Investing in watershed security must define B.C.’s future

Kat Hartwig and Nicole Trigg, Living Lakes Canada. October 12, 2024. Original article.

As the 2024 B.C. Election approaches, there is a lot of debate dedicated to party platforms and campaign promises. Among the trending topics of concern – the economy and the cost of living, housing and health care, and the contentious carbon tax – there’s one underlying issue critical to the rest: the concept of watershed security.

Watershed security involves protecting the health of watersheds, which are vital for clean water, flood control, groundwater recharge, biodiversity, agriculture, recreation, and overall well-being. Healthy watersheds are key to a prosperous B.C.

But climate change is wreaking havoc on B.C. watersheds. And this reality is here to stay until the global community gets a grip on planet-warming emissions. Atmospheric rivers and out-of-control wildfires can cause catastrophic damage; heat domes and intense drought negatively impact human and ecosystem health. Combine intensifying climate impacts with unsustainable land-use practices (e.g. clearcut logging in a drought-stricken area) and the result is devastating.

The 2024 State of the Climate report published by Oxford University grimly states that Planet Earth is “on the brink of an irreversible climate disaster… a global emergency beyond any doubt.”

A survey of B.C. residents conducted earlier this year on behalf of Organizing for Change found that 76% of B.C. residents are concerned about climate change. In a regional poll about groundwater — a vital freshwater source that is facing increasing demand as climate change stresses surface water supplies — Living Lakes Canada found that 88.8% of Columbia Basin respondents were concerned or very concerned, with drinking water and ecosystem health concerns topping the list.

As the world grapples with the transition to a low-carbon future amid rising inflation and climate uncertainty, the road ahead is challenging and can seem overwhelming. The good news in British Columbia is that countless individuals, organizations and First Nations are working together to protect and restore local watersheds and their natural functions. However, the long-term success of this watershed security work is dependent on political will and sustained funding.

In recent years, the B.C. government has made significant progress through initiatives like the 2021 Healthy Watershed Initiative and subsequent watershed investments totalling $57 million that funded close to 150 progressive projects across the province.

The creation of the Ministry of Water, Land, and Resource Stewardship was a much-needed development that moved healthy watershed management out from under the Ministry of Forests, and the establishment of B.C.’s first Watershed Security Fund as an endowment fund in Budget 2023 with an initial $100 million investment was a progressive step, but the buck can’t stop there.

The annual baseline budget for grants and programs that this fund will generate is $3-5 million, a paltry sum compared to the $11.2 billion investment over three years that Budget 2023 allocated for new health-care infrastructure.

Watersheds are natural infrastructure that require substantial funding support just like health-care infrastructure. Investing in watershed protection is a critical component of societal well-being. For example, Living Lakes Canada used the 2021-2022 provincial funding to launch a monitoring network guided by local Indigenous and non-Indigenous community priorities in under-monitored areas across the B.C. Columbia Basin.

Today, 144 monitoring sites are collecting important water and climate data to inform local adaptation strategies and water management planning for rural communities. A water mapping resource, using this data, accelerated the response time in the fight to save the community of Argenta from an out-of-control wildfire in July.

Without sustained funding, this invaluable community-based monitoring network risks becoming a stranded asset, leaving its full potential untapped.

Living Lakes Canada is calling on all candidates in the 2024 BC Election to sign the non-partisan Watershed Security Pledge (www.watershedsecurity.ca/pledge) organized by the BC Watershed Security Coalition.

By signing the pledge, candidates commit to advocating for two actions: empowering local watershed management at the community level, and increasing funding for watershed security to equip local communities with the jobs, tools and resources they need to protect their watersheds. According to the BC Watershed Security Coalition, a $1-billion fund, supported by provincial, federal, private and philanthropic investments would provide $75 to $100 million annually, required to make real progress on healing our watersheds.

You can find out if your local candidates have committed to being champions for watershed security in B.C. by visiting the pledge tracker webpage. Thank those who have, and ask those who haven’t to sign.

We all need to work together to ensure healthy, functioning watersheds — our future depends on it.

Lead image:  Hydrometric monitoring on Assiniboine Creek, part of Living Lakes Canada’s CBWMF network, is helping to advance watershed security in southeastern B.C. LLC Photos