The City of Dawson Creek is looking for an alternative water source in the midst of a year’s long drought.
The city is asking the province for help with a $100-million-dollar pipeline project, that would send water from the Peace River to Dawson Creek.
Since Dawson Creek is not build around a major water source, the city’s only source of drinkable water is the Kiskatinaw River. It provides water to about 15,000 people, in Dawson Creek, Pouce Coupe, and the surrounding area.
The city says the pressure put on the water system continues to intensify because of the “unprecedented drought conditions” in the region. They say the city has faced many challenges in keeping a secure and sustainable water supply.
The Kiskatinaw is a watershed that is solely dependant on rain, groundwater and a little bit of runoff when snow melts in the spring.
18 months ago, the Kiskatinaw River froze and made it impossible for the city to draw water. Since then, officials have been assessing various options while the river level is currently at an all time low.
The Mayor of Dawson Creek said the project is currently going through the permit process. Darcy Dober said he’s hoping the province scraps the environment assessment for the project, that can take 3 to 5 years to complete.
Mayor Dober said the city needs to actively push for a new water source because the current reservoir system is not sustainable in the future.
“Without the current reservoirs and the work prior councils have done, we would be in a bad situation today,” added Dober.
In 2013, the city developed the Sure Water Program, a campaign and survey of residents to help identify the community’s preference on how to deal with water supply challenges.
The four options were to maintain and upgrading the existing Kiskatinaw River water supply system, to enhance the existing system with increased raw-water storage, to tap into groundwater aquifers as a back-up, or to build a water pipeline from a new source.
Building a new pipeline received 71% of the votes, but the city decided to go down the path of building a new reservoir and maximizing the use of the existing water treatment system. They said at the time, they would consider the possibility of a pipeline in the future.