Under the Water Sustainability Act (WSA), "changes in and about a stream" means:
- Any modification to the nature of the stream, including any modification of the land, vegetation and natural environment of a stream or the flow of water in a stream, or
- Any activity or construction within a stream channel that has or may have an impact on a stream or stream channel
Under the WSA, "stream" means:
- A natural watercourse, including a natural glacier course, or a natural body of water, whether or not the stream channel of the stream has been modified, or
- A natural source of water supply,
including, without limitation, a lake, pond, river, creek, spring, ravine, gulch, wetland or glacier, whether or not usually containing water, including ice, but does not include an aquifer.
Under the WSA, "stream channel", in relation to a stream, means the bed of the stream and the banks of the stream, both above and below the natural boundary and whether or not the channel has been modified, and includes side channels of the stream.
Notification of authorized changes
Notification of authorized changes are specified in Part 3 of the Water Sustainability Regulation. Authorized changes are activities that typically have minimal impact on the environment and third parties. Work associated with authorized changes must meet the requirements of the Water Sustainability Regulation, and comply with any conditions set out by a habitat officer in response to the application.
You must submit a notification of authorized changes application for any proposed work to FrontCounter BC a minimum of 45 days before beginning work. Submitting more than 45 days ahead of time is recommended. If you have not heard back from a Habitat Officer within 45 days (or by the proposed start date if you submitted more than 45 days in advance), you must make sure that your work meets the terms and conditions described in Part 3 of the Water Sustainability Regulation and any regional terms and conditions in which you are working before you may proceed with the changes.
Regional terms and conditions and timing windows
The authority to work in and about a stream, either through a change approval or notification, is generally granted with terms and conditions attached. Terms and conditions vary from region to region, and work in each region is generally restricted to specific times of the year called regional timing windows.
If you are granted a change approval, terms and conditions will be specified as part of your approval.
If you are submitting a notification of instream work, you must comply with any regional terms and conditions as well as any terms and conditions specified by the habitat officer.
Note: Marine/saltwater is not included within the definition of a "stream" or a "stream channel" under the Water Sustainability Act.
Archaeology information
Archaeological sites are protected under the Heritage Conservation Act and must not be altered or damaged without a permit issued by the Archaeology Branch. Information regarding potential risks to protected archaeological sites may be obtained by submitting an online data request form to the Archaeology Branch or by contacting a professional archaeologist via the BC Association of Professional Archaeologists or via local directories. Visit the Archaeology Branch website for more information.
Costs and responsibilities
There is no fee to submit notification of authorized changes. However, if the work you propose to do under a notification of authorized changes is deemed to require a change approval or other authorization, you will be charged the associated application fee.
Application fees are not required from the following:
- Provincial or Federal Ministries
- First Nations using water on reserve land
- Nisga'a citizen or entities applying to use water from the Nisga'a Water Reservation
- Change approvals that are processed by the BC Energy Regulator
Exemption for use of water on Treaty lands is also possible. Individual Treaty Agreements will be referenced when determining exemptions.
