Millions of litres of BC water extracted at no charge

[coffeeFreak]

Why wouldn't BC have groundwater regulations?!

Companies extracting B.C. groundwater for free

B.C. only jurisdiction in Canada that does not charge for groundwater use

CBC News Posted: Aug 14, 2013 5:11 PM PT Last Updated: Aug 14, 2013 7:41 PM PT

Several groups are calling on the province to tighten groundwater laws as B.C. is the only jurisdiction in Canada that does not charge major corporations for groundwater use.

Nestle is bottling and selling up to 265 million litres of water from the area around Hope, B.C., every year for free, says Sheila Muxlow of the WaterWealth Project.

That’s nearly the size of seven Olympic-sized swimming pools, she adds, and Nestle is one of several multinationals bottling B.C.’s fresh water.

“Outside of the fact that they are draining the size of a small lake on an annual basis without any sort of accountability… this is a microcosm of a larger failure with the way B.C.’s water is managed.”

Currently, British Columbia has no regulation on groundwater use. Corporations can extract as much ground water as they like without any fees.

Muxlow says no studies have been done to measure the environmental impact of draining that quantity of water every year, and not enough is being done to monitor and regulate the extraction of water.

But Nestle, the largest seller of bottled water in the world, says it is acting responsibly and contributing to the B.C. economy.

“Aquifers are not bath tubs. They're water systems deep in the ground that are constantly moving, they're constantly replenishing,” says John Challinor, a spokesman for Nestle.

“We're investing millions of dollars in that plant. We employ 75 people [and] we pay millions of dollars in taxes,” he added.

Challinor says Nestle would be willing to pay for the resource, as long as everybody else did.

The B.C. Environment Ministry says it plans to introduce new regulations next year.

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/story/2013/08/14/bc-free-groundwater-nestle.html

[maryjane48]

Why wouldn't BC have groundwater regulations?

the libs in power?

[A_Britishcolumbian]

it has always been an oddity of bc, no groundwater regulation. you dam it up, drill wherever, do whatever with it. that's one of the reasons we have so many pulp mills. only place in the world i believe.

the real crime is that while groundwater is unregulated, the 'government' allows fish farming in the ocean, killing off wild fish. whereas those same fish farmers could be inland farming and not harming wild stocks.

should we institute regulations on groundwater? maybe. but if we do it like ontario, it is incredibly slanted against you or i and only benefits big business and the employees of the 'gov' agency that would need to be created. i think the article had ontario charging $3.xx per million litres, thats a joke. nestle would be into us for a whopping $800 a year, please note the sarcasm. the little guy would have the impediment of the bureaucracy to drill a well, buy a license and be subject to inspections. not right.

if we institute legislation to regulate, farmers and families should be exempt, and harvesters/sellers should pay a reasonable fee and be subject to license, regulation and inspection in my opinion.

[oneh2obabe]

if we institute legislation to regulate, farmers and families should be exempt, and harvesters/sellers should pay a reasonable fee and be subject to license, regulation and inspection in my opinion.

Like this?
As a condition of its permit, Nestlé is responsible to the MOE to monitor and report water levels on the surface and underground. A network of monitor wells, including sensors installed in the wells of local property owners, measures the impact of the operation. In addition to water quantity, the quality is tested for possible contaminants, and the data is shared with the property owners at no charge.

[A_Britishcolumbian]

so there is oversight, certainly good.
the argument would be that there is potential profit from charging for the water.
if we charged for the water, would nestle have set up shop, maybe. our water quality is outstanding.

the million litre a workday users are pretty far and few between really.
obstructing the little guy, the average guy, that is what should be avoided, changing that would make bc something else, something it has never been.

while there is an obvious potential for profiting from our water resources, that is where you and i should be acting, as british columbians, profiting from our freely available natural renewable resource.

our water right out of the tap is saleable, no processing needed, just put a label and price on it and get it to the consumers.

[Gone_Fishin]

the libs in power?

Give the rhetoric a break. The BC Liberals are the first party in over 100 years that are re-writing the Water Act to include some protection and regulation of ground water. (attack removed - fluffy)