UPDATE: Hudson's Hope looking into river water source

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UPDATE: The article was changed to include additional information from BC Hydro.

HUDSON’S HOPE, B.C. — Hudson’s Hope now has potable water, but the district is looking into river water sources.

Hudson’s Hope Mayor Dave Heiberg said they have consultants in place to see how that might look. Even with the recent repairs to the water treatment plant, Heiberg said it is still not performing the way the district would like it to.

“We’re very happy to be back to potable water, but even the potable water isn’t what the community expects,” Heiberg explained.

“We’re just having to try to figure out a transition to the river source.”

The district is unsure when or if they might run into problems with the water treatment plant again.

This follows months of repairs and resident displeasure with the water treatment plant. The plant failed in July, leading to a boil water advisory and eventually a do not consume order from August 9th until October 14th.

Before the water treatment plant was put in place, the district used the Peace River as a water source. However, BC Hydro told Hudson’s Hope council the construction of Site C may render the Peace River unusable for potable water.

The company paid for the construction of the plant, intending to eventually transfer the cost of running the plant to the community.

According to Bob Gammer with BC Hydro, the company paid almost $5 million for the construction of the new water treatment plant.

Additionally, BC Hydro reportedly paid up to $2.5 million in additional funding to repair the new water system and providing water to residents while the system was repaired.

Residents of Hudson’s Hope have gone through a lot in 2022, not only the water treatment plant but also an evacuation due to the Battleship Mountain wildfire.

“The smoke has cleared up. The wind has changed. The cold weather’s helped a little bit,” Heiberg said.

“It’s smouldering underneath the snow right now… The skies are clear, and everybody is feeling comfortable… It’s nice to breathe clean air.”