Water Protection Act ([RSBC 1996] Chapter 484).

The purpose of this Act, as stated in section 2, is to "foster sustainable use of British Columbia's water resources in continuation of the objectives of conserving and protecting the environment". In brief, the Act provides for the maintenance of a register for continuing water removal with two categories of registration, "licensed" and "unlicensed". The former category is defined and regulated by sections 10 and 11 whereas the latter by sections 12 to 16 (dispositions, transfer and apportionment). Section 5 prohibits the removal, in any manner, of water from BC, with certain exceptions. Section 6 prohibits the large scale transfer of water between major watersheds. The remaining sections deal with offences and inspection powers.