The Lake Windermere Management Plan was initiated by the Regional District of East Kootenay (RDEK) in November 2008 to address concerns that increasing development and use could lead to a degradation in drinking water quality and other values. The Plan guides long-term management of the lake and directs local government … Read more
The City of Burnaby Zoning Bylaw defines the Streamside Protection and Enhancement Area (see 6.23 on page 18), which mandates setbacks for development from streams, ravines, wetlands and lakeshores. In situations where development is proposed within a streamside protection and enhancement area, an application must be made to the Environmental … Read more
The District of North Vancouver Environmental Protection and Preservation Bylaw regulates the protection, preservation and conservation of the natural environment and ecological systems including watercourses, trees, soils, and lands. It regulates development in aquatic areas (Part A) and on sloping terrain (Part B), soil removal and deposit (Part C).
The City of Metchosin Bylaw for the Protection and Management of Rain Water regulates the use and development of land to minimize the impact on a watershed by emphasizing the conservation and balance of water in and over the land. The performance requirement is to address 90% of rainfall on-site. … Read more
The City of Kelowna Well Regulation Bylaw regulates the disconnection and closure of wells on properties connected to the City Water Utility. The bylaw includes options for water well owners to professionally decommission their wells in order to connect to the City utility or, for those wishing to keep their … Read more
The Enhancing climate resilience of Subdivision and Development Servicing (SDS) Bylaws in the Columbia Basin: A guidance document was designed to assist communities in the Columbia Basin in updating their subdivision and development servicing (SDS) bylaws to increase their resilience to a range of climate change impacts. The guide first … Read more
The City of Nanaimo protects watercourse riparian areas using two regulatory mechanisms. Section 6.3 of the City of Nanaimo Zoning Bylaw prohibits the development or the alteration of a leave strip of predetermined width depending on the size and type of watercourse. The leave strip is the protected riparian area … Read more
The Village of Cumberland DPA 2 – Groundwater Protection (p. 99) regulates development in a manner that protects, sustains, or enhances the quality and quantity of ground water sources for drinking, irrigation, and other approved uses and the overall health of the natural environment and water ecosystem. To develop in … Read more
The Official Community Plan Policies Supporting Climate Resilience guide provides local government with guidance and examples for putting climate resilient policies into official community plans and development permit areas guidelines. Section 2.3.3 covers stormwater management, Sections 2.5 and 3.1, and 3.4.1 discuss the natural environment, and water conservation is addressed … Read more
The District of Highlands Official Community Plan states that all land use decisions must consider water (Section 2.1). Numerous sections in the OCP provide objectives and policy direction related to source water protection, including: Section 3.3 – water features and riparian areas as environmentally sensitive areas, Section 3.5 – watershed … Read more
The Comox Valley Regional District Regional Growth Strategy has a strong emphasis on protecting drinking water and managing stormwater. Objective 5-B and its five policies call for professional reports that outline potential development impacts to water quality and quantity, support plans that protect drinking water, require collaboration with stakeholders and … Read more
Metro Vancouver’s Regional Growth Strategy sets out Conservation and Recreation areas, which are intended to protect significant ecological and recreation assets, including drinking water. Goal 3 Protect the Environment and Respond to Climate Change Impacts includes strategies to protect those conservation and recreation lands (3.1) and to protect and enhance … Read more
Funding for this project was provided by the Ministry of Municipal Affairs, Interior Health Authority, City of Kelowna, City of West Kelowna and the Okanagan Basin Water Board. This project was also supported through the Healthy Watersheds Initiative, which is delivered by the Real Estate Foundation of BC and Watersheds BC, with financial support from the Province of British Columbia as part of its $10-billion COVID-19 response.