PATH FORWARD FOR GROUNDWATER IN BRITISH COLUMBIA: “Unless it is legislated, it is not a priority for government,” states Mike Wei, former Deputy Comptroller of Water Rights
“Unless you have legislation that tells you what the important requirements are, it is very hard to go forward. Legislation drives scientific questions; in turn, science informs legislation. It is not a one-time thing, but rather iterative. The science forward approach which some academics advocate is a good idea but has practical challenges. One of the challenges with science forward is if it is not legislated, it is not a priority for government. Also, you do not know what the hydrologic values are going to be 30 years from now. So it is very hard to figure out what questions to ask,” stated Mike Wei.