The document has been signed and the ink has dried on the community agreement reached between the District of Taylor, located in northeaster British Columbia along the Peace River, and BC Hydro over the potential construction of the Site C dam.
As part of the agreement, Hydro will provide more than $100,000 to cover improvements to the district’s water supply and emergency services. The agreement includes $85,000 earmarked for a water supply monitoring program that would be developed before the start of construction. Hydro has also agreed to take steps to protect the district’s pumphouse and water treatment plant from any shoreline erosion caused by the dam should it be approved, and would fund mitigation if impacts are found to the water supply.
Hydro will also provide the district with $50,000 to update its emergency preparedness and response plan, and another $20,000 to support road rescue services during construction.
“We’ve worked very hard to reach an agreement with BC Hydro that addresses our concerns should the project proceed,” Mayor Fred Jarvis said in a statement.
“The agreement includes transportation improvements, enhancements to recreation, and key measures to address water security and safety.”
Jarvis could not be reached for comment January 22.
Taylor, with a population around 1,400, is located downstream from the dam’s proposed location about seven kilometres southwest from downtown Fort St. John.
Under the agreement, the Crown utility says it will fund the provincial transportation and infrastructure ministry to install more street lighting along Highway 97 through the district. It will also fund digital street signs and a highway webcam to give motorists advance notices of weather and road conditions through district.
Hydro will also fund a minimum of 20 new, long-stay, serviced RV spaces and parking at Peace Island Park.
Hydro has also agreed to form a community liaison committee during the dam’s construction, earmarking $37,500 in annual funding for Taylor to participate.
“We have had very constructive and collaborative discussions with the District about how to leave the community better off as a result of the Site C project,” said Susan Yurkovich, Hydro executive vice president for Site C.
“We believe this agreement achieves that.”
Both Chetwynd and Taylor also stand to receive a slice of the legacy benefits Hydro will hand over to the Peace River Regional District (PRRD). If Site C is approved, Hydro has committed to pay the PRRD $2.4 million annually, indexed to inflation, for 70 years if and when the dam becomes operational.
