The Peace River Regional District (PRRD) invites residents of Electoral Area B to an in-person community meeting on March 26, 2025, from 3pm to 5pm. The purpose of the meeting is to discuss updates on the Rose Prairie Water Station project and gather community feedback for the next steps.
Engagement Opportunities
The meeting will be held in person at the Montney Recreation Hall located at 12401 256 Road in Montney BC.
Residents are encouraged to submit questions to the PRRD by email before the community meeting.
A short online survey is open from March 12 to April 2, 2025, for any residents of Electoral Area B wanting to provide additional input. Paper copies of the survey will also be available at the community meeting and are available now at the PRRD offices in Dawson Creek (1981 Alaska Avenue) and Fort St. John (9505 100 Street).
Background
The PRRD is actively seeking solutions to provide Rose Prairie residents with safe and reliable drinking water. Since 2018, the project has faced several technical challenges:
- Water Quality Issues: Initial delays occurred due to biological sulfides reacting with chlorine, causing cloudiness and odour.
- Treatment Challenges: In 2020, the temporary portable treatment system improved water quality and yet was unable to remove the later detected hazardous gases, causing a shutdown.
- Alternative Solutions: In 2021-2023, the PRRD explored alternative water sources and treatment options, and the high costs led to exploring new drilling locations.
Current Status
In early 2024, drilling for new wells began with mixed results:
- Two initial wells proved unsuitable.
- A third well, located near the existing infrastructure, showed promise and results were inconclusive due to complications during the well development.
- A fourth well has been recommended due to inconclusive results.
Further drilling decision will be informed by community feedback. Grant funding supports the drilling program with no tax requisition used.
For questions or assistance with the survey, please contact the PRRD at 250-784-3200 or email environmental.services@prrd.bc.ca.
