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Archival description
British Columbia. Water Rights Branch
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Register of appurtenancy, Princeton Water District

  • GR-3490
  • Series
  • [ca. 1889-1928]

Series consists of a register of water rights appurtenant for the Princeton Water District. The register was used to compile a list of water licences and rights assigned to individuals and properties. The register entries cover the years 1889 to 1928 but many of those entries were entered retroactively.

The register includes the following data fields:

Water rights map number
Parcel number
File and priority
Licence
Stream, Reservoir and Intakes
Diversion storage or carriage
Beginning, resuming and completing works
Purpose other than irrigation with quantity
Plans approved
Remarks.

There is an index at the front of the volume that is arranged by lot number.

British Columbia. Water Rights Branch

Numerical register of water licence approvals

  • GR-3491
  • Series
  • 1960-1981

Series consists of a register of water approvals. The register begins in 1960 following the passage of the 1960 Water Act (SBC 1960, c. 60). This act allowed the Comptroller of Water Rights, under certain conditions, to approve the diversion and/or use of water without issuing a licence.

The register entries cover the years 1960 to 1981 and is arranged numerically by the approval number.. The register includes the following data fields:

File number
Applicant
Source of water
Purpose (short term use or changes in a stream)
Date received
Approval number
Water district
Date approval issued

British Columbia. Water Rights Branch

Water licence application registers

  • GR-3492
  • Series
  • 1962-1988

Series consists of a registers of water licence applications. The Water Rights Branch created two type of registers: the first is a numerical list of applications (1959-1982) and the second is a list of applications arranged by the water district (1962-1988). These registers allowed the staff to track water applications both chronologically and by region.

The numeric register is arranged by the approval number. The register includes the following data fields:

File number
Applicant
District
Noted
D.E.R.
Sent
Due
Received
Disposition

The geographic registers have sections for each water district. The information is arranged in these sections and then by the file number. The data in the registers is roughly the same for all years with the exception of some fields that have changed. These fields include:

File number
Applicant
Source
Place of user
Purpose
Diversion
Priority
Licence number
Remarks./Disposition
Engineer’s report
Category
Date

British Columbia. Water Rights Branch

Water recorder files

  • GR-3493
  • Series
  • 1905-1955

Series consists of water records created by water recorders at the Alberni Water District and Golden Water District. The water recorders were usually a Government Agent so some of the records have been stamped by the Government Agent stamp.

Records include copies of cancelled final and conditional licences from the Alberni District and water notices that provide information about water applications.

British Columbia. Water Rights Branch

Golden and Revelstoke water rights maps

  • GR-3541
  • Series
  • 1916

The records consist of the 33 water rights maps. The maps have been stamped by the Water Rights Branch on December 28, 1916.

The maps are in a large volume that was originally held by the Dominion Lands Office (Golden Sub Agency) of the Canadian Government’s Dept. of the Interior. These maps were likely used by this office as part of the Dept. of Interior’s management of the Railway Belt. This volume was subsequently returned to the Water Rights Branch since they are similar to other water rights maps held by the branch.

The maps are arranged in blocks of numbers that relate to the water district and the water precinct. These numbers, and the water districts are as follows:

2700 to 2823 Golden Water District
7505 to 7655 Revelstoke Water District.

The Golden Water District records include maps from the Spillimacheen Precinct, Golden Precinct, Donald Precinct, and The Revelstoke Water District records include maps from the Arrowhead Precinct, Camborne Precinct, Revelstoke Precinct and Illecillewaet Precinct.

Series includes the following map numbers:

2700
2701
2702
2703
2730
2731
2732
2733
2760
2761
2762
2763
2764
2765
2766
2767
2823
7505
7506
7530
7532
7533
7620
7621
7622
7623
7624
7650
7651
7652
7653
7654
7655

The cover of the volume states that this is a record of the Golden Sub Agency of the Dominion Lands Office of the Canadian Government Dept. of the Interior. It is not clear how this volume may have been used by the Dept. of Interior since each map is stamped by the Water Rights Branch. The Dept. of the Interior was responsible for managing the Railway Belt.

British Columbia. Water Rights Branch

Nelson water district records

  • GR-3587
  • Series
  • 1897-1966

The series consists of water grant registers and water licence registers. The records were created between 1897 and 1966 to record applications to use water. All records relate to the West Kootenay water region.

The series contains two subseries. The first subseries consists of water registers that were created between 1897 and 1908 following the passage of the 1897 Water Clauses Consolidation Act (SBC 1897, c. 45). This act assigned responsibility to gold commissioners to record water applications and licences and also outlined the process by which gold commissioners were to maintain a “book of record of water rights.”

This subseries contains four “record of water grants” volumes from 1897 to 1908 that were created by the gold commissioners from Nelson, Rossland and Kaslo. The commissioners used these books to create a certified copy of the licence for the applicant as well as to create an official government copy. There is also an 1897-1908 register that indexes the first two registers. Many of the register entries have written notations that list the date that a licence was cancelled.

The second subseries consists of water licence application registers created by the Nelson office of the Water Rights Branch. The 1909 Water Act (SBC 1909, c. 48) transferred the responsibility for the management of water licences to regional water commissioners. The post 1908 registers were created by the Nelson Water Commissioner and provide a list of approved water licences. The records are arranged chronologically and each application was assigned a sequential number.

British Columbia. Gold Commissioner (Nelson)

Surveyor's notebooks

  • GR-3719
  • Series
  • 1910-1963

The series consists primarily of small, hard-cover notebooks used for recording data in the field during hydrographic survey projects. It also consists of envelopes containing various textual and cartographic records. The purpose of the records was to document information recorded by Water Management Branch field surveyors when they completed hydrographic surveys. Information was used as reference material in preparation of topographical maps. Also recorded was information relating to projects completed by the Water Branch (such as irrigation projects). Also recorded was information of the time regarding claims and claimants to water rights. The records may have a high degree of long-range research value.

Many of the field books contain data for so many different geographic locations, it was impossible to list or reflect each location in the file titles.

Relevant information is to be found in many Dept. of Lands, Water Rights Branch annual reports, where the background and execution of the hydrographic surveys around the province are discussed. See for example the Sessional Papers of British Columbia, Session 1913, pgs. D 107 to D 222.

British Columbia. Water Rights Branch

Records regarding the construction of Coquitlam Dam

  • GR-3964
  • Series
  • 1909-1916

This series consists of records related to the construction of a new dam at Coquitlam Lake Dam by Vancouver Power Co. Ltd., 1909-1916. Records cover the study and survey of Coquitlam Lake, and attaining approvals for plans, construction, and water use for producing electricity and as a municipal water supply. Records include correspondence, engineering reports and environmental reports.

At the time of construction, Coquitlam Lake was part of the Railway Belt and under the jurisdiction of the dominion government. All records are copies from Canadian Department of the Interior file 656216 nos. 3, 4, 5. The metal pin holding the file together was removed for conservation purposes and the records placed in archival folders. The copied file was likely provided to the Provincial Water Rights Branch for reference around the end of the file in 1913. There are also several loose pages of original records from the BC Comptroller of Water Rights, labelled with file number 8987 dating from 1913 to 1916.

British Columbia. Water Rights Branch

Improvement district letters patent and bylaw register files

  • GR-3978
  • Series
  • 1922 - 2011

The series consists of improvement district letters patent and bylaw register files, 1922-2011. These records document the creation and dissolution of improvement districts, the approval and registration of their bylaws, and provincial government advice and support. Letters patent are the legal instruments for incorporating improvement districts in BC. They establish the name, boundary, services, voting procedures, and other fundamental aspects of each improvement district. Supplementary letters patent cover changes to improvement district boundaries, services, or the number of trustees. Improvement districts were initially created under the Water Act (SBC 1914, c. 81) to provide water and irrigation services to their residents. From 1914 to 1979, administrative responsibility for most improvement districts resided with the Office of the Comptroller of Water Rights (Water Rights Branch). In 1956, responsibility for improvement districts that provided fire protection came under the Dept. of Municipal Affairs, 1934-1976. The Ministry of Municipal Affairs (1978-1986) assumed administrative responsibility for all improvement districts in 1979 with the enactment of the Municipal Act (RSBC 1979, c. 290). This administrative responsibility continues under the Local Government Act (RSBC 2015, c. 1) with the following ministries: Municipal Affairs and Transit, 1986; Municipal Affairs, 1986-1988; Municipal Affairs, Recreation, and Culture, 1988-1991; Municipal Affairs, Recreation, and Housing, 1991-1993; Municipal Affairs, 1993-1996; Municipal Affairs and Housing,1996-1998; Municipal Affairs, 1998-2001; Community, Aboriginal, and Women’s Services, 2001-2005; Community Services, 2005-2008; and Community Development, 2008-2009. Regional districts, introduced in 1965, provide many of the services once provided by improvement districts so new improvement districts will not likely be created. All improvement district bylaws are filed with the ministry and some require registration with the Inspector of Municipalities before taking effect. Others do not require registration, taking effect upon adoption by the trustees of the improvement district.

The records include correspondence, indexes, letters patent and supplementary letters patent, orders in council, approval certificates, and maps. They are arranged alphabetically by improvement district name; some of the records also contain an improvement district number and code. The records were classified under 52000-40 (improvement district letters patent files) of the Local Government Services ORCS, 2006 (schedule 126379).

British Columbia. Water Rights Branch

Water volume runoff forecasting files

  • GR-4241
  • Series
  • 1919-1983

This series consists of water volume runoff forecasting files created by the Water Rights Branch and its successor, the Water Management Branch. Data in the files on water flow and water volume was collected from 1919-1983, but the majority of the records were created from around 1936-1977. Records relate to forecasting river flows and water levels during floods or times of drought. They cover major rivers, reservoirs and lakes from around the province. Records include reports, studies, data, charts, histograms, working notes, and information on the equations and procedures used to create forecasts.

The records are primarily arranged by file code, which correspondence to a particular geographical location and/or study. Records without file codes are arranged alphabetically by the name of the body of water.

These records can be scheduled under Environment ORCS 35250-70.

British Columbia. Water Management Branch

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