Residents of a northeastern B.C. town whose water supply was affected by the construction of the Site C dam voted on Saturday in favour of borrowing nearly $5 million for a new water treatment plant.
The residents of Hudson’s Hope, B.C., a town of just under 850 people, voted 134 to 107 to borrow $4,756,000 to fund a clean source of water.
But District of Hudson’s Hope Coun.Tashana Winnicky says while residents have voted to replace the water system, it’s a bit complicated, as council still has questions about an offer B.C. Hydro dropped just days before the vote.
“….This is just an offer. It’s not a full agreement, so there’s still a lot of uncertainty,” Winnicky said.
‘A complicated issue’
Hudson’s Hope is about 85 kilometres upriver of the Site C dam and hugs the banks of the Peace River, one of the region’s largest waterways.
Before the dam’s construction in 2015, the town drew clean water from the river but after construction disturbed the water, it built two wells and a well-water treatment plant with funding from B.C. Hydro. Despite the effort, high levels of contaminants were found in the well water, and the town went back to river water.
However, that required a new filtration system to address the lowered quality of the river water. Since then, the town has been paying $32,000 a month for a temporary water treatment plant in a full-sized truck trailer.
Two days before the vote, B.C. Hydro released an offer to fully fund the completion of the surface water treatment system. It also offered to fund the monthly costs of a rented water clarifier until a permanent one is in place and transfer ownership of the raw water intake to the district at no cost.
The vote was close, and Winnicky says the late release of an offer likely affected it, making the results and the community’s position a bit “muddy.”
She says residents who participated in advance voting on Sept. 25 didn’t have the same information as those who voted on Saturday,
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Residents vote to pay for new system, but Hydro also has an offer on the table.
Winnicky says the council still has questions about Hydro’s offer, including the timeline and a plan for how it will proceed.
“I am happy that B.C. Hydro is coming back with an improved offer. There’s been so much staff time and effort … that the District has put into it,” she said.
Some residents still have concerns
Winnicky says she has been hearing concerns from residents who voted about how well thought out B.C. Hydro’s plan is considering everything the town has already been through since the construction of the dam.
“So it makes the community wonder based on past actions like how is B.C. Hydro going to deliver on this project to the community?” Winnicky said.
Hudson’s Hope is set to discuss Hydro’s offer at its next council meeting. Winnicky says It’s possible it won’t need the funding authorization, given the offer, but it’s not going to depend on it either.
“We’re not ready to give this process up without having this agreement from B.C. Hydro-signed or in concrete,” she said. “So we will still continue with the assent vote process until something has solidified with B.C. Hydro.”
B.C. Hydro said in an emailed statement it wouldn’t be providing media comment during the provincial election.