Source Water Protection for Nonmetropolitan Drinking Water Operators in British Columbia, Canada

Abstract

This case study research has been conducted in British Columbia’s Okanagan Valley. Situated in the southern interior of the province, the Okanagan Valley has experienced rapid expansion in agriculture and other resource activities as well as significant population growth since the mid-1900s. In response to new provincial drinking water regulations, local water operators in the Okanagan Valley have attempted to direct greater attention to drinking water source protection, the first barrier in the multi-barrier approach to clean drinking water. This paper examines constraints to source water protection from the perspective of nonmetropolitan drinking water operators. The results of this research indicate that many factors operate beyond the jurisdiction of local water operators in the Okanagan to constrain their ability to undertake effective source water protection. These results are not geographically unique to the Okanagan region but are representative of other nonmetropolitan areas throughout British Columbia.