BC Hydro statement on the District of Hudson's Hope water treatment plant
BC Hydro recognizes the challenges faced by residents and businesses in Hudson’s Hope that are associated with the previous failure of their water treatment plant.
In the early stages of the Site C project, we committed to mitigating the effects of the dam and reservoir on the District of Hudson’s Hope infrastructure, including its water treatment plant.
In 2017, we reached an agreement with the District to fund the relocation or reconstruction of impacted equipment and replace it with a like-for-like system.
In 2019, the District of Hudson’s Hope decided to build a well system instead of a surface water system. As part of the agreement, the District took full responsibility for the design, procurement, and construction of the new plant. BC Hydro agreed to fund the construction, which worked out to about $5 million.
When the new well system became operational in March 2021 , it experienced a number of operational problems, including multiple failures in 2022. We provided about $1 million to assist the District in responding to the water plant failure, plus additional financial support so the community could transition to a temporary water supply system.
BC Hydro has provided nearly $6 million to the District for the water treatment plant to date. While BC Hydro has met its financial obligations under our existing agreements with Hudson’s Hope, we have made a significant offer of additional financial support towards the completion of the permanent water treatment plant.
We have had a strong relationship with the District of Hudson’s Hope for decades, and we value that relationship. The W.A.C. Bennett and Peace Canyon Dams are both located near the community, and many residents are BC Hydro employees.
We believe we have presented the District of Hudson’s Hope with a significant and fair offer that balances the interests of their community, the agreements we have in place, and our ratepayers. BC Hydro continues to work collaboratively with Hudson’s Hope council and staff and hopes to resolve this issue in a collaborative way.