroed in on three actions it says the provincial government can take right away to protect B.C.’s watersheds.

B.C. Government Failing to Keep Data on #Freshwater Resources Amid #Fracking, #Forestry Frenzy: Report https://t.co/oPJypRv3vh #bcpoli @POLISWater

— DeSmog Canada (@DeSmogCanada) November 21, 2017

Three Recommendations to Update B.C.’s Water Usage Laws

B.C., for instance, charges natural gas companies and other industries considerably less than other provinces do for water fees and rentals.

Companies fracking for gas pay only a token amount for water they withdraw under long-term water licenses — $6.08 for enough water to fill an Olympic-sized swimming pool, according to the B.C.’s government’s latest figures.

If industrial users were buying that water privately, they might pay as much as $11,250, according to a 2013 report by the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives and the POLIS project.

Quebec charges up to $70 for that same amount of water, while Nova Scotia bills users up to $140, said the report, which called for an accurate assessment of water fees and rentals in B.C.

One single Progress Energy fracking job in B.C.’s northeast in 2015 used 160,000 cubic metres of public water, enough to fill 64 Olympic-sized swimming pools. By current prices, that would cost less than $400.

The real estate foundation also wants the B.C. government to legislate protection for “environmental flows” — the amount of water required by a stream or river to ensure sufficient habitat for fish and healthy ecosystems.

Environmental flows cannot be legally enforced right now in B.C., and decisions to protect water levels for fish can be challenged at the Environmental Appeal Board.

And, thirdly, the foundation said B.C. must renew its freshwater policy, governed by the 2016 Water Sustainability Act.

Brandes said the Water Sustainability Act initiative, which aims to improve water management and decision-making in B.C., is only partly complete. Most of the act’s important components, such as watershed planning and a strong regime to protect ecological flows, have yet to be implemented, he pointed out.

In its election campaign platform, the B.C. NDP pledged to review the Act “to ensure that high volume water users are paying for access fairly, and that drinking water sources are protected.”

Indigenous Co-governance a Possible Solution

The foundation promotes what it calls a “shared stewardship ethic” for freshwater ecosystems, noting that, in its absence, “Communities might feel they have to choose between clean water and resource extraction jobs instead of supporting both clean water and the economy.”

In a September report, Brandes and other researchers at the POLIS Sustainability Project and UVic’s Centre for Indigenous Environmental Resources proposed that B.C. manage water resources through a co-governance model with Indigenous communities based on a principle of collaborative consent.

The real estate foundation, too, supports the concept of Indigenous co-governance for effective land and resource decision-making on freshwater resources.

Murky Waters also cited research from the World Wildlife Fund Canada showing data deficiencies for some of the 26 sub-watersheds in B.C. — including the Lower Fraser and the Thompson — in the categories of overall health, state of water flow, water quality, or suitability for fish. When data did exist, it was only for rivers and streams, and not for lakes or wetlands.

Most sub-watersheds in B.C., particularly in the south of the province, face multiple threats, according to the wildlife fund.

“These mounting threats could cause a watershed currently in good health to rapidly deteriorate,” noted the real estate foundation report.

Improved and accessible data sets are necessary to determine if strategies to reduce threats are working, lest efforts to protect freshwater ecosystems become “a guessing game,” the foundation said.

In an emailed statement, the Ministry of Environment and Climate Change Strategy said it appreciated the real estate foundation’s report, which it is reviewing in greater detail.

A number of the report’s recommendations, including on water sustainability plans and water governance, will be addressed over the next several years through implementation of the new Water Sustainability Act, the ministry said, noting that “protecting healthy freshwater ecosystems is essential to the quality of life of British Columbians and a strong economy.”

Image: Lake Capilano, B.C. Photo: Jason Mrachina via Flickr

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More than four out of five respondents to a public opinion poll released Wednesday believe that B.C. farmland — like forests and water — is a vital public asset.

In addition, 82 per cent of those responding also indicated that “selling out the [Agricultural Land Reserve] ALR is a failure of leadership and a betrayal of the public trust.”

As many as 76 per cent of those taking part in the poll said the ALR protects farms, valleys and greenspace for wildlife habitat and recreational enjoyment.

Laws protecting the ALR should be strengthened or maintained, according to 71 per cent of respondents.

The poll — BC Public Attitudes Toward Agriculture and Food 2014 — also showed 58 per cent of respondents believed “there are no acceptable reasons for removing any more farmland from the Agricultural Land Reserve anywhere in B.C.”

The province-wide online poll was sponsored by the Real Estate Foundation of British Columbia and the Vancouver Foundation. Carried out by McAllister Opinion Research, the survey canvassed 1,704 B.C. residents aged 18 and over between July 17-29. The sample is considered accurate to within ±2.36 per cent, 19 times out of 20.

The two foundations said they commissioned the study to inform discussion and decisions on the future of the ALR, a provincial land-use zone that protects farmland and land with potential to be farmed. The ALR currently makes up 5 per cent of B.C’s land base.

Pollster and president of McAllister Opinion Research, Angus McAllister, told DeSmog Canada that British Columbians have always been supportive of the ALR.

"Support for maintaining or even expanding the Agricultural Land Reserve is very high, especially among older voters,” McAllister said. “However, this support is really nothing new.”

“B.C. voters have always expressed strong support for the ALR, regardless of political stripe.”

He added, “what is striking this time however, is the strong linkage between public discomfort with changes in the ALR and rising concerns about food security.”

McAllister said concern over contaminated food imports plays a role in local support for B.C. farmland and food production. “Concerns about…food products imported from countries like Mexico and China are higher than I've seen in 15 years,” he said. “Concerns around the food supply are hard-wired to some very basic survival instincts, and that is never something to ignore."

The survey was conducted after Bill 24 — The Agricultural Land Commission Amendment Act — was passed in the B.C. Legislature in May. Essentially, Bill 24 split the 40-year-old ALR into two zones.

Zone 1 consists of the Fraser and Okanagan Valleys and southern Vancouver Island, an area representing about 10 per cent of the original ALR. According to the Liberal government, decisions in Zone 1 will continue to be made on the basis of the original principle of preserving agricultural land.

Zone 2 covers the rest of B.C., the government says, where growing seasons are shorter and there are lower value crops. In Zone 2 “decisions will now, in addition to the original principle, include additional considerations to provide farmers with more flexibility to support their farming operations.”

Critics have pointed out that Bill 24 threatens critical farmland by opening up previously protected areas to non-agricultural uses, including oil and gas development.

In August farmers from the Kootenay region demonstrated outside the B.C. legislature, saying they hadn’t been consulted on the changes.

Wendy Holm, a professional agrologist with 40 years experience in public policy and agricultural politics told DeSmog Canada Bill 24 “opens the door for Site C,” a controversial megadam project that will impact 13,000 hectares of farmland in the ALR if approved.

With the changes made under Bill 24, “the land reserve will be considered toothless,” Holm said.

“There’s tremendous potential in the north,” she added. “There’s enough land to produce fresh fruits and vegetables for a million people.”

Among those organizations criticizing the passage of Bill 24 was the BC Food Systems Network.

“We are, of course, deeply disappointed in the passage of Bill 24 and this closure to the huge outcry from the B.C. public to protect farmland in our province,” Abra Brynne, BC Food Systems co-chair, said in a statement.

Farmland advocates fear changes from Bill 24 will increase the price of farmland for young farmers and will also increase the removal of viable farmland for commercial, industrial and real estate development, the statement said.

“This would result in reduced capacity for provincial food security in the face of climate change, as well as increased reliance of imported food, concerns over safe and sustainable agricultural practices in other jurisdictions, and increased food prices due to rising transportation costs.”

The poll released Wednesday also showed that respondents identified, when asked about the priority uses for land in British Columbia, “natural freshwater systems” (83 per cent), closely followed by “farming and growing food” (81 per cent).

It also showed that 80 per cent of respondents were concerned about dependence on other countries for our food security. In addition, 73 per cent said the ALR is a cornerstone of food security and the B.C. economy.

In a media release accompanying the poll findings, Jack Wong, CEO of the Real Estate Foundation of BC, said local, sustainable food systems are a priority issue for the foundation because of the link between food security and community well-being.

“With challenges such as development pressure on agricultural land and changing weather patterns, it is of vital importance to have forward-thinking policies that protect land for growing food, now and for future generations.” Wong was quoted as saying.

Kevin McCort, CEO of Vancouver Foundation, said the survey demonstrates that British Columbians believe strongly in safeguarding our farms and green spaces to ensure long-term health, well-being and resilience in our communities.

“The Agricultural Land Reserve is a vital public asset contributing to our ability to reliably produce fresh food, preserve local farmland and freshwater supplies, and to support local B.C. farmers and ranchers,” McCort said.

Image Credit: B.C. farmland by Kris Krug via Flickr

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