Concerns in B.C. community linger over water source disturbed by Site C dam construction

A B.C. mom says she's afraid to bathe her and her partner's four kids at home. Instead, they opted to wash in lakes and rivers near their residence in Hudson's Hope, west of Fort St John, this summer. 

Not satisfied to wait for solutions, Caitlin Vince, 37, helped found the Hudson's Hope Water Recovery Committee to address the ongoing issues with the town's tap water brought on by the construction of B.C. Hydro's Site C dam.

On Oct 14, the two-month-long "do not consume" order was lifted by Northern Health after the district's water received two good test results and an in-person visit from a Northern Health representative.

But the town's residents and its mayor say they still have serious concerns.

In 2020, the district switched from using the Peace River as its water source to a well system that tapped into an underground aquifer. Hudson's Hope built the new water treatment facility to manage the new water source. 

The "do not consume" order was issued after the new water treatment plant failed.

Getting the all-clear from Northern Health to drink the water was met with limited enthusiasm by the Water Recovery Committee, as well as residents like Vince. 

"The smell was awful. You came out of the shower feeling dirty. Yeah, it was kind of a nightmare," Vince said.

Dave Heiberg agrees that the quality of water is not what the community expected from the new system. 

In a written statement posted to the District of Hudson's Hope website, Heiberg says the water treatment plant still faces operational challenges.

"The long-term solution is to look for an alternative source, and we're looking at different options right now."

Heiberg says the district has been meeting with B.C. Hydro, and the utility has agreed that a different water source is required, but those options are still being discussed.

In a written statement to CBC News, B.C. Hydro says it has offered a further $2 million for repairs and improvements to the existing well system but is open to allowing the district to use that money to switch to a different water source.

A history of issues

The small community of under 1,000 hugs the banks of the Peace River, one of the region's largest waterways. 

Since the first settlement, the Peace River was the community's source of clean and abundant water.

But in 2015, B.C. Hydro started construction on the Site C Dam mega-project about 85 kilometres downriver to the east.

Once operational, the dam will raise water levels all along the river.

To protect the town from erosion brought on by higher water levels, B.C. Hydro began construction of a 2.6 kilometre-long berm, a large shoreline barrier made of riprap, rocks and gravel.

But building the berm disturbed the surface water of the Peace River, leading the community to explore other options for its water supply. 

Heiberg says the district contracted experts, conducted studies and ultimately chose the well system, believing it to be the best option available.

"There weren't any red flags along the way from any of our consultants at the time." 

B.C. Hydro's role

The mayor says B.C. Hydro is committed to ensuring that the community has access to drinking water of the same quality and quantity as it had before Site C's construction.

But it's unclear whether the utility's commitment of $2 million will be enough to cover the associated costs of exploring other sources of water. It took $4.8 million to make the initial switch to a well system in 2020. 

Heiberg says he's not sure whether more funding from the utility might be in the cards. 

"There has been no firm commitment to this point," but Heiberg also notes that B.C. Hydro has been "very supportive" so far.

The utility has been covering the costs associated with repairs on the malfunctioning water treatment facility and bottled water for residents throughout the do-not-consume-notice to the tune of $500,000. 

The Site C dam, once complete, will be B.C.'s largest infrastructure project. It's now projected to cost more than $16 billion, making it the most expensive public infrastructure project in the province's history.

Site C was first proposed in the 1950s, shelved twice in the 1980s and brought back to life by former B.C. Liberal premier Gordon Campbell in 2010.

Approximately 55 square kilometres of land will be flooded by the Site C reservoir, destroying farmland, wildlife habitat and territory held by Treaty 8 First Nations. 

The project has faced significant opposition over the decades, including a civil suit from the West Moberley First Nation, which argued that B.C. Hydro violated the terms of Treaty 8. The West Moberley First Nation reached a partial settlement with B.C. Hydro, the province and the federal government in June.