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B.C.'s new Water Sustainability Act, its limitations, failures and opportunities, will come under fire on Friday.

The Kelowna chapter of the Council of Canadians is hosting water campaigner Emma Lui for a discussion on the Act and what British Columbians can do to protect water sources.

The event is at 7 p.m. in Room H-115 at Okanagan College's Kelowna campus on KLO Road. Admission is free.

The subject is timely, as drought and wildfire scorched the parched province this past summer.

B.C.’s water rules are more than 100 years old.

In 2010, the province began the process to update its water legislation and recently passed the new Water Sustainability Act that will take effect in early 2016, beginning with new groundwater regulations.

Kelowna chapter chair Karen Abramsen said: "while we might expect improvements in the Act, the government has failed to move water governance in the province from being driven by economics and property rights to promoting stewardship, sustainability and the human right to water.

"Booming water bottling, mining and fracking industries are taking huge amounts of water from communities’ water sources. Does the new act do enough to protect our water?"

The Council of Canadians concerns include: how will Nestle’s bottled water-takings and fracking and mining affect’ drinking water? Will the Act protect water sources even if droughts worsen next year?  And what can we all do to promote water stewardship, sustainability and the human right to water?

The council will soon be releasing a report that examines changes in the Act and concerns with the new legislation.