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Record Series: CM/S5 - S7
Name: WATER RIGHTS PLANS
Date Range: 1892 - 1981
Extent: 6,173 sheets; sizes and scales differ; includes original
manuscripts (pencil and ink on linen, paper, or mylar), blueprints, diazo prints, and lithographs.
Creator(s): 1910 - 1912 Department of Lands.
1912 - 1962 Department of Lands. Water Rights Branch.
1962 - 1975 Department of Lands, Forests, and Water Resources. Water Resources Service. Water Rights Branch.
1975 - 1979 Ministry of Environment. Water Rights Branch.
1979 - 1981 Ministry of Environment. Water Management Branch.
Source: Ministry of Environment. Water Management Branch.
Introduction: Throughout its existence, the Water Rights Branch
(WRB) acquired and created a large central set of plans, maps, and engineering drawings which was assigned a single set of sequential water rights plan numbers. Over time, the original plan series was divided into separate sub- series for the use of particular operational units. The topics documented in the series and in each sub- series are discussed in the scope and contents notes below. The plans are listed in plan number and water rights district order in the series list which follows this overview. The structure and contents of this list are explained in the arrangement section below.
Scope and Content: The water rights plans series documents a
broad range of WRB activities. It includes: plans and engineering drawings submitted to the WRB by individuals, corporations, and municipalities as part of their applications for water licences or for approval of works; survey plans and maps prepared by WRB field engineers and regional engineers in support of licensing activities, irrigation studies, water power investigations and dam inspections; general reference maps used by WRB staff; and a variety of charts, graphs, and other items used for WRB functions such as stream measurement and precipitation monitoring.
Taken as a whole, this series constitutes a wealth of often highly detailed cartographic information on regions and communities throughout British Columbia- - information which in many cases is not available elsewhere. Of particular interest are early large- scale maps and plans which provide extensive topographic information and vegetation notes for many areas of B.C. well before those areas were covered by standard topographic maps, including areas which were later flooded due to dam construction. As well, some of the early plans of towns and of agricultural, commercial, and industrial sites include such detailed cultural and cadastral information as the location and identity of buildings and the names of property owners affected by proposed water projects. And of course, the series contains invaluable documentation of specific major hydro- electric, irrigation, and waterworks projects in the form of site plans and engineering (structural) drawings. The series' value is enhanced by the fact that many of the items contain numbers which can be used to link the items with related records such as water records, conditional and final licences; correspondence files, water rights and reference maps, field notes, and a variety of reports. Related cartographic records held by BC ARCHIVES include the Water Rights Reference Maps Series (CM/S3) and the first and second series of the Water Rights Maps (CM/B1575 and CM/S4).
The water rights plans received by BC ARCHIVES consist of three main sub- series that have been separated from the plans held at the Water Management Branch. To a large extent the topics and document types described above are found in all of the sub- series but each sub- series does exhibit certain characteristics which reflect its provenance.
Water Rights Plans - - First Sub- Series (CM/S5)
1892 - 1981. 1,494 Sheets.
These plans consist of items removed from the main body of plans and transferred to BC ARCHIVES in 1981. The sub- series contains many of the items received and produced by the main draughting office of the WRB in support of the Branch's investigation of early water records and administration of the licensing provisions of the Water Act. Included are sketch maps produced during the pre- 1920 hydrographic surveys conducted for the Board of Investigation; contoured maps and plans accompanying the early surveys and reports of the regional engineers; detailed townsite plans showing proposed domestic waterworks; numerous items relating to major irrigation projects; and a wide variety of plans and drawings pertaining to proposed works such as flumes, ditches, pipelines, power installations, and dams.
Water Rights Plans - - Second Sub- Series (CM/S6)
1911 - 1979. 2,754 Sheets.
This sub- series is comprised of items transferred from the WRB main draughting office to the WRB Power and Special Projects Division sometime after 1975. The Division was responsible for administering major water licences for hydro- electric power (including approval of plans, inspection of works during construction, and review of environmental studies); directing the operation of reservoirs for flood control; inspecting dams; and conducting a range of studies. Consequently, this sub- series contains numerous contour plans of reservoirs, drainage areas, and flood areas; plans, profiles and engineering drawings of proposed dams, constructed dams, power plants, and transmission line routes; and various detailed drawings of specific machine parts. The sub- series was transferred to BC ARCHIVES in 1981 from the Power and Special Projects Division.
Water Rights Plans - - Third Sub- Series (CM/S7)
1899 - 1960. 1,925 Sheets.
These plans were removed from the main run of plans and transferred to the technical draughting section of the Water Investigations Branch (WIB). The WIB was formed in 1962 and given the responsibility for conducting water resources surveys: that is, for gathering hydrometeorological data and for undertaking engineering investigations pertaining to irrigation and domestic water supply, water power, stream erosion, flooding, and other concerns. Included are large numbers of plans prepared to accompany specific, numbered, water power investigation reports; plans of irrigation systems; river profiles and watershed plans; and hydrographs. Of special note is the sub- series' documentation of watersheds prior to dam construction and its depictions of coastal areas, including cannery sites. The sub- series was transferred to BC ARCHIVES in 1984 from the Technical Draughting Section of the Water Management Branch.
Arrangement: Although the Water Rights Plans consist of three
distinct sub- series, a single comprehensive list of the items has been compiled for the convenience of researchers. In part one of this series list, the item descriptions are arranged sequentially according to the water rights plan numbers. In part two, the list is sorted geographically, according to the water rights districts in existence at the time the various items were filed.
Researchers should note that the BC ARCHIVES series list is based primarily on the original Water Rights Branch plan registers
(see BC ARCHIVES reel B1949 for a microfilm copy) rather than on the items themselves. The dates given in the list are the dates of filing and the descriptions presented are close (but not exact) transcriptions of the descriptions in the registers. The registers also often contain information not transcribed into in the BC ARCHIVES list such as the plan origins, creator names, material types, and numbers identifying related records. The creator names, in particular, can sometimes be used to link the plans with other records produced by the same creator such as the early regional engineers' reports published in the annual reports of the WRB.
Since the water rights plan numbers were assigned sequentially, part one of the BC ARCHIVES series list is in chronological order. However, a single plan number often covers numerous individual items and the date of the items themselves sometimes does not match the date of filing. Similarly, the descriptions usually refer to the items originally filed under a given plan number. In some cases not all of the items pertaining to a number were transferred to BC ARCHIVES and in a few cases it appears that the original items filed under a given number were replaced by later plans pertaining to the same general topic. Therefore, while the list usually provides researchers with a strong indication of the types of items found under a plan number, it is necessary to consult the items themselves, using the call numbers provided in the list, in order to determine the precise nature of their contents.
The items are physically arranged in call number order within each of the sub- series. Separate lists of each sub- series can be made available, but the sub- series origin of any particular item in the main list can be readily determined by consulting the item's call number against the chart at the beginning of the list.
SERIES LIST
WATER RIGHTS PLANS
CM/S5 - CM/S7
Page 7 Part One: List of Items in Water Rights Plan Number Order
Page 100 Part Two: List of Items Sorted by Water Rights District
Page 194 Part Three: Title List of Unnumbered Items
Notes:
In those cases where the plan number or the water rights district was not entered on the plan or in the WRB registers but could be determined from other information, the number or district is flagged with an asterisk. A question mark in the description column of the list indicates a portion of the entry in the original register was not legible.
A large number of items, particularly in the second sub- series, did not contain water rights plan numbers. (In many cases, this was probably due to the fact that the activity or project leading to the creation of the item was not completed). Also, some of the items consist of published maps produced by agencies outside of the WRB. These unnumbered plans and non- WRB items are described in part 3. Unnumbered plans which could be linked to a particular water district are also listed in part 2.
The call numbers used within the three sub- series are as follows:
(CM/S5) First Sub- Series: CM/B2505, CM/C2665, CM/E169,
CM/F14, CM/G7
(CM/S6) Second Sub- Series: CM/B2547, CM/C2667, CM/E170,
CM/F15, CM/G9
(CM/S7) Third Sub- Series: CM/B2548, CM/C2668, CM/E171,
CM/F16, CM/G8
SERIES LIST
WATER RIGHTS PLANS
CM/S5 - CM/S7
PART ONE
LIST OF ITEMS IN WATER RIGHTS
PLAN NUMBER ORDER
SERIES LIST
WATER RIGHTS PLANS
CM/S5 - CM/S7
PART TWO
LIST OF ITEMS SORTED BY
WATER RIGHTS DISTRICT
Note:
The Water Rights District names used in the following list are:
Alberni New Denver
Ashcroft New Westminster
Atlin Nicola
Barkerville Osoyoos
Cariboo Peace River
Cranbrook Penticton
Fairview Prince George
Fernie Prince Rupert
Fort Fraser Princeton
Golden Quesnel
Grand Forks Revelstoke
Hazelton Similkameen
Kamloops Skeena
Kaslo Slocan
Liard Vancouver
Lillooet Windermere
Nanaimo Yale
Nelson
SERIES LIST
WATER RIGHTS PLANS
CM/S5 - CM/S7
PART THREE
TITLE LIST OF UNNUMBERED ITEMS
(David's grant appl., typed) "drawings of water works systems, profiles of dams, damsites and flooded areas, plans detatched from water licenses." These maps document damming and power- production projects carried out by various authorities. Some provide topographic detail of lands now flooded by reservoirs, including some of the earliest projects."
(David's grant appl., hand writ.) M856007 (WMB) and M856008 (PSP). The unit from PSP consists of the maps removed from the other main series.
Reuben's notes (1981) maps, plans and engineering drawings of dams, and irrigation systems. Sometimes copies are attatched to water licences. A portion of this series was sent to Map Division and a partion is now in Power and Special Projects Division. (mainly dams etc.)
Reubens notes (June 1981): Plans transferred to P&SP. Some went to water investigations. Some to PABC [DC: received 1981.02.27. [i.e, M856007 (WMB) First S.]] Some destroyed (esp old torn blueprints.) [So are these further subdivisions of the P&SP plans]
(Reuben's notes): Some plans pertinent to dams were transferred to PSP. Water Rights Index books: update as WRP are dispersed.
(Acc Rec. M845011): Engineering drawings produced by the former Water Rights Drafting Office, transferred by the Technical Drafting Section. (Peter Dixon. 387- 5509). ACQUIRED 84.11.22
M845011 S3: 1982 Memo to Dixon, Technical Drawing (attached hand wr. note): "up to 1960 same numbering as WRPlans, Vault Drawings. Water Management Drawings: numbering continued from WRP, probably no duplication because WRP's are no longer made. Card index: older entries copied from previous finding aid not from originals. Technical Draughting Section: Mainly concerned with drawings of dams, river bank protection.
Memo of 1982.12.02 Dixon, Tech Draft Sect, was to separate actives from inactives.
Reuben's notes keep saying Engineering drawings.
DDA 457: (S3) Drawings depicting water supply systems, small dams, reservoirs, hydrologic graphics and topographic maps, 1899- 1953. D.C.'s appraisal: "The core of this series is plans selected from what we call the Water rights plans. the numbering of that series was retained by this drafting Section, and new additions to the series extended the numbering system.
Schedule A (WRP unumbered): Type of use: clearing streams, conservation purpose (to store, use, works), conveying purpose, domestic purpose, fluming purpose, hydraulicking purpose, industrial purpose (pulp mils; sawmills food processing an d other mnaufacturing; cooling; hotels etc; maintaioning ponds for floating logs, fish culture, and fur farming; watering golf courses etc; irrigation purpose (where water is conveyed by a municipality, improvement district, development district or co; other) land improvement purpose; lowering water purpose; mineral trading purp (bottled water) miniing purpose (hydraulic mining; washing coal; processing ore; cooling engines) river improvement purpose; storage purpose (irrigation or domestic; power generation), waterworkes purpose (where water is conveyed by a municipality, improvement district, development district or co.), crown land (site of powerpland or dam; on which ditch, flume, pipe, transmission line, or other conduit is constructed; flooded for storage of water for a power dev.).
Water Rights Plans
Notes
1948 First org chart indicates that there were two groups of draughtsmen in the head office: the Chief Draughtsmen and the general draughting room draftsmen and the technical draughstmen working for the Cheif Hydraulic Engineer. The chart indicates a close working relationship between the two groups with a common set of Supervising Draughtsmen.
1949 Chart shows one Chief Draftsman reporting to both the Depeuty Comptroller and the Chief Engineer.
1950 Chart again shows the Chief Draughtsman over a General Draughting Room and now shows a separtate Technical Draughting romm with supervision Draughtsmen and technical draughtsmen.
1956 By 1955 there was a separate Hydraulic Investigations Division (no draughtsmen listed under the Division, but draughtsmen are mentioned in the 1961 chart).
1963 In Dec. 1962 the Water Investigations Branch was created. Had its own chief draughtsman.
1975 - 1980
(1975 Power and Special Projects name first appears as a section name. Section previously called Power and Major Projects Unit). WIB Draughtsmnen were listed as a separate group from 1962 - 1975. WIB becomes part of Water Management Branch in 1979? Jan 1980 tel bk. still lists WIB and WRB as separate branches. WMB appears in the April 1980 bk.
1980 - 1981
(Telephone Books): 1980 WIB Planning and Surveys Division includes Draughting Section with Pete Dixon as the Chief Draughtsman. (There is of course still a Chief Draughtman and a Druaghting Room for the main licensing work in the Administration Section of the WRB.) April, 1981 Dixon is head of Draughting Office within Planning and Surveys Section of the Water Management Branch. There is a Chief Draughtsman and a Draughting Room (R. Duncan) in the Licensing Section. By the Nov., 1981 tel. bk. Dixon is head of the Technical Draughting Section.
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