In the British Columbia legislature, the Minister of Water, Land and Resource Stewardship said the plan is to eliminate the existing-use groundwater backlog completely “by next summer.” By the minister’s figures, 3,923 people were waiting for a groundwater licence, and 4,500 of 7,700 existing-use files, or 60 percent, had been cleared.
The ministry’s service plan, published in February 2026, sets the course: reduce the existing-use caseload to 2,000 files in 2026/27 and to zero in 2027/28. It had forecast 3,167 files for the end of 2025/26. The minister also said the proposed exemption for small non-domestic use would essentially clear the whole backlog.
Who it affects: BC farms, businesses and others with an existing-use groundwater application still waiting for a decision.
What hasn’t changed: Existing-use applicants who applied by March 1, 2022 can keep using groundwater while they wait for a decision, subject to any restrictions or orders that apply. A processed file is not necessarily a licence granted.
Source: Hansard, Tuesday, May 5, 2026, Afternoon, Issue No. 173; Ministry of Water, Land and Resource Stewardship, 2026/27–2028/29 Service Plan (PDF) · checked October 2, 2026
Updates: June 2026: The Province’s groundwater newsletter reported about 4,500 existing-use applications processed as of May 2026, and a target of finishing all of them by summer 2027 (Update on groundwater, June 2026).
August 2026: The ministry’s annual report gave the objective as completing the backlog review by July 1, 2027, focusing on applications received in 2022 or earlier (2025/26 Annual Service Plan Report).
October 2, 2026: The Province’s economy page, last updated September 10, 2026, says B.C. “has cleared the backlog for provincial housing permits and existing use groundwater applications.” It gives no date, count, or source, and the ministry’s reports above point to 2027. The Wire has not confirmed that the backlog is cleared (Building B.C.’s economy stronger together).