WSA
Brought into force in 2016, the WSA officially replaced this historic, 1909 provincial statute
What is the Water Act?
Under the WSA, a short-term water use authorization is officially called a "Use" this, rather than a licence.
What is an Approval? (Water Use Approval)
Located in the South Coast region, this massive project is currently underway to replace a 4-lane immersed tube structure under the Fraser River.
What is the Fraser River Tunnel Project?
To log into BC’s electronic licensing portal to submit a WSA application, citizens use a personal ID account, while business users must use this secure corporate credential.
What is a Business BCeID?
Under the WSA, this common legal acronym dictates that water rights are generally prioritized based on the date of first use.
What is FITFIR? (First in Time, First in Right)
By regulation, the maximum allowable lifespan for a single short-term water use approval cannot exceed this many months.
What is 24 months? (or 2 years)
Under the WSA, this massive, 1,375-kilometre river is one of a handful explicitly exempted from ever being dammed.
What is the Fraser River?
This mandatory, automated screening tool inside the online application maps spatial data to flag conflicts with existing water licences, First Nations reserves, or protected parks.
What is the e-Licensing mapping tool? (Accept: BC Geographic Warehouse / iMapBC integration)
In times of severe scarcity, this specific type of ministerial order can completely override the FITFIR priority system to protect aquatic ecosystems
What is a Fish Protection Order?
If a short-term water use project requires an extension beyond its maximum 24-month term, an applicant cannot amend it; they must submit a completely new one of these.
What is an application?
To protect native salmon populations, BC's Ministry of Environment works closely with DFO, a federal department whose initials stand for this.
What is Fisheries and Oceans Canada?
When submitting a short-term use or licence application online, the platform requires this exact geographical identifier—a unique, 9-digit number assigned to real estate parcels in BC.
What is a PID? (Parcel Identifier)
Unlike surface water users, citizens who divert groundwater solely for this specific household purpose are exempt from licensing requirements.
What is a domestic purpose? (Accept: Household/essential use)
Applications for short-term use must explicitly identify specific "PODs," an acronym standing for these locations where water is withdrawn.
What are Points of Diversion?
In BC's environmental sector, the professional designation "RPBio" stands for this legally protected title.
What is a Registered Professional Biologist?
This is the specific digital status assigned to an online water application once the applicant has paid their fees but before a regional reviewer or water manager formally begins the technical audit.
What is "Submitted"? (Accept: "Received" or "Pending Review")
Before making a decision on a licence or approval, decision-makers are legally mandated to consider this "need," defined as the volume and timing of flow required for a functioning aquatic ecosystem.
What is the Environmental Flow Need (EFN)?
A short-term use approval cannot authorize water storage in a structure governed by this specific regulation unless it is explicitly tied to a full water licence.
What is the Dam Safety Regulation?
This 1998 provincial framework is still used today to guide the collaborative management of water flows at BC Hydro facilities.
What are the Water Use Plan Guidelines? (or Water Use Planning)
This is the term most of us use for the eLicensing system.
Archaic / outdated / slow / horrible / needs funding / hated