Presentation by Water Resources Enginner Julia O'Shannassy delivered at Keepers of the Water VI in Fort Nelson, BC in September 2012.

1. Fort Nelson
First Nation’s Action:
Moving towards a Water
Management Plan
Julia O’Shannassy

2. Why Does Fort Nelson First Nation
Need a Water Management Plan?

3. Community Concerns
• Water levels and flows
– Transportation
– Hunting, fishing, trapping
• Water Quality
– Drinking water
– Fish and animal health
• Interactions with muskeg and wetlands

4. Increase in Industrial Activity
• Land use
– Well pads
– Roads
– Seismic Lines
• Water withdrawals
– Short-term Section 8 Approvals
– Water Licences

5. Changes to Land Use
2006 2012
Well Pads (km2) 0.23 31.9
Roads (km) 1,673 11,287
Seismic Lines (km) 91,490 168,970

7. Approved Water Withdrawals (m3/yr) by Sector
in FNFN Territory
Oil and Gas, 5,999,136
Industrial, 1,857,235
Waterworks, 1,791,228
Agriculture, 43,172 Domestic, 12,445 Institutional, 830

8. Water Withdrawals in FNFN Territory:
MOE Licences vs OGC Section 8 Approvals
MOE, 32
OGC, 402

9. Lack of Data within FNFN Territory
• Minimal Flow Data
– Fort Nelson River (inactive since 2004)
• Very Little Climate Data
– Fort Nelson Airport
• No Water Quality Data publicly available
• GeoscienceBC/HRBPG monitoring program
– Flow data
– Climate data

11. FNFN’s Development of a
Water Management Plan
• Watercourse Protection Areas
– Standard
– High
– Critical
• Mapped based on sensitivity and values
• Minimum standards expected for
development within each area

12. FNFN’s ideas for
Management Requirements
• Best Management Practices
– No heavy machinery within riparian zones (only hand
cutting)
– Using biodegradable fluids (i.e. chainsaw oil, hydraulic
fluids) within 50 m of watercourses
– Show attempts to reuse and recycle to minimize use of
fresh water
• Minimum requirements
– Data collection prior to approvals/licences
– Impact assessment (including cumulative impacts)
– Licence conditions
– Monitoring

13. Other Action by FNFN
• Appeal (under EAB) of a water withdrawal
licence for fracking
• Licenced withdrawal of 2.5 million m3/year
• Standing of FNFN is being challenged