Announcing Water Highway BC

Representatives of several industry associations have formed Water Highway BC (WHBC) to preserve and promote BC's water information highway – the water quantity (hydrometric), snow survey, weather and groundwater data needed to ensure public safety, economic development and water resource sustainability. WHBC is a non-profit, non-partisan society. For more information on WHBC and its mission, click on this link: WHBC Announcement

The WHBC is drawing attention to the immediate and serious funding crisis facing the BC/Canada hydrometric program and is endeavouring to promote active support that will ensure the ongoing viability of this essential data network. For more information, please contact the WHBC at waterboy@waterhighwaybc.org

WHBC has been created to counter a threatened 50% reduction (from 460 to 230 stations) to the BC/Canada hydrometric network and to promote a water information highway that meets the expanding public safety and economic development needs of British Columbia while protecting water resources. The support of organizations, companies and individuals that require water information and data to make important business decisions is needed to prevent reductions and improve water information availability and flow.

John Azar is a spokesperson for Water Highway BC. In an August 2005 interview by Stephen Hume, Vancouver Sun columnist, Azar elaborated on the economic implications of cutbacks in maintaining BC's water-related data-gathering network. “At a time of growing climate uncertainty, bad data leads to bad decisions. Guessing is not an intelligent strategy for planning the management and allocation of a resource upon which everything else in the economy rests.”

Posted Fall 2005