The BCER is upgrading the Northeast Water Tool (NEWT) and retiring the Water Portal to improve access to water information and support clear and timely decisions.
DATE ISSUED: July 17, 2026
EFFECTIVE DATE: July 31, 2026
The BC Energy Regulator (BCER) will upgrade the Northeast Water Tool (NEWT) effective July 31, 2026, and retire the Water Portal in August 2026.
This change supports the BCER’s ongoing work to modernize systems, strengthen technical capability and provide robust, predictable and transparent regulatory processes. Consolidating water information in NEWT will make it easier for applicants and other users to access decision-support tools while maintaining strong environmental oversight and public trust.
The upgraded NEWT will bring more water information into one place. It will:
- Add five modules: streamflow, surface water quality, groundwater quality, groundwater level and climate
- Continue to provide existing NEWT tools, including Watershed Reporting, the Groundwater Review Assistant and Cumulative Diversion Analysis
- Replace functions that were previously available through the Water Portal
Users should note that NEWT is limited to northeast B.C. and the BC Water Tool provides similar water information for other regions, including:
- Watershed reporting for the Skeena, Omineca, Cariboo and Kootenay Boundary regions
- Province-wide tools for streamflow, surface water quality, groundwater quality, groundwater level and climate
The Groundwater Review Assistant and Cumulative Diversion Analysis tools are unique to NEWT and are not available in the BC Water Tool.
Please notify Foundry Spatial if you encounter any technical issues with the new NEWT.
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
Jacqueline Howard, M.Sc., P.Geo., P.Ag.
Environmental Specialist
BC Energy Regulator
Jacqueline.Howard@bc-er.ca
250-419-4496