Do I need a licence for my project?

If you answer YES to ANY of these 19 questions your undertaking will likely require a water licence. 

IWB Step-by-Step Licencing Process and Flowchart

Direct Use of Water

1. Is this a municipality or camp use of water that exceeds a volume of 50m3 per day?
2. Is this a power generating facility that will use water for electrical generation (hydro or geothermal)?
3. Is this a mine or mill that will use water for:
   1. Milling?
   2. Leaching?
   3. Other uses at a volume greater than 100m3 per day?

Note that disposal of minewater constitutes a use or a waste depending on the circumstances. In either case a licence may be required.

4. Is there any other use of water greater than 100m3 per day?

Instream Water Activities Within a Watercourse

5. Are permanent instream flood control structures part of the undertaking?
6. Does the undertaking include the diversion of a watercourse that is greater than two (2) metres wide at the ordinary high water mark at the point of diversion?
7. Does the undertaking include alteration of the flow, or storage, or water by means of dams or dykes?
8. Will there be a watercourse crossing (e.g. pipeline, bridge or road) where a watercourse is greater than five metres wide at the ordinary high water mark at the point of crossing?

Deposit of Waste

9. Does the undertaking involve placer mining or gravel washing?
10. Will there be any direct or indirect deposit of waste (including mine water) to surface waters from mining or ore milling?
11. Will there be any deposit of municipal waste from a sewage collection or treatment system serving more than 50 people?
12. Will there be any deposit of waste from a camp or lodge with a capacity for more than 50 people per day, or any direct of indirect deposit of waste to surface waters?
13. Will there be any deposit of waste in conjunction with oil and gas exploration or oil and gas production, refining or processing?
14. Will there be any deposit of waste in conjunction with hydrostatic testing and/or cleaning of used storage tanks and/or pipelines?
15. Will there be any deposit of cooling water that contains biocides or conditioners?
16. Will there be any direct or indirect deposit of waste to surface waters from any other industrial undertaking?

Effects on Existing Users and the Environment

17. Will this undertaking interfere with existing rights of other water users or waste depositors?
18. Will this undertaking have a potential for significant adverse environmental effects?

Watercourse Training

Watercourse training includes channel and bank alterations, placement or removal of culverts, spurs, erosion control, dredging and artificial accretion. A water licence is required if the answer to any of the questions posed in item 19 (below) is “yes”.

19. Is the watercourse continuous (i.e. water in it year round) and does it satisfy one or more of the criteria below:
    1. Is the watercourse greater than 5 metres wide at the ordinary high water mark?
    2. Does the undertaking involve drilling or infilling of a water course that has no inflow or outflow and a surface area greater than 0.5 hectares as measured during open water?
    3. Does the undertaking involve removal (dredging) of greater than 100m3 of material?
    4. Does the undertaking involve infilling of greater than 100m3 of material into a watercourse (i.e. for boat docks or wharfs)?
    5. Is the cross sectional area of the watercourse significantly changed at the point of removal or placement of material?

Click here to learn more about the applications process.