Province ponders Inga Lake amid dam safety concerns

FORT ST. JOHN, B.C. — The ‘most popular recreation site’ in the North Peace may be drained as concerns are raised about the integrity of the dam that made it. 

On January 27th, Ducks Unlimited and the Ministry of Water, Land and Resource Stewardship presented to the Peace River Regional District’s rural budgets administration committee regarding Inga Lake. 

The lake is located northeast of Fort St. John, and was formed in 1970 after oil field damming by Canadian Superior Oil in the area, with Tara Lumley, a conservation programs specialist with Ducks Unlimited, telling the board it is known for its fishing opportunities and beaver activity.

James Morgan, fish and wildlife section head with the Ministry of Water, Land and Resource Stewardship, explained the lake and surrounding area was established as a recreation site in 1999 with 23 camp sites, and called it the “most popular recreation site in the North Peace region.”

Morgan also explained the body of water supports approximately 6,000 angler days annually, being run as a family fishery stocking the lake with rainbow trout.

Lumley stated while Ducks Unlimited repaired the earthen dam in 1990, there are now concerns about it as it has surpassed its 30-year expected lifespan.

“Our engineer at Ducks Unlimited has some safety concerns that there’s some seepage going through the dam, and that they do need to be looked at very soon,” Lumley said. 

“Because it is a large dam it is a high-consequence dam, which means if it were to blow out there could be public safety risks involved.” 

The delegation explained there were several options available to the ministry moving forward with Inga, ranging from total decommission to repairs and rebuild.

The cheapest option, roughly estimated to be $70,000, is the complete decommissioning of the site. This would reduce the lake’s area size by 60 per cent, with a depth of between two and five metres. 

This would increase wetland habitat in the surrounding area, but would also result in no more fish stocking.

The second option, repair or complete reconstruction, would rely on the results of a dam safety review, which is estimated to range from $100,000 to $120,000.

Repairs could set the province back anywhere from $250,000 to $300,000, and major repairs or rebuilding could cost between $1.2 million and $1.5 million. 

The delegation stated it would continue to request support from the government to fund the repairs necessary to keep the lake as it is, and will continue to do so until all options have been exhausted. 

In a Facebook post on January 28th, Peace River North MLA Jordan Kealy vocalized his opposition and surprise at the decision. 

Kealy stated he has reached out to the ministry with questions, and stated he would keep residents updated.  

“I will continue to fight to keep this beautiful lake intact because I know how much it means to so many of you,” Kealy said. 

A Change.org petition was launched opposing the decommissioning and encouraging the repairs be funded by the province. As of January 29th, the petition has received 446 signatures.