British Columbia Drought and Water Scarcity Response Plan (Updated May 2021).

The British Columbia Drought and Water Scarcity Response Plan (Updated May 2021) (the Plan) is the 2021 edition of the British Columbia Drought and Water Scarcity Response Plan 2010; this updated edition includes considerable changes to drought level definitions and criteria to better align with federal and North American drought monitoring frameworks, and more accurately describe the severity of water scarcity in an area. The Plan is intended primarily to guide the actions of staff in provincial government agencies, but also provides general recommended actions for federal government agencies, local governments, Indigenous governments, and water licensees under the Water Sustainability Act (WSA). Responsibilities are discussed under Part 2.
The Plan focuses primarily on hydrological drought and water scarcity response (Part 4): the actions taken preceding, during and immediately following a hydrological drought to reduce its impacts. The Part Plan: describes drought indicators, the six provincial drought levels and recommended actions; includes Drought Indicators Criteria used to determine which provincial drought level is in effect, and an overview of actions that should be taken by different levels of government and water users.
The plan regulates as well drought preparedness (actions taken before a drought to increase the level of readiness by all parties, Part 3) but it is not its primary focus. Issues around drought preparedness and water conservation during normal conditions are addressed in several other provincial government policies and guidelines. Part 5 concerns Post-drought Actions.