Hudson’s Hope residents fight for clean drinking water

FORT ST. JOHN, B.C. – Residents continue to speak out about the future of clean drinking water in the District of Hudson’s Hope. 

Residents have been expressing their frustrations about the subject since the announcement of an October vote to borrow almost $5 million for the construction of a new water treatment facility was announced in July. 

During an open house held in the district on September 9th, residents spoke out against the district covering the costs. 

Steve Metzger, a resident of the District of Hudson’s Hope, told Energeticcity.ca that he believes BC Hydro and the Site C project are to blame for the district’s water issues in recent years. 

“[Building a new water treatment facility] shouldn’t be dumped on a town with a population of 900 taxpayers.”

“We had great water before the Site C project started, BC Hydro said we couldn’t keep our intake pipes in the reservoir, and since then, we’ve had incredibly serious water issues,” Metzger said. 

Metzger explained that when the vote was first announced, he intended to vote ‘yes’ despite hating the situation. However, he changed his mind over time. 

“I think it’s important for the community to stand up to BC Hydro and say no, this is not right, you can’t just do this to us,” Metzger said. 

BC Hydro has stated previously to Energeticcity.ca that ongoing negotiations with the district are unrelated to the vote’s outcome and the district’s decision to borrow funds, however, Metzger does not share this belief. 

“I believe that if the District borrows the money to build a new water system, BC Hydro is just going to walk,” He stated. 

Metzger referenced letters from BC Hydro in June and July requesting that the district agree to a release regarding any possible future impacts from the Site C project in exchange for funds to support the new treatment plant’s construction. 

“We don’t want BC Hydro to have a release from making sure we have good water until we have a good, functioning water system, not just that we borrowed money. We don’t want them to be able to easily just back away from this.”