Ninety one per cent of British Columbians believe freshwater is the province’s most precious resource, according to a poll released Monday by the Vancouver Foundation and WWF-Canada.
In the poll, conducted by McAllister Opinion Research, 94% of British Columbians say they want protection of nature, wildlife and species made a top priority in new provincial water rules.
The poll was conducted to raise awareness about proposed reforms to the century-old Water Act.
While the majority of respondents in the poll favoured new rules to protect B.C.'s freshwater ecosystems, 84% were unaware the province is currently pursuing reforms of the Water Act.
"These poll results confirm public support for the protection of freshwater resources and we encourage the government to ensure this important legacy for the people of B.C.," said Tony Maas, WWF-Canada’s freshwater program director, in a release.
A slight majority of poll respondents said B.C.’s levels of water use today are sustainable. However, two out of three British Columbians believe the rules currently governing water use are not enough to protect against future threats to availability.
More than 90% of respondents support stricter rules for managing industrial and municipal water use and rules giving water rights based on the needs of communities rather than first rights of access.
Respondents were in favour of rules requiring commercial enterprises to obtain licences for groundwater use (89%), and rules requiring active monitoring and reporting of all water use by industry and municipalities (91%).
"A small number of countries are leading the way by including nature's needs in water management laws,” said Maas. “We think there's a great opportunity here for British Columbia to take the lead on water policy nationally and globally – by legally protecting water for nature."