Users of groundwater will require a water licence and will be required to pay water fees and rentals. The exception is that individual household wells throughout the province will not be licensed or charged.

Users of groundwater will also have the same access rights and responsibilities as individuals who obtain their water from surface sources. This includes assurance their rights are considered should any conflict over water uses arise. Groundwater and surface water are one interconnected resource and need to be managed as such. The new WSA allows for this.

Across Canada water rental rates vary considerably, for example, up to $70 per 1000m3 in Quebec and over $140 in Nova Scotia for some purposes.

B.C.’s new rental rates range from $0.02 to – $2.25 per 1000m3 and will continue to be among the lowest in the country, taking effect in 2016 when the new WSA comes into force.

Highlights of the new rate structure include:
◾Homeowners with wells will be exempt from licensing and fees.
◾Households supplied by municipal water systems may pay $1 to $2 more per year for their water.
◾Surface and groundwater users will pay the same fees.
◾Other examples of the new rate structure include: ◾The water required to irrigate 40 acres of hay in Kamloops will increase annually from about $90 to $128.
◾An Abbotsford farmer with 100 cows will see an annual licence fee change from $25 to $50.
◾A Langley 10 acre nursery farm currently paying $44 annually will increase to approximately $62.
◾Water bottling will be charged at the industrial rate of $2.25 per 1000m3—the highest rental rate in the new schedule.