1. Municipal Consent: I…

1. Municipal Consent: I support this change, but the consent does not extend to smaller takings. I believe the municipality should have authority over all water takings. And on water takings, I would go so far as to propose that the taking of water for for bottling and selling should be banned altogether.

2. Prioritizing Water Uses: The proposal lists environmental needs as a high priority, but the science report indicates that assessing environmental needs is a difficult, complex problem. It expresses the need for improvement in understanding the cumulative effects of total water takings on surface water, groundwater, and deep aquifers over the long term.It expresses the need to better understand the environmental flows of rivers and streams. The report also expresses the need for improvement in how to prepare and manage water takings during a drought. Funding for research and expertise should be provided to better inform decisions about permits.

3. Managing Takings on an Area Basis: This a good idea, but groundwater and surface water management should still be continued on a watershed scale, under conservation authorities and those authorities should also inform those decisions for water taking on an area basis.

4. Transparency: This is an excellent idea.