A small community in Northern B.C. is facing a big bill for clean water, and is blaming construction on the Site C Dam.
The District of Hudson’s Hope, with a population of about 1,000 people, is upstream on the Peace River from the dam.
Residents allege that work to build the megaproject has compromised their water in recent years.
The district’s mayor said the community used to draw water from the Peace River with no issues, until the river was diverted for dam construction.
The municipality tried to drill wells, but the water was not drinkable due to high levels of contaminants.
On two separate occasions, once in 2022 and once in 2023, residents were told not to drink the water, with “do not consume” orders lasting nine months.
Now, residents are voting on whether to borrow nearly $5 million to build a new water treatment plant.
“This isn’t a Hudson’s Hope problem that our residents should be shackled with, this is a problem that exists at a higher level than us,” District Mayor Travous Quibell said.
“We do appeal to our MLAs and our government to step forward and help us find a solution that satisfies everyone, including our residents.”
Dan Davies, who represented the region as MLA in the legislature and is currently running as an independent candidate, said the issue has been a “battle” for both residents and the district’s mayor and council.
He said financial responsibility should fall squarely on BC Hydro and the province.
“This is not through any fault of the residents,” he said.
“I think at the end of the day, because this is a BC Hydro issue that came from BC Hydro there is a level of responsibility by them and the government to make sure that drinking water will be provided for the Hudson’s Hope residents at their cost, not at the residents’ cost.”
On Thursday, BC NDP Leader David Eby said clean water for the community was “non-negotiable.”
“We will ensure that every community has access to clean water in the province through essential infrastructure investments,” Eby said.
“My understanding is that BC Hydro is in conversation with Hudson’s Hope, about ensuring they have access to the infrastructure they need, they have partnered on the community’s choice of water access.”
The district is now in negotiations with BC Hydro over how much the Crown corporation will pay towards the cost of the new plant.
BC Hydro says it has already spent nearly $6 million to help the community deal with the water problems.
— with files from Rumina Daya