"The deadline for registering wells and obtaining groundwater licences, an initiative aimed at establishing priority for water rights in BC, is fast approaching. But a growing chorus is calling on the province to postpone the deadline yet again due to ongoing issues getting everyone on board, not to mention challenges enforcing a regime in which fewer than 2% of potential licences have been granted." - Country Life in BC Learn more about the Water Sustainability Act in a recent Country Life in BC article: https://www.countrylifeinbc.com/critics-urge-licence-delay/ Note that the deadline to submit an application to licence your water well is March 1, 2019. Don't delay, call Steph Righi, Waterline's Water Sustainability Act Coordinator, at 1-844-585-0802 Ext. 112250-585-0802 or 1-844-585-0802 to avoid provincial government registration fees. #watersustainabilityact #waterlicence #bcwaterpermit

Come by our booth #1622 at the AME Roundup in Vancouver to speak with one of our professionals about all things water and mining. #AMERoundup #waterinnovation #BCminex #hydrogeologyconsultants #mining #bcwatersustainabilityact #waterapplication #groundwatermanagement #groundwater

Wishing you all a safe and happy holiday season and all the best for 2019. This year Waterline chose to give back by adopting a family for Christmas through the Made By Momma adopt-a-momma program. #MBMChristmas #AdoptAMomma #MadeByMomma

The BC provincial government has implemented two types of water licensing fees for groundwater: a one-time application fee and annual water rentals. Groundwater Licence Application Fees Note the one-time application fee is waived for existing users who apply before the March 1, 2019 deadline. Application fees for all other users vary based on how much water is required and how it will be used. Fees vary from $250 to $10,000, depending on use and volume (see Table 1 below). A more detailed application fee table is provided in the Water Sustainability Act Fees, Rentals and Charges Tariff Regulation. Application fees are due at the time of your groundwater application submission. Annual Water Rentals Annual water rentals will be charged for all non-domestic groundwater users. Table 1 (below) summarizes the annual water rental volume-based rate and minimum fee for each well licence. The volume-based rental rate ranges between $0.02 to $2.25 per 1000 cubic metres, depending on the proposed water use. The minimum annual rental fee ranges from $25 to $200. A more detailed annual rental fee table is provided in the Water Sustainability Act Fees, Rentals and Charges Tariff Regulation. Water rental fees will be accumulated from the date the Water Sustainability Act came into place. For example, if you apply for your groundwater licence on January 15, 2019, water rental fees will be charged from February 29, 2016 to December 31, 2019. When Will I Be Charged Rental Fees? Water rental fees are typically required when you submit your groundwater application. Going forward, the frequency you pay your rental fees will vary depending on the amount of your annual rental fee. If your annual rental fee is: Over $100,000, you’ll be charged twice a year; Over $60 but less than $100,000, you’ll be charged once a year (most cases); or, Less than $60, you’ll be charged every three years. Can You Show Me an Example? If you use a well to irrigate a 10-acre farm and believe you might use about ~135,000 cubic metres of water per year, your rental rate will be $0.85 per 1000 cubic metres (see Table 1). So your annual rental fee will be 135 x $0.85 = $114.75. You'll then need to pay this fee from 2016 to the year you apply. If you started using the well before February 29 2016, you won’t need to pay the on-time application fee of $250 IF you apply before March 1, 2019. What if I use my well for more then one purpose? If you use your well for more then one purpose, you’ll need to indicate that on your groundwater licence application, and your fees will vary accordingly. In the example above, if you also use 5 cubic metres per day (about 1,825 cubic metres per year) for truck and equipment washing, your rental rate for that purpose will be $2.25 per 1000 cubic metres, as vehicle washing is considered industrial use. This would equal $4.11 ($2.25 x 1.825); however, there’s a minimum annual fee for vehicle washing of $200. Therefore, your total rental cost for 1 year would be $115 + 200 = $315. Want to know more about the new fees and how they apply to your situation? Contact Waterline's Water Sustainability Coordinator, Maury Scott at: 250-585-0802 | wsa@waterlineresources.com Waterline Resources has applied for over a hundred groundwater applications on behalf of clients across BC . We use our in-house Geodatabase System to extract the required information for the applications quickly, and we correspond with the government on your behalf. #waterfees #licensingfees #watersustainabilityact #groundwaterlicensing #groundwaterlicenceapplication #applicationfees #rentalfees

When you apply for a groundwater licence in BC, or have a professional apply on your behalf, you’ll need to specify the date of first use of the water. This is known as your “date of precedence” or “priority date”. Groundwater users that began using their water at an earlier date (senior licencees) are given priority by the BC provincial government over more recent users (junior licencees) under the First-in-Time First-in-Right (FITFIR) priority system. Your date of precedence could become important during times of water scarcity or drought, or if a new user proposes to withdraw water at a rate and volume that could affect your water needs. The BC provincial government can apply a number of regulatory options to protect the rights of water users. The date of precedence establishes who’s allowed their full allocation of water first during times of water scarcity or drought. If you’re an existing user and you apply for a water licence before March 1, 2019, you’ll be granted a date of precedence based on the date you began using groundwater, as determined by evidence submitted with your groundwater licence application. Evidence could include: A well log or record provided by the driller. Waterline is often able to locate well records online if applicants don’t have copies; Other records and invoices related to the construction of your well or related infrastructure (pump, treatment etc.); Well maintenance records; and, Photographs. In the event you don’t have any evidence to support your date of first use, Waterline can discuss with the government on your behalf to come up with an alternative solution. If you wait until after March 1, 2019 to apply, you’ll be treated as a new applicant and given a junior priority date based on the date of your application. In addition, you could be subject to penalties and fines. Read more about the BC Water Sustainability Act deadline here. You'll also have the opportunity as a licensee to be notified and to object to neighbouring future applications that my detrimentally affect your water supply under Section 13 of the Water Sustainability Act. Secure your water rights now! Contact Waterline's Water Sustainability Coordinator at: 1-844-585-0802 Ext. 112 or wsa@waterlineresources.com Waterline Resources has applied for over a hundred groundwater applications on behalf of clients across BC . We use our in-house Geodatabase System to extract the required information for the applications quickly, and we correspond with the government on your behalf. #groundwaterlicensing #waterlicense #watersustainabilityact #firstintimefirstinright #FITFIR #dateofprecendence #waterrights

Waterline is seeking a Calgary-based intermediate GIS analyst to assist our information services team with GIS and data product delivery related to our increasing workload and project demands. Please visit https://www.waterlineresources.com/careers to apply. #career #calgary #job #GIS #Geospatial #analyst

The British Columbia Water Sustainability Act was introduced to the public on February 29, 2016. The new regulations and water licencing requirements were put in place to help conserve our fresh, clean water for current and future BC residents. Under the new rules of the act, all non-domestic groundwater wells must be licenced. The Groundwater Licence Application includes a series of questions related to the water works infrastructure and the hydrogeological setting (well details, estimated yield, etc.), and is submitted to the BC provincial government through FrontCounter BC. Existing users are those who were using water from their well before February 29, 2016. Existing users applying for a groundwater licence are required to apply by March 1, 2019. Doing so will allow you to: Avoid the one-time application fee ($250-$10,000) Secure your water rights and your date of precedence under the First-In-Time First-In-Right policy Avoid losing your water supply by being in non-compliance with the Law Avoid penalties and fines: See Section 106 (6) and 107 (2) of the Water Sustainability Act After the March 1, 2019 deadline, existing users will be treated as a new applicant when applying for their water licence. Secure your water rights now! Contact Waterline's Water Sustainability Coordinator, Maury Scott at: 250-585-0802 | wsa@waterlineresources.com Waterline Resources has applied for over a hundred groundwater applications on behalf of clients across BC . We use our in-house Geodatabase System to extract the required information for the applications quickly, and we correspond with the government on your behalf. #watersustainabilityact #groundwaterlicenceapplication #groundwaterlicence #waterlicense #irrigation #vineyards #agriculture #mining #smallbusiness

Waterline is seeking a senior hydrogeologist or environmental engineer in BC, particularly in Vancouver, Prince George, or Fort Saint John. Learn more about the opportunity here: https://www.waterlineresources.com/careers #hydrogeologistvancouver #hydrogeologistprincegeorge #hydrogeologistfortsaintjohn

Brent Lennox will be presenting at Remtech on Friday, October 12, 2018 at 11:55 am (the closing session before the final keynote luncheon). He will be talking about how to improve the work flow for remedial excavations, with a particular focus on pre-planning and guideline adjustments. Waterline will have a strong presence at Remtech 2018 and the Waterline environmental team is looking forward to re-connecting with all of our colleagues at the Remediation Technologies Symposium (Remtech) 2018! #remtech #remediation #remedialexcavation #Tier2guidelines

To better service our clients in southern Alberta, Waterline is excited to announce that we are opening a field office in Lethbridge, Alberta. Call 587-393-6839 for your environmental and hydrogeology consulting needs in Lethbridge! #lethbridge #alberta #hydrogeologists #environmentalconsultants #formacleod #coaldale #taber #cardson #pinchercreek #crowsnestpass #blairmore

Waterline Resources was recently featured in the Engineers and Geoscientists BC publication "Innovation" for our work with the Regional District of Nanaimo on their innovative drinking water and watershed protection program. "The Regional District of Nanaimo (RDN) spans an area over 2,000 square kilometers on the east coast of Vancouver Island from Deep Bay in the north to Yellow Point in the south. The watersheds in the region are defined by short distances from mountain top to sea, with active forestry in the upper watersheds, productive agricultural lands in the middel watersheds, and growing urban and rural communities in the lower watersheds. The land base is marked by some larger rivers and many smaller fish-bearing creeks. Drinking water for the region's communities comes from a number of complex groundwater sources and a few surface water sources. Like other locations in the province, the region is experiencing change: population growth as more residents are attracted to the area; climate change that manifests as longer, drier summers and more frequent short-term duration intense rainstorms; and an evolving regulatory landscape that opens up possibilities for local water management. What sets RDN apart is that in the face of unknowns and changes that can affect water resources, they are at the helm, actively steering to a sustainable, well-informed future. Their long-term innovative regional program to protect water resources recognizes watersheds as the best management unit and enables collaborative initiatives including community participation in water monitoring and water conservation." See the full article here (Starting on Page 29): Innovation Magazine January/February 2018 Edition Pisani, J., 2018. Charting a New Course to a Sustainable Water Future, Collaboration underscores the Regional District of Nanaimo's Innovative Drinking Water and Watershed Protection Program. Engineers and Geoscientists British Columbia, Innovation. #egbc #engineersandgeoscientistsofbritishcolumbia #regionalhydrogeology #nanaimo #regionaldistrictofnanaimo

To better service our client’s hydrogeology, environmental and information services needs, 2018 has seen an increase in staffing of approximately 10%. Our five new staff include Ashley Smibert, Allison Kendall, Megan Watt, Austin Green-Slade, and Ian Samson. Welcome aboard to all of the new Waterline employees! #waterlinehydrogeology #environmentalconsulting #environmentaltechnology