Water, water everywhere and not a drop to drink – many will recall the famous musings of English poet Samuel Taylor Coleridge, in The Rime of the Ancient Mariner. Mark Twain once remarked, "whisky is for drinking; water is for fighting over.” Both statements are true.

This paper is more of a primer on water and water management than a discussion of policy issues or options, although at the end we touch briefly on the Business Council’s views on water policy in British Columbia, a topic which has been under discussion in connection with the ongoing Water Act reform process.