Comox Valley Regional District Regional Growth Strategy

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 agencies to protect aquifers, and require an aquifer protection development permit for electoral areas at time of subdivision.

Objective 5-C and its supporting policies work to manage stormwater in a way that preserves ecosystem and watershed health through regulation of impervious surfaces.

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We are all downstream.

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A healthy watershed is central to clean and abundant source water.

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Establishing setbacks, restoring riparian buffer zones along watercourses, and acquiring watershed segments can save money by preventing costly impacts to source water.

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British Columbia legislation related to source water protection is complicated, and the Government of British Columbia does not have a lead water agency.

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Local action supported by stable funding and consistent and coordinated approaches is imperative to maintaining source water quality.

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.