Ecojustice Files Suit To Close Loophole In B.C. Water Act

These approvals, issued under the province's Water Act, are typically used to permit water withdrawals for up to two years for short-term projects such as construction or roadwork.  Water usage beyond the two-year limit would require a water licence and the additional oversight such a licence entails.  Ecojustice says the Commission is "undermining BC's water management regime and allowing these companies to dewater northern BC" by repeatedly granting short-term approvals (in some cases) for up to five years.  Encana Corporation, one of B.C.'s natural gas players, is also named in the suit.