Registration in the BCER’s Corporate Registry is now mandatory for applicants and licence holders of Water Sustainability Act Section 9 Water Licences for the purpose of water sales with authorized or proposed volumes greater than or equal to 15,000 m³/year.
This requirement supports streamlined data submission and reporting of licensed water withdrawals. Timely and accurate data is essential for monitoring compliance with licence conditions, understanding basin-level water demand, and ensuring industry withdrawals remain within sustainable limits that protect and prioritize ecological health and community needs. Each year, the amount of water withdrawn by industry in northeast B.C. is a fraction of a per cent of the region’s mean annual runoff.
The BCER publishes quarterly water use summary statistics, which are available on the Reports page. For more information about our water management program, visit our Water Management page or view the Water Use in Oil & Gas Activities video.
Applicants and licence holders who meet the above criteria and are not already in the Corporate Registry must complete registration. For guidance on account creation, please refer to the Permit Operations and Administration Manual; for guidance on obtaining security roles, please refer to the Online Systems Accounts page.
Requirements for Applicants (New and Pending Applications)
To ensure timely decisions, applicants with proposed water sales volumes ≥ 15,000 m³/year who are not registered must complete registration as soon as possible. Application decisions will not be made until registration is complete.
Requirements for Existing Licence Holders
Current holders of valid water sales licences with approved water sales volumes ≥15,000 m³/year who are not yet registered must do so within six months of the date of this notice. In addition to this general notice, individual notifications will be sent directly to non-registered licence holders.
Failure to register may impact licence holders’ ability to meet forthcoming electronic reporting requirements.
Future Reporting Requirements
Registration in the Corporate Registry is required to support electronic submission of water licence withdrawal volume reporting.
Electronic reporting will become mandatory on April 1, 2026, for all licence holders with water sales volumes ≥ 15,000 m³/year. Additional details and guidance on these changes will be available in early 2026.
If you have any questions regarding this Technical Update, please contact:
Ryan Rolick, M.Sc., P.Geo.
Hydrologist
BC Energy Regulator
Ryan.Rolick@bc-er.ca
250-794-5213
For media inquiries please contact: communications@bc-er.ca