Solutions

Strengthening watershed security is how we change course. When we restore watershed health, invest in the people who care for them, modernize local governance, and improve collaborative monitoring to guide confident decision-making—and when we truly value water as the vital public resource it is—we create resilient communities and a water-secure future for B.C.

Right now, the Watershed Security Coalition is advancing the following solutions:

Investments

Momentum for watershed security has been building—driven by First Nations, Mayors, farmers, stewardship organizations, and innovative businesses—but the capacity to plan, manage, and restore watersheds is declining just as the pressures are accelerating. The risks are no longer theoretical. Without investments in healthy watersheds, BC faces serious consequences for food security, public health, housing, tourism, emergency preparedness, and local economies.

Workforce

The watershed workforce in BC, the  people restoring and managing our watersheds, is a critical economic engine supporting more than 47,000 direct and indirect jobs, and generating $5 billion annually in GDP. This is the work that allows the rest of the BC economy and communities to flourish. The Watershed workforce includes restoration, monitoring, climate planning, and urban water management—real, local jobs that build resilience and support economic growth

Watershed Boards

B.C. is one of the few provinces without a system of local watershed governance. Decisions about B.C.’s watersheds are fragmented, managed in silos rather than at the right scale, by the people who know their watersheds best. Local watershed boards would change that, leveraging local expertise and equipping communities with the tools and resources to solve water challenges in their home  watersheds. And 74% of British Columbians support the creation of local watershed boards in their cities and towns.