Apply for Dike Maintenance Act approval

Apply to make changes to an existing dike or create a new dike

Eligibility

There are no limitations on who may apply; however, landowner consent must be provided for any lands where work is being done for this authorization.

All diking projects require that the local diking authority that oversees the dike has been contacted and the diking authority has agreed to the proposed works.

Overview

Under the Dike Maintenance Act (DMA), "dike" means:

  • An embankment, wall, fill, piling, pump, gate, floodbox, pipe, sluice, culvert, canal, ditch, drain or any other thing that is constructed, assembled or installed to prevent the flooding of land.

Under the DMA, "diking authority” means:

  • The commissioners of a district to which Part 2 of the Drainage, Ditch and Dike Act applies,
  • A person owning or controlling a dike other than a private dike,
  • A public authority designated as having any responsibility for maintenance of a dike other than a private dike, or
  • A regional district, a municipality or an improvement district

A private dike is a dike built on private property that protects only that property. Private dikes are not regulated under the DMA and approvals are not required for works related to private dikes. However, work related to private dikes may require authorizations and approvals under other pieces of legislation such as the Water Sustainability Act and the Fisheries Act.

DMA Approvals

A DMA approval is a written authorization to make changes to a dike or construction of a new dike. 

Before completing an application, you will need to contact your local diking authority.  A list of dikes by owner/authority (PDF, 2.7MB) can be found on the Flood protection structures in B.C. site.

If the work required is to be done in or adjacent to a stream channel, then a Water Sustainability Act (WSA) change approval or notification of instream works may also be required.

Costs

There is no fee to submit DMA approval.

Apply

Collect the following information and documents before you start your online application.

Information

  • The name and contact information of the applicant and the applicant's agent, if applicable. If there are co-applicants for the licence, a BCeID is required in order to complete and submit the application. Obtain the BCeID before starting your water licence application as you will not be able to save your application without it
  •  The name of the local diking authority that oversees work on the dike
  •  The name of the dike
  • If the construction of new dike or modification of existing dike meets the requirements of the Environment Assessment Act’s Reviewable Projects Regulation, then an Environment Assessment Certificate is required.  Please review the requirements for water management projects
  • Location description for the land or undertaking, if any, to which the DMA approval is to be appurtenant
  • A start date and end date for the proposed work. You must confirm that your works will be carried out within the approved regional timing window. If your proposed work will not fall within the regional timing window, you must provide a detailed explanation and reasoning
  • Details of the activities and proposed works
  • Written consent from the landowner, if different than the applicant, for the use of the land for any works or construction of any works
  • Contact information for site supervision and construction

Multi-site applications

The DMA Approval application allows the submission of multiple locations along a dike structure when appropriate. It is preferable that the application is submitted as a single site application; however, each situation is different, so we recommend contacting your regional deputy inspector of dikes to discuss your project in advance.

When preparing a multi-site application, please consider the following:

  • All locations and activities/works should be associated with the same project or initiative
  • All sites should be located on the same dike structure and no more than 20 sites included per application. More than this should be confirmed in advance
  • Create a separate location for each site on the application form ("Location of Works" section)
  • Project descriptions should be site-specific, do not copy and paste the same information for each site if there are different considerations

Documents

  • Drawings that clearly show all the requirements for the type of work that is being requested.  Please review the design documentation requirements section of the Dike Maintenance Act approvals site. The following drawings are required:
    • General location plan
    • Detailed site plan
    • Preliminary design drawings and specifications
  • Professional engineer letter that all drawings have been reviewed and meet flood protection engineering requirements. The letter that needs to be signed by the engineer can be found in the Certification section of Dike Maintenance Act approvals 
  • Design brief clearly discussing all design calculations & assumptions, signed and stamped by a qualified professional engineer
  • Copies of as-built drawings for the dike (where applicable)
  • A copy of your Letter of Agency (PDF, 75KB) or other proof of authorization, if you are an agent or third party filling out the application on behalf of the applicant
  • A copy of any permit, tenure or other authorization to use Crown land relevant to the locations of the changes, or proof that an application for the appropriate Crown land authorization has been made. If you have not already applied for a Crown land authorization, you will complete the application as part of the change approval application process

Potential additional requirements

  • Change approval or notification for works in and about a stream is required when work on a dike is being completed that is in or adjacent to a stream
  • Supplemental information that provide case-specific information required to make a decision on your application. This information supplements what you already submitted. Examples include geotechnical report, fish report, erosion control plans, etc. Government staff will ask you to provide this information when required

Submit an application

Once you have assembled the required documents for your application, apply online.

Apply

Amend your application

After you have submitted an application, you can amend or cancel it:

After you apply

Your application will go through the following process before any decision is made about whether the change approval will be granted:

  1. Receiving the application
    When natural resource applications are submitted, it is expected that they meet the posted application requirements for that application type, both in quality and completeness, so that the proposal is ready to move towards a decision in a timely manner. The application requirements can be found under the applicable water application authorization guidance.

    Poor quality or incomplete applications can result in substantial delays and create significant workload impacts to ministry staff. In order to improve application turnaround times, applicants are required to provide missing information or respond to FrontCounter BC staff requests within 2 weeks.

    If applicants are not able to meet the requested timeframe, they should inform the requesting staff member as early as possible. Applications not meeting application requirements within the requested timeframes may be rejected. 

    If the application is returned or not accepted, applicants can expect a detailed explanation of application deficiencies. If an application is rejected due to deficiencies, applicants may re apply at their convenience.

  2. Consultation and referrals
    Applications for DMA approvals may be referred to other provincial and federal regulatory agencies for comment during the adjudication process. Consultation with First Nations, other water users, community groups or other parties may be required if existing rights could be affected by your application.

  3. Review
    Once FrontCounter BC has received all comments and objections from potentially affected parties, and any additional information provided by you or affected parties, applications undergo a technical review. During the technical review process, you may be asked to provide additional information or may be required to undertake further study to support your application. On the basis of this review, a recommendation is made for the consideration of a statutory decision maker, normally a deputy inspector of dikes, who is authorized under legislation to grant a DMA approval .

  4. Decision
    A deputy inspector of dikes will decide whether to approve your application after weighing the information and will inform you of the decision.

Application enquiries

Read more about application processing and how to check the status of your application.

Contact information

Find the FrontCounter BC office closest to you.

FrontCounter BC Toll Free
1-877-855-3222
Email
FrontCounterBC@gov.bc.ca

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