Water use planning in BC as a form of re-licensing

The need to improve the process by which public input is incorporated into water-use planning in British Columbia is discussed. BC Hydro produces 80 per cent of the energy in the province, 95 per cent of which is hydro generated. The operation of the hydro-electric facilities inevitably impacts other watershed resources. BC Hydro holds 88 water licenses on 27 rivers for storage, diversion and generation. Many of the licenses were granted before 1962, all of which carry conditional clauses. Only four contain sunset clauses. In response to public pressure after recent flood events, BC Hydro has worked to develop a Water Use Planning process for voluntarily carrying out a public review of all licenses. The process allows fisheries agencies to examine the costs and benefits of changing system operations and to make informed decisions on the balance between power and non-power values