Ministry of Environment Water Act Notifications

In British Columbia, the ownership of water is vested in the Crown as stated in theWater Act, the primary provincial statute regulating water resources.
 
Notifications
Notifications are typically used for works that do not involve any diversion of water, may be completed within a short period of time and will have minimal impact on the environment or third parties.
Notifications are the responsibility of the Environmental Stewardship Division of the Ministry of Environment.
A person must not make a change in and about a stream under a Notification unless that person notifies a Habitat Officer of the Ministry of Environment within the region in which the proposed change will be made. The Habitat Officer will require information specified in the Notification Form at least 45 days prior to commencing the change. The proponent must also comply with specified terms and conditions for the proposed change from the Habitat Officer. If the Habitat Officer has not contacted the applicant within 45 days, from the receipt of the Notification Form, the person may proceed to make the change. However, the submission of an incomplete Notification Form does not constitute authorization to proceed.
 
On-line Notification Data-entry Tool
The South Coast Ecosystems staff have developed an on-line tool to allow proponents of instream works to submit their notifications electronically. This is strictly for activities that only require notification under the Water Act regulation; it will not be for works that require approval or license under the Water Act. This tool is being rolled out as a pilot and is only applicable for instream works in the Lower Mainland Region (Region 2).
To view or use this tool, go to: http://204.244.79.13/instreamworks/main_intro.html