B.C. Environment Minister Barry Penner looks on as Willard Sparrow performs a pH test in Musqueam Creek in Vancouver during the Living Water Smart announcement Tuesday. (CBC)

Beside Musqueam Creek in South Vancouver, B.C. Environment Minister Barry Penner announced a new plan to help people in the province use less water on Tuesday.

"B.C. residents use about 490 litres of water every day, which is more than the Canadian average and much, much higher than the American average. We often think of the Americans as not necessarily leading in terms of environmental practices. In fact, in B.C. we use, and waste, a lot more water than they do," he said while making the announcement.

The plan, called Living Water Smart, offers 40 ideas for protecting the water supply and reducing water use in B.C.

People can do simple things to reduce their own water use, the government said, such as buying low-flow toilets and shower heads; choosing front-loading washing machines over top-loading ones, which use more water; and fixing leaks and dripping taps.

It suggests people water lawns and gardens no more than twice a week for less than an hour and collect rainwater for the garden

Other suggestions include setting ambitious water efficiency and conservation targets, establishing a maximum 40-year term for water licences in some areas and regulating groundwater usage.

Under the plan, according to the Living Water Smart website, “by 2020, water use in British Columbia will be 33 per cent more efficient, and by 2012, government will require all large water users to measure and report their water use.”

Penner said the plan has the steps needed to protect B.C. rivers, lakes and watersheds.

Musqueam Indian Nation Band Councillor Wendy John also spoke at the government news conference in support of the plan.

“This creek has been running through our village for thousands of years. And for thousands of years we have been taking steps to ensure that this creek stays alive,” said John.

“It’s not just about the water, it’s about all the things that are connected to the water.”

Musqueam Creek is currently part of a wild-salmon restoration project.

At least one environmentalist at the news conference said the plan is short on specifics.

“There’s no details and the timeline says many of these things may be enacted by 2012. That’s quite a ways down the road,” said Craig Orr, executive director of the Watershed Watch Salmon Society.

“We need more details, we have severe water problems in B.C.,” Orr said.

According to the government news release, “in some areas, like the Okanagan and Gulf Islands, seasonal water shortages are already challenging community water systems, and the fish and aquatic ecosystems that depend on these systems for survival.”

With files from the Canadian Press