In the previous chapter, we emphasized the importance of integrated land-use management processes. However, these are not the only ways in which the provincial government can protect drinking-water sources. There are also a number of processes that regulate specific land uses and, as a by-product of that activity, provide specific protections to drinking water. We report on the most important of these processes in this chapter.
Many human activities have some potential to affect drinking-water sources.
Our first task was to determine which activities have the potential to materially affect drinking-water sources in British Columbia. We concluded that a number of human activities are important in this province, in terms of their potential impact. The following discussion focuses on the management of these activities on Crown land. During our audit, we learned of several other activities that could affect the quality of drinking-water sources, but we were unable to obtain sufficient information to reach a firm conclusion about their importance. We discuss these activities briefly at the end of this chapter.