Since 1970 the number of restrictions registered against streams in British Columbia has increased more than 2.5 times. Publications Links Feedback Status and trends in stream restrictions are indicative of the intensity of water use, pressures on water supply and intensity of water management. Clean, healthy and safe land, water and air for all living things, and provision of social, economic and outdoor recreation opportunities consistent with maintaining a naturally diverse and healthy environment. BC Ministry of Environment, Lands and Parks, November 1999. Bars represent cumulative totals by decade.
Restrictions apply to all water upstream of the restriction.
When the demand for water licences exceeds the capacity of a water supply, the provincial government places restrictions on the further use of that water body. The number of restrictions registered against streams in British Columbia was seven times higher in the 1990s than the1960s. The dramatic increase in restrictions in recent decades indicates the increase in the number of streams that are reaching capacity for water use. Nelson, Kamloops, Victoria, Cariboo andVernon. Stream restrictions are used as a management tool to ensure that water supply in the province is maintained.