basics

Short introductions to key terms and to the laws and bodies behind them, with links to the current version of each. Updated in place and dated.

what is…

aquifer · bill 44 · bylaw · community charter · drinking water protection act · freedom of information · groundwater · gulf islands · health authority · information and privacy commissioner · land use bylaw · local government act · local service area · municipality · official community plan · policy · provincial health officer · qualified environmental professional · regional district · registered onsite wastewater practitioner · riparian area · septic system · wastewater treatment plant · water sustainability act · watershed · well recharge zone

aquifer

last checked 27 September 2026

What it is. An aquifer is underground rock or sediment that holds water, lets it move, and can give it up to a well. The law’s definition: “a geological formation, a group of geological formations, or a part of one or more geological formations that is groundwater bearing and capable of storing, transmitting and yielding groundwater” (Water Sustainability Act, s. 1 (1)). An aquifer is not a watershed. A watershed is defined by the land surface. An aquifer is what lies beneath it, and the law keeps the two apart: a “stream” “does not include an aquifer”.

Why it matters here. Every well on Bowen draws from an aquifer. The Province maps seven on the island, numbered 743 to 749, all mapped in 2006. Five are in fractured crystalline bedrock: 745 (10.4 km²), 746 (14.9 km²), 747 (15.1 km²), 748 (5.8 km²) and 749 (4.1 km²). Two, 743 and 744, are small confined sand and gravel units.

How it is measured. The Province maps aquifers from well records, landforms and geology, numbers them, and rates each for vulnerability, productivity and demand. The boundary is a line on a map. It does not mean the rock or the water stops there.

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bill 44

last checked 27 September 2026

What it is. Bill 44, the Housing Statutes (Residential Development) Amendment Act, 2023, is a provincial law passed in November 2023 to increase housing. It amended the Local Government Act. The main changes, as that Act now reads:

• In any zone limited to single-family homes, zoning must allow at least one more home, either inside the house or in another building on the lot (s. 481.3 (3)).
• A larger, prescribed number of homes must be allowed on such lots inside an urban containment boundary set by a regional growth strategy, and in municipalities above a prescribed population (s. 481.3 (4)).
• Zoning must comply by 30 June 2026 (s. 481.3 (2)).
• Council must not hold a public hearing on a rezoning that is consistent with the official community plan where its sole purpose is housing (s. 464 (3)).
• An official community plan must show housing to meet anticipated need over at least 20 years (s. 473 (1) (a)).

Who makes it. The BC Legislature. Its rules now sit inside the Local Government Act. BIM amended its land use bylaw in 2024 by Land Use Amendment Bylaw No. 653, 2024 (Bill 44).

What law it comes from. Housing Statutes (Residential Development) Amendment Act, 2023. Local Government Act, ss. 464, 473 and 481.3.

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bylaw

last checked 27 September 2026

What it is. A bylaw is a local law made by council, for example on zoning, building, water service, fees or noise. Council can only act by resolution or by bylaw. Where a provincial law says a power must be used by bylaw, only a bylaw will do (Community Charter, s. 122). A bylaw is changed by an amending bylaw. A “consolidated” version gathers the changes into one copy for convenience. Bowen’s bylaws are numbered in order, with the year, for example Land Use Bylaw No. 57, 2002.

Who makes it. Council must give a bylaw three readings before adopting it. It can give all three at one meeting, but there must be at least one day between third reading and adoption (s. 135). Some bylaws need more first: a public hearing for an official community plan or a rezoning (Local Government Act, s. 464), approval from the Islands Trust, or approval from a provincial minister.

What law it comes from. Community Charter, Part 5, and the Local Government Act.

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community charter

last checked 27 September 2026

What it is. The Community Charter is the general rulebook for municipalities. It treats councils as “an order of government within their jurisdiction” (s. 1 (1)). A municipality’s purposes include good government, services, stewardship of public assets, and “fostering the economic, social and environmental well-being of its community” (s. 7). A municipality has the powers of “a natural person of full capacity” (s. 8 (1)). Council can act only by resolution or bylaw (s. 122). Powers under the Charter or the Local Government Act “must be interpreted broadly” (s. 4 (1)).

Who makes it. The BC Legislature. It works alongside the Local Government Act, which holds a municipality’s land use powers.

What law it comes from. It is the law itself: Community Charter, S.B.C. 2003, c. 26.

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drinking water protection act

last checked 27 September 2026

What it is. The Drinking Water Protection Act is BC’s law on keeping drinking water safe. It does two jobs.

First, it sets duties for water systems serving more than one house. A “water supply system” is any domestic water system other than “a domestic water system that serves only one single-family residence” (s. 1). That takes in a well shared by two households, a strata system, a business supplying water to customers, and municipal systems. Their owners must supply “potable water” (s. 6), and systems of certain classes need an operating permit (s. 8). The health authority can order an assessment of the water source, including land use that may affect it (s. 18).

Second, it protects drinking water sources, including a single household’s well. No one may introduce anything into a drinking water source or a well recharge zone that will, or is likely to, cause a drinking water health hazard (s. 23). Anyone who believes there is a threat to their own drinking water can ask the drinking water officer to investigate (s. 29). A “drinking water source” is “a stream, reservoir, well or aquifer from which drinking water is taken” (s. 1). It does not license or allocate water (see water sustainability act).

Who makes it. The BC Legislature makes the Act. Health authorities apply it, the Provincial Health Officer oversees it, and it sits with the Ministry of Health.

What law it comes from. It is the law itself: Drinking Water Protection Act, S.B.C. 2001, c. 9, with its regulation.

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freedom of information

last checked 27 September 2026

What it is. Freedom of information is the right to ask a public body, such as a municipality, a health authority or a ministry, for its records (s. 4 (1)). Some information can be withheld under exceptions set out in the Act.

A request is made in writing and must give “enough detail to enable an experienced employee of the public body, with a reasonable effort, to identify the record sought” (s. 5 (1)). The body must “make every reasonable effort to assist applicants” and respond “openly, accurately and completely” (s. 6 (1)). It has 30 days to respond (s. 7 (1)). Saturdays and holidays are not counted (Schedule 1). It can extend by up to 30 days on listed grounds (s. 10 (1)), by consent (s. 10 (1.1)), or longer with the commissioner’s permission (s. 10 (2)).

A body may charge an application fee and fees for the work, though the first 3 hours of searching are free (s. 75 (1), (2)). It may excuse fees if the applicant cannot afford them, or if the record relates to “a matter of public interest, including the environment or public health or safety” (s. 75 (5)). It must answer a request to excuse fees in writing within 20 days (s. 75 (6)).

Who makes it. The BC Legislature. The Information and Privacy Commissioner oversees it (see information and privacy commissioner).

What law it comes from. Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act, R.S.B.C. 1996, c. 165.

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groundwater

last checked 27 September 2026

What it is. Groundwater is water under the ground, held in soil or rock. The law defines it as “water naturally occurring below the surface of the ground” (Water Sustainability Act, s. 1 (1)). “Naturally occurring” means “occurring otherwise than in a pipe, cistern or other structure placed in the ground” (Water Sustainability Regulation, s. 1 (3)).

Why it matters here. Most of Bowen sits on fractured crystalline bedrock (see aquifer). In rock like this, water is held and moves in cracks, not in the spaces between grains as it does in sand. A well only gets water if it meets cracks that carry it. Households not on a municipal water system depend on it.

How it is measured. Wells are recorded in the Province’s register, GWELLS. Taking groundwater is governed by the Water Sustainability Act. Its safety, when a water system supplies it to people, is governed by the Drinking Water Protection Act.

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gulf islands

last checked 27 September 2026

What it is. “Gulf Islands” is an official place name, adopted in 1963. As BC Geographical Names records it, it means the islands at the south end of the Strait of Georgia, from Saturna and D’Arcy islands north to and including Gabriola. The name comes from Captain Vancouver’s “Gulph of Georgia”. The same record notes that since the 1990s the name has been misconstrued as covering all the islands in the Strait of Georgia, and it calls “Southern Gulf Islands” a misnomer.

Why it matters here. Bowen is in Howe Sound, not the Strait of Georgia, so it is not a Gulf Island in the strict sense. It is in the Islands Trust Area, which the law describes as the islands in “the Strait of Georgia, Howe Sound and Haro Strait” south of a set line (Islands Trust Act, Schedule A). Findings described as being about “the Gulf Islands” do not automatically apply to Bowen.

How it is measured. Official place names in BC are set by the BC Geographical Names Office.

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health authority

last checked 27 September 2026

What it is. In BC, drinking water safety is handled region by region by health authorities. Bowen’s is Vancouver Coastal Health. The work is done by drinking water officers, who can:

• issue permits for water systems and set conditions (Drinking Water Protection Act, ss. 7, 8)
• order a water supplier to assess its water source, including “land use and other activities and conditions that may affect that source” (s. 18 (2) (a))
• make orders where they have reason to believe a drinking water health hazard exists, or a significant risk of one (s. 25)
• investigate on request: anyone who “considers that there is a threat to their drinking water”, including from their own household well, may ask in writing, setting out the facts. The officer must consider it and tell the person whether they will investigate and, if so, the results (s. 29)

Who makes it. A health authority is “a regional health board or a prescribed body” (Public Health Act, s. 1). Regional health boards are designated under the Health Authorities Act (s. 1, s. 4). The drinking water officer for an area is the person appointed by the medical health officer, or the medical health officer if no one is appointed (Drinking Water Protection Act, s. 3 (1)). Medical health officers are designated by Cabinet on the Provincial Health Officer’s recommendation (Public Health Act, s. 71). The health system sits with the Ministry of Health.

What law it comes from. Health Authorities Act. Public Health Act, S.B.C. 2008, c. 28. Drinking Water Protection Act, S.B.C. 2001, c. 9.

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information and privacy commissioner

last checked 27 September 2026

What it is. The Information and Privacy Commissioner is the independent overseer of freedom of information in BC, and “an officer of the Legislature” (FIPPA, s. 37 (2)). The Office of the Information and Privacy Commissioner (OIPC) is the Commissioner’s office.

A person who made a request can ask the Commissioner to review “any decision, act or failure to act” of the public body relating to it, other than a requirement to pay the application fee (s. 52 (1)). The request for review is made in writing within 30 days of being told of the decision, or a longer period the Commissioner allows (s. 53 (2)). A failure to respond in time counts as a refusal, and the 30-day limit does not apply to it (s. 53 (3)).

A review can go through three stages:

1. Mediation, where a mediator may investigate and try to settle the matter (s. 55).
2. An inquiry, if it is not settled (s. 56). An inquiry must be completed within 90 days of the request for review, unless the Commissioner specifies a later date and notifies the parties (s. 56 (6)).
3. An order, which ends the inquiry (s. 58).

Who makes it. The Commissioner is appointed on the unanimous recommendation of a special committee of the Legislature, for a 6-year term (s. 37).

What law it comes from. Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act, Part 4 (the Commissioner) and Part 5 (reviews).

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land use bylaw

last checked 27 September 2026

What it is. The land use bylaw is Bowen’s zoning rulebook. It divides the island into zones and, for each, sets the uses allowed, how large and tall buildings can be, where they can sit on a lot, lot coverage, the smallest lot size, and parking. It also covers docks and moorage on the water, defines terms such as “agriculture”, and carries guidelines for development permits, including for protecting aquatic habitat, for Snug Cove design and for tourist accommodation. It must be consistent with the official community plan (Local Government Act, s. 478 (2)).

Who makes it. Council, by bylaw. Changing the rules for a piece of land is a rezoning, made by an amending bylaw. BIM states that amendments must be consistent with the Islands Trust Policy Statement and require approval from the Islands Trust. The bylaw was adopted in 2002 and has been amended many times. A consolidated copy gathers the amendments into one text for convenience. The legal text is the original bylaw plus each amending bylaw.

What law it comes from. Local Government Act, s. 479 (zoning), within Part 14.

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local government act

last checked 27 September 2026

What it is. The Local Government Act is the provincial law that sets up regional districts and gives local governments their planning powers. Official community plans, zoning, development permits and public hearings all come from it. The planning rules are in Part 14. Regional growth strategies are in Part 13.

Who makes it. The BC Legislature. Only the Legislature can change it. A municipality takes its general powers from the Community Charter and its land use powers from this Act.

What law it comes from. It is the law itself: Local Government Act, R.S.B.C. 2015, c. 1.

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local service area

last checked 29 September 2026

What it is. A local service area is a part of a municipality that receives a service and pays for it separately, through parcel taxes and user rates. On Bowen each municipal water system is its own local service area:

• Bluewater Park
• Bowen Bay
• Cove Bay
• Eagle Cliff
• Hood Point
• King Edward Bay
• Tunstall Bay

Eagle Cliff and Cove Bay are in the middle of a change. BIM has built a 1.3 km water main joining the Eagle Cliff system to the Cove Bay system. The project went ahead in 2024, after 13 of Eagle Cliff’s 124 parcels petitioned against it, too few to stop it. Eagle Cliff’s share of the cost, about $820,000, is being paid back through a local service tax. On 18 September 2026 BIM announced that final commissioning of the connection would begin on 23 September and might continue for several days.

For now the two are still separate local service areas, with their own budgets and rates. BIM says Council will next consider merging them into one, to be called “Cove Cliff”. This is changing as it happens, and I will update this section as it does.

In 2024 Council replaced the water systems’ local advisory committees with a Committee of the Whole and grouped community information meetings. The service areas, budgets and rates stayed as they were.

Who makes it. Council sets up each area, its charges and any borrowing by bylaw. Parcel taxes are set under Community Charter s. 200, and a service can be set up on council initiative subject to a petition against (s. 213).

What law it comes from. Community Charter, S.B.C. 2003, c. 26, ss. 200, 213 and 219.

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municipality

last checked 27 September 2026

What it is. A municipality is a local government for a community, with an elected mayor and council. Its purposes include good government, services, stewardship of public assets, and “fostering the economic, social and environmental well-being of its community” (Community Charter, s. 7). Bowen Island Municipality makes bylaws, including the official community plan and the land use bylaw, and runs services, including several water systems. It does not license water (the Province does) or regulate drinking water safety (the health authority does).

Who makes it. The Province creates a municipality by letters patent. Bowen Island Municipality was created by Letters Patent under Order in Council 1160, dated 2 September 1999, taking effect 4 December 1999. It is in the Islands Trust Area, so its council “must have regard to the object of the trust” (Islands Trust Act, s. 39.1), and it is a member of the Metro Vancouver Regional District.

What law it comes from. Community Charter, S.B.C. 2003, c. 26, and the Local Government Act, R.S.B.C. 2015, c. 1.

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official community plan

last checked 27 September 2026

What it is. An official community plan is a community’s plan for its land: where homes, businesses, farms and parks should go, and what needs protecting. The law calls it “a statement of objectives and policies to guide decisions on planning and land use management” (Local Government Act, s. 471 (1)). It binds what comes after it. Every bylaw council passes and every work it carries out “must be consistent with” the plan (s. 478 (2)). Council may skip the public hearing on a rezoning only if the rezoning is consistent with the plan (s. 464 (2)). The plan must include “restrictions on the use of land that is subject to hazardous conditions or that is environmentally sensitive to development”, and where major water and sewer systems go (s. 473 (1)). Development permit areas are created in the plan (s. 488). The plan does not oblige the municipality to build the projects it describes (s. 478 (1)).

Who makes it. Council adopts or changes the plan by bylaw (s. 472), after a public hearing (s. 464 (1)). Because Bowen is in the Islands Trust Area, a new plan has no effect until the Trust’s Executive Committee approves it (Islands Trust Act, s. 38), and council must “have regard to” the Trust’s object to preserve and protect the islands (s. 39.1).

What law it comes from. Local Government Act, Part 14, Division 4 (ss. 471 to 478). Islands Trust Act, ss. 38 and 39.1.

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policy

last checked 27 September 2026

What it is. A policy is a stated position on how something should be handled. In local government the word covers three kinds of document, with very different weight:

• Policies in the official community plan. These are part of a bylaw, and everything council passes or builds afterwards must be consistent with them (Local Government Act, s. 478 (2)). A policy that says something “must” happen sets a test. One that says council “may consider” something leaves it to council’s judgment.
• Council policies. These are rules council adopts for how the municipality itself works, such as asset management.
• The Islands Trust Policy Statement. This is the Trust’s statement of how it will carry out its object, to “preserve and protect” the islands (Islands Trust Act, s. 3). The Trust Council adopts it by bylaw, with a minister’s approval (s. 15 (1), (2)). The Executive Committee must not approve a bylaw sent to it “if it is contrary to or at variance with” the Policy Statement (s. 15 (4)).

Who makes it. Council, for plan policies and council policies. The Islands Trust Council, for the Policy Statement.

What law it comes from. Local Government Act, Part 14. Community Charter, s. 122. Islands Trust Act, ss. 3 and 15.

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provincial health officer

last checked 27 September 2026

What it is. The Provincial Health Officer is “the senior public health official for British Columbia” (Public Health Act, s. 64). The current Provincial Health Officer is Dr. Bonnie Henry. The PHO does not run water systems or issue permits. On drinking water, the PHO:

• monitors whether drinking water officers comply with the minister’s guidelines and directives (Drinking Water Protection Act, s. 4 (2))
• prepares an annual report, which the minister lays before the Legislature (s. 4.1)
• is the official whose recommendation is needed before the minister can designate an area for a drinking water protection plan (s. 31)

A Provincial Drinking Water Officer assists the PHO, including with reviews of decisions made by regional drinking water officers.

Who makes it. The provincial Cabinet appoints the Provincial Health Officer (Public Health Act, s. 65). The PHO reviews medical health officers (s. 68). The office sits within the Ministry of Health.

What law it comes from. Public Health Act, S.B.C. 2008, c. 28. Drinking Water Protection Act, S.B.C. 2001, c. 9.

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qualified environmental professional

last checked 27 September 2026

What it is. A qualified environmental professional, or QEP, is a registered professional who assesses a site and reports on its environment for a development proposal. Under the riparian regulation, a QEP must be registered under the Professional Governance Act as one of these, in good standing, and working within their own expertise (Riparian Areas Protection Regulation, s. 21 (2)):

• an agrologist
• an applied science technologist or certified technician
• a professional biologist or biology technologist
• a professional engineer
• a professional forester or forest technologist
• a professional geoscientist

Who makes it. The QEP carries out the assessment and writes the report, and the lead QEP signs statements in it (s. 19). The QEP submits the report to the provincial ministry, which can pass a copy to the local government or reject it if it was not done properly or is incomplete (s. 6 (1) to (3)). The regulation also says: “For certainty, nothing in this section requires the minister to review a report that the minister does not reject” (s. 6 (4)). A report expires five years after the local government receives it (s. 7).

What law it comes from. Riparian Areas Protection Regulation, B.C. Reg. 178/2019, under the Riparian Areas Protection Act. Registration is under the Professional Governance Act.

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regional district

last checked 27 September 2026

What it is. A regional district is a local government for a whole region, made up of its municipalities, rural areas and treaty First Nations. Every local government in a region must belong to one. Bowen is a member of the Metro Vancouver Regional District. “Metro Vancouver” is four separate legal bodies, each with its own board:

• the Metro Vancouver Regional District, for air quality, regional parks and regional planning. Bowen is a member
• the Greater Vancouver Water District, for drinking water. Its members are all MVRD members except Bowen Island, Lions Bay and White Rock
• the Greater Vancouver Sewerage and Drainage District. Its members are all MVRD members except Belcarra, Bowen Island, Lions Bay and Tsawwassen First Nation
• the Metro Vancouver Housing Corporation. Bowen is a member

Bowen is in the region but outside the regional water and sewer systems.

Who makes it. Regional districts are set up under the Local Government Act. The water and sewerage districts have their own provincial Acts. A regional district can adopt a regional growth strategy, which should work towards, among other things, “protecting the quality and quantity of ground water and surface water” (Local Government Act, s. 428 (2) (j)). Where a strategy applies, a municipality’s official community plan must include a regional context statement accepted by the regional board (s. 446 (1)).

What law it comes from. Local Government Act, R.S.B.C. 2015, c. 1, including Part 13 (regional growth strategies).

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registered onsite wastewater practitioner

last checked 27 September 2026

What it is. A registered onsite wastewater practitioner, or ROWP, is the person trained and registered to design, install and maintain septic systems in BC. A ROWP must have recognised training and hold a registration certificate issued by the Applied Science Technologists and Technicians of British Columbia (Sewerage System Regulation, ss. 1, 7 (1)). The certificate states the kinds of system they are competent to build and maintain, and they must keep to any limits on it (s. 6 (2)).

Who makes it. The regulation calls a ROWP or a professional an “authorized person” (s. 1). Standard systems (Type 1 and Type 2) must be built and maintained by an authorized person, or by an owner on their own land under an authorized person’s supervision (s. 6 (1)). A Type 3 system, or one designed for more than 9,100 litres a day, must be done under a professional’s supervision (s. 6 (3)). The authorized person files plans with the health authority before building (s. 8) and certifies the finished system (s. 9).

What law it comes from. Sewerage System Regulation, B.C. Reg. 326/2004, under the Public Health Act. Registration is under the Professional Governance Act.

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riparian area

last checked 27 September 2026

What it is. “Riparian” means the land along the edge of water, where streams, lakes and wetlands meet dry land. Plants there shade the water, filter runoff and hold the banks together.

Why it matters here. BC’s Riparian Areas Protection Regulation applies to local governments in the Islands Trust Area and in the Metro Vancouver Regional District, so it applies on Bowen (s. 2 (1)). It sets a 30 m “riparian assessment area” on each side of a stream (s. 8 (1)). It applies to residential, commercial or industrial development in that area beside a stream that provides fish habitat to protected fish (s. 3 (1)). A qualified environmental professional assesses the site and sets the “streamside protection and enhancement area” to be left alone (s. 9). Local governments must have zoning or land use bylaws that hold such development until that process is met (s. 4 (2)). Bowen’s official community plan also designates Fish and Riparian Protection development permit areas (Schedule B-3), and its streamside rules were set by Bylaw No. 301, 2011.

How it is measured. The 30 m strip is measured from the stream boundary. Where the stream is in a ravine, it is measured from the top of the ravine bank (s. 8). The protected width within it is set by the qualified environmental professional’s assessment.

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septic system

last checked 27 September 2026

What it is. A septic system treats a building’s sewage on its own land. A “septic tank” is “a watertight container for receiving, treating and settling domestic sewage” (Sewerage System Regulation, s. 1). The liquid then passes to a drain field, where the soil completes treatment. A holding tank only stores sewage until it is trucked away.

Why it matters here. Outside Snug Cove there is no sewer, so almost every home and business on Bowen treats its sewage on site. The regulation covers “domestic sewage”: toilet waste and water from kitchens, bathing, cleaning and laundry (s. 1). It covers a house or duplex, and any system on a property handling under 22,700 litres a day (s. 2). A septic system must be at least 30 m from a well supplying drinking water, and a holding tank 15 m, unless a hydrogeology professional advises otherwise in writing (s. 3.1). Letting sewage or effluent reach a drinking water source, surface water, tidal water, or the surface of the land is a health hazard under the regulation (s. 2.1).

How it is measured. A registered onsite wastewater practitioner or a professional designs and installs the system. They file the plans with the health authority before building (s. 8), and provide a letter of certification within 30 days of finishing (s. 9). A holding tank needs a permit from a health officer (s. 4).

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wastewater treatment plant

last checked 27 September 2026

What it is. A wastewater treatment plant cleans sewage piped from buildings and releases the treated water, called effluent. The leftover solids, or sludge, are taken away. Bowen has one sewer system and one plant, on Dorman Road near Crippen Park. It gives secondary treatment and serves Snug Cove, where most of the island’s shops and public services are. The rest of the island relies on septic systems. The plant does not accept septic tank pump-outs.

Why it matters here. Effluent is meant to be piped to deep water past Dorman Point, under a provincial permit issued under the Environmental Management Act to discharge into Queen Charlotte Channel. The outfall pipe was damaged beyond repair in 2023. By BIM’s own account, effluent has since been discharged into Snug Cove rather than past Dorman Point as the permit requires. In January 2022 BIM paused building permits needing a sewer connection because the plant had reached capacity. The first phase of upgrades was completed in June 2023.

The plant is run as a local service area. The 2022 upgrade was split 44 per cent to Snug Cove sewer properties and 56 per cent to the rest of the island. The outfall replacement is being paid by sewer properties through a higher parcel tax and user rates.

How it is measured. What the plant discharges is set and regulated by its provincial permit. Its capacity is assessed by engineering studies commissioned by BIM.

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water sustainability act

last checked 27 September 2026

What it is. The Water Sustainability Act is BC’s law on taking water from nature. A person “must not divert water from a stream or an aquifer” without an authorization, such as a licence (s. 6 (1)). A household using groundwater for domestic purposes does not need a licence (s. 6 (4)). Other groundwater uses, such as a business, irrigation or a water system serving others, do. “Groundwater” is “water naturally occurring below the surface of the ground”, and a “stream” covers lakes, creeks, springs and wetlands “but does not include an aquifer” (s. 1 (1)). BC came late to licensing groundwater. The Province’s own groundwater program traces its start to 1961, when the Water Act was revised to enable groundwater licensing. Alberta made its Water Resources Act apply to groundwater in 1962. BC began licensing groundwater use when this Act came into force on 29 February 2016. Existing non-domestic users had to apply by 1 March 2022.

Who makes it. The BC Legislature makes the Act. The Province issues licences and enforces it. It does not deal with drinking water safety (see drinking water protection act) or land use (see local government act).

What law it comes from. It is the law itself: Water Sustainability Act, S.B.C. 2014, c. 15, with the Water Sustainability Regulation, B.C. Reg. 36/2016.

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watershed

last checked 27 September 2026

What it is. A watershed is an area of land that drains rain and snow to a common point, such as a creek, lake or the sea. The high ground around it forms its edge. A watershed is not an aquifer: one is defined by the land surface, the other lies underneath. “Community watershed” is a narrower legal term: “all or part of the drainage area that is upslope of the lowest point from which water is diverted for human consumption by a licensed waterworks”, formally designated by the Province. There are 466 in BC.

Why it matters here. Several of Bowen’s water systems take water from lakes and creeks, and people live inside the watersheds that feed them. The Province’s register lists twelve designated community watersheds on Bowen: Byers, Carkner, Dorman, Eddy, Explosives, Guild, Honeymoon, Josephine, Malkin, Optimist, Terminal and Grafton Creek. Eleven date from 1995, when older provincial guidelines were brought into forest law. Grafton Creek was added in 2004. Terminal, at 734 hectares, is the watershed of the Cove Bay water system. In the Province’s own words, community watersheds “restrict only the activities of forest and range tenure holders”. The designation does not restrict housing, rezoning, septic systems or wells.

How it is measured. Watershed boundaries are mapped from the shape of the land. Community watersheds are designated under the Government Actions Regulation of the Forest and Range Practices Act and held in a provincial register.

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well recharge zone

last checked 27 September 2026

What it is. A well recharge zone is the ground that feeds a drinking water well. The law’s definition: “the area of land from which water percolates into an aquifer and is transmitted from there into one or more wells that are used, or are intended to be used, to provide drinking water” (Drinking Water Protection Act, s. 1).

Why it matters here. Bowen’s wells draw from aquifers under the island. The land that feeds them is land people live, build and farm on.

How it is measured. The Act defines the term but gives no one the job, or the power, of mapping one. The term is used in two ways:

• a drinking water officer can order another well floodproofed if they have reason to believe it is in the same well recharge zone as a drinking water well (s. 16 (2))
• no one may introduce anything into a well recharge zone that will, or is likely to, cause a drinking water health hazard (s. 23 (1), (2))

The nearest power is different. The minister may designate an area for a drinking water protection plan, on the Provincial Health Officer’s recommendation (s. 31). No published source has been found showing any well recharge zone identified on Bowen.

explainers

• draft official community plan, what it is and where it stands