British Columbians see fresh water as province's most precious resource

British Columbians see fresh water as province's most precious resource: The majority of British Columbians believe fresh water is the province's most precious resource and more needs to be done to ensure the future sustainability of fresh water resources.

That's the take-away message of a McAllister opinion research poll commissioned by the Vancouver Foundation and World Wildlife Fund Canada released Monday. It comes as the province prepares to overhaul its century-old Water Act.

In the telephone poll of 835 randomly selected B.C. residents 18 and older, conducted between Oct. 25 and 31, 91 per cent agreed fresh water is the province's most precious resource and 86 per cent said it was "extremely important" to the prosperity and quality of life in B.C.

Eighty-nine per cent felt industry should pay a fee to the B.C. public when using water for commercial purposes and 82 per cent said the public should be consulted in all licensing decisions on water use.

Nearly 70 per cent of people polled "strongly favour" ensuring that protection of "nature, wildlife and species like salmon are always a top priority."

However, 84 per cent of respondents were unaware of the provincial government's plan to reform the Water Act.

WWF-Canada director Tony Maas said in a statement that the poll confirms public support for the legal protection of freshwater resources.

"A small number of countries are leading the way by including nature's needs in water management laws," he said. "We think there's a great opportunity here for British Columbia to take the lead on water policy nationally and globally by legally protecting water for nature."

The Ministry of Environment has so far received about 900 submissions from interest groups and citizens, summarized in the Water Act Modernization Report on Engagement, which was released in September.

Ministry staff reviewed input over the summer and fall and "are developing draft policy proposals with the support of other ministries and external technical advisers," according to a statement sent to The Vancouver Sun.

A new act is expected to be in place by 2012.

Among other poll findings:
— 72 per cent said protection of plants, fish and wildlife should be a priority even at the risk of slowing economic growth.
— 49 per cent felt current levels of water use are sustainable for future generations.
— 55 per cent were "very concerned" about the impact of water shortages on the ecological health of streams and rivers in the next 10 years, followed by 54 per cent for aquatic life habitats.
— 45 per cent called "survival of natural species and aquatic life" a top priority use for fresh water after drinking water, followed by 38 per cent for agricultural production.
The poll is considered accurate to within 3.4 percentage points, 19 times out of 20.

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