FORT ST. JOHN -- Boat launches along the Peace River in Fort St. John and Hudson’s Hope are now closed in preparation for the Site C reservoir filling, which is set to begin next week.
The D.A. Thomas, Lynx Creek, and Halfway River boat launches have all been permanently closed. The Halfway River launch, the last to close, has been off-limits to boaters since August 12, 2024.
BC Hydro has announced that new boat launches will replace the existing ones, but they will not open to the public until ‘at least’ late spring of 2026 to allow for slope stability and erosion monitoring.
The Crown Corporation has cited hazards around the launches due to the Site C filling, which will cause the Peace River to widen two to three times its current width.
Boaters wishing to access the Peace River will need to launch from Peace Island Park in Taylor.
Meanwhile, the Charlie Lake Boat Launch, which closed on August 8th for upgrades, is expected to reopen later this week.
