Local ranchers, farmers, and any other commercial uses of groundwater water in British Columbia have been granted an extension by government to apply for a licence fee reprieve that will save big money for some of them.
These licence application fees can range between $250-$10,000, depending on water use purpose and volume.
South Cariboo Cattlemen's Association (SCCA) president Peter Bonter says dollar amounts for the licence fees will vary depending on each company's usages, but these waivers may save some operations enough to make an economic impact on the agriculture industry, since this covers all aspects and all locations of the groundwater they use.
"Not only is it wells, but it's any pond, dugout – any entrapment of water."
The provincial government introduced the Water Sustainability Act (WSA) on Feb. 29, 2016 to regulate groundwater, better protect stream health and provide tools to protect both people and the environment during times of water scarcity.
To qualify for this fee waiver, all "existing" non-domestic users of groundwater must apply for a licence by Dec. 31, 2017 to avoid the usual one-time application fee, with the original March 1 deadline now extended by 10 months.
However, "existing users" means only those who were already using groundwater commercially on or before new licensing requirements came into effect, Bonter notes.
He says this aspect was expected by B.C.'s industry groups since they revamped the water act more than a year ago.
"I do believe we need to be more aware of not only available water, but also that water usage – to that extent it's good."
Noting his hesitance to open the topic to debate by pointing fingers, the local SCCA leader concedes he is aware of a degree of resistance among some area producers about being rounded up by government.
"There is a lot of fear out there that it is just a control item ... that further down the road it's going to turn around to bite us, in the sense we will pay for the use of that water once they get us all corralled.
"That's the pessimism ... but I think the good side is that we ultimately start paying more attention to our water usage.
"With new technology, there is just so much out there now that water needs per acre are not going to change, but water delivery systems to a per-acre field ... will see even thriftier systems, I think."
However, most ranchers own multiple pieces of property in an industry where more and more plots of land are added, and each one of these will eventually need some water source fixed in order to be productive, he explains.
This negativity of some in the agriculture industry also reflects that most realize there must eventually be limits to how many groundwater licenses will be issued within defined areas, he explains.
Bonter says after the 2017 deadline, newer groundwater users, as well as any others who were remiss in applying for these licenses in time, will be hit by some costly fees, particularly those who require multiple sources of water.
"We've always been required to take out (surface) water licenses on streams and lakes for irrigation purposes – this goes far beyond that."
Bonter adds with the new WSA, every point where groundwater is drawn requires a separate licence, regardless of how much water is used.
Bonter's O'Neil Creek Ranch at Interlakes has a typical well supplying his house that did not previously require a water licence, and due to its continued exemption for residential use, it still wouldn't – were his cows not drinking from it, primarily just to keep them away from the stream, he says.
Now, the law requires him to licence the household well, because the WSA redefines filling the cow's water troughs as agriculture use.
Bonter explains this also means that ranchers who move the same cattle from one field to another must pay fees for multiple water sources – yet the cattle don't drink any more of it.
Thankfully for local agriculture producers, most Cariboo areas have ample ground water as well as plenty of streams, lakes and rivers to supply water for those with surface water licenses, he adds.
While the fee waiver period has been extended to the end of 2017, all existing groundwater users must apply for a licence by March 1, 2019.
Annual water rentals for existing groundwater use will begin to accrue from Feb. 29, 2016, regardless of when a licence application is submitted during the WSA's three-year transition period.
More information on this licensing, how it can provide government with a more complete picture of groundwater use to better manage the resource, how it also protects the rights of groundwater users with priority water allocations, and how to apply is online at www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/environment/air-land-water/water/water-licensing-rights