Therefore it is not possible to say simply that natural resources (particularly water) are a provincial matter in the Canada, in light of the federal government’s roles in agriculture, navigation, fisheries, and First Nations affairs, and its ability to offer funding to provinces for following federal guidelines in other matters. As one interviewee characterized both the prospects for confusion and the need for intergovernmental coordination, the fish in the water are federal fish and the boats in the water are federal boats but the water is provincial water.

The distribution of authority and responsibility between the provincial and federal governments is compounded by the horizontal distribution of water-related responsibilities within each government. Environment Canada (EC) and the Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO) are the principal federal agencies involved in water resources management. EC compiles water quality and quantity data and sets water quality guidelines. DFO is involved in management and protection of anadromous fish stocks and their habitats, and operates or promotes stock enhancement plans and habitat protection programs. Other federal agencies with responsibilities that often affect water resources are the Department of Canadian Heritage, which coordinates the federalprovincial Heritage Rivers program (the Fraser is one), and Infrastructure Canada which provides matching funds for investment in projects that may include municipal water and wastewater treatment plants.

Three provincial ministries in British Columbia have significant roles in the planning, management, and protection of water resources, environmental quality, and public health. The Ministry of Water, Land and Air Protection (MWLAP) regulates and protects water quality and quantity through monitoring and source water protection efforts. The Ministry of Sustainable Resource Management is the lead agency at the provincial level for planning, policy development, and information provision regarding the sustainable economic development of Crown land and water resources,<sup>6</sup> and undertakes strategic planning regarding the long-term management and protection of natural resources in the province. The Ministry of Health Services regulates drinking water quality delivered to the public (although MWLAP has responsibility for protecting drinking water sources).

Provincial government in British Columbia also delegates vital responsibilities to local governments (primarily municipalities and regional districts) for drinking water treatment and distribution, and wastewater collection, treatment, and disposal. In British Columbia, local governments that are potentially relevant to water resources include incorporated municipalities (cities, districts, towns, and villages), regional districts, and special purpose improvement districts. Local government revenues are derived primarily from property taxes and intergovernmental grants from the provincial government.

Overall, water resource management in British Columbia involves all orders of government—federal, provincial, local, and First Nations—and involves many agencies and organizations (Table 1). There are by one count 13 government agencies involved in some aspect of drinking water management in British Columbia, with cross-agency meetings convened from time to time by personnel at the Ministry of Health Services.

> 6 The vast majority of land and natural resources (including water) in British Columbia is owned by the government, and available for private development and use under terms of rental or lease.

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