'Chemical leak from truck caused Boundary Lake Water Station'

Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...

The Boundary Lake Water Station is managed by the PRRD, whose office is shown in this image. — The Boundary Lake Water Station was closed due to unauthorized chemical infiltration from a water truck, according to the PRRD. (file photo)

DAWSON CREEK, B.C. — A chemical leaking from an unauthorized truck compromised the Boundary Lake Water Station system, it has now been revealed.

The Peace River Regional District (PRRD) announced in August 2024 that the facility would be closed indefinitely after concerns were raised about the station’s water quality following an inspection.

This was followed by updates in October 2024, and March this year, indicating a long repair schedule

PRRD has now revealed, on April 7th, that a water truck tried to take water from a connection point at the facility without permission, causing an equipment outage that stopped the water flow.

“When the truck opened its valves, a chemical called a hydrocarbon-based corrosion inhibitor flowed backward from the truck into our water line,” said the PRRD.

“This happened because there was no water pressure in the system at that moment, when the supplier’s system started working again, this chemical entered our raw water treatment system.”

Operators quickly noticed a “strong smell” and shut down the facility.

“We understand that the closure of the Boundary Lake Water Station has raised concerns and questions within our community,” the PRRD said.

“We want to provide you with clear and detailed information about what happened and what we are doing to fix it.”

The chemical was quickly stopped and no contaminated water was spread to the public, the PRRD said.

However, the PRRD said the chemical cannot be easily removed by draining the system and everything needs to be replaced.

“We have taken steps to prevent this from happening again,” said the PRRD.

“We have removed the connection point involved in the contamination and the supplier has added new security measures, like access code locks.”

The PRRD said it is “working as quickly as possible” to reopen the station; it estimates in late June.

Questions regarding the closure can be directed to the district’s environmental services department at environmental.services@prrd.bc.ca or by calling 250-784-3200.