Rose Prairie Water Station Plan (RPWSP)

The Peace River Regional District (PRRD) is actively searching for a new water source for the Rose Prairie Water Station, one of five bulk water stations in Electoral Area B. The primary goal is to find a suitable water source. 

Background

The station was shut down in 2021 after hazardous gases, including hydrogen sulfide and methane were found in the well and water tanks. The gases could not be removed with the existing treatment system, leading the Regional Board to authorize the station's closure on March 11, 2021, citing safety concerns.

Since then, the PRRD has been trying to find a viable new water source.

Timeline

• 2024: Three test wells are drilled. The first two wells are unsuitable, and while the third well shows promise, testing is inconclusive due to the collapse of the subsurface layers prior to the installation of the well piping. The third well is still able to be utilized as a required observation well. This leads to the recommendation to drill a fourth well 14m away from it.
• February 13, 2025: The Electoral Area Directors Committee recommends a temporary halt on drilling a fourth well.
• March 6, 2025: The Regional Board agrees to defer drilling a fourth well until a community meeting is held and an online survey is conducted. The purpose of the meeting and survey is to gather public input on the next steps for the station.
• March 12 - April 2, 2025: An online survey is posted on the PRRD website.
• March 26, 2025: A community information meeting is held in Rose Prairie.
• April 17, 2025: A summary of the community meeting and survey results is shared with the Electoral Area Directors Committee. The committee defers deciding on the fourth well until the Area B Director can discuss options with Kelt Exploration and CNRL.
• May 8, 2025: The Electoral Area Directors Committee (EADC) recommends moving forward with drilling the fourth well.
• June 3, 2025: The EADC presents its recommendation to the Regional Board for consideration.
• September, 2025: The PRRD signs an agreement with the landowner to be able to drill an additional well.
• November 2025: The PRRD drilled a fourth test well within the vicinity of the Rose Prairie Water Station. The well exceeded flow rate expectations and the water sample tests support moving forward with further testing.
• January 2026: Conducted a pump test at the fourth well to determine capacity. Collected samples for laboratory testing and analysis on water quality. 
• February 2026: Collected water samples have been sent for laboratory testing and further analysis. The well is sealed and the PRRD is awaiting sample results.
• April 17, 2026: Report ENV-EADC-054 presented to EDAC with a recommendation to decommission the station and investigate North Peace Park as an alternative. This recommendation is based on sample results and Tetra Tech's final analysis, as outlined in the final technical memo included in the staff report.
• April 30, 2026: EDAC makes the recommendation to the Regional Board to decommission the Rose Prairie water station and investigate North Peace Park (ENV-BRD-283).
• June 18, 2026: EDAC recommends to the Regional Board to approve the proposed methodology to implement the investigation at the North Peace Park as possible development of an Area B – Rose Prairie community water source (ENV-EADC-055). EDAC also recommends that the PRRD investigate Stoddard Creek Water Services as a potential additional water source to supply potable water to the North Charlie Lake residents in Area B.
• July 17, 2026 to August 13, 2026: A Request for Proposal is issued for a hydrogeological investigation at North Peace Park and Stoddard Creek. The contract for the investigation will be proposed for award on September 10, 2026.
• September 3, 2026: The Rose Prairie Water Station is decommissioned and moved off site for safe storage.

Public Feedback and Recommendations

The latest survey and community meeting were held in March 2025 to get feedback on three options for the water station:

1. Drill a fourth well near the location of a previous test well.
2. Upgrade the existing water station with new systems like aeration and carbon filtration, which is estimated to cost between $2.9 million and $4 million.
3. Decommission the existing station by removing it and reclaiming the land.

A total of 68 people responded to the survey. The results showed that most respondents supported drilling a new well:

• 48.5% (33 people) were in favour of drilling a fourth well. This was ranked as the top priority.
• 35.3% (24 people) were in favour of decommissioning the station. This was ranked as the second highest priority.
• 25% (17 people) were in favour of upgrading the existing station. This was ranked as the third-highest priority.

Additionally, when asked if they would use the station if it was successfully upgraded, over half of the respondents (55.9%) said they would.

Based on this feedback and discussions with Kelt Exploration and CNRL, the Electoral Area Directors Committee (EDAC) recommended that the Regional Board proceed with drilling a fourth well. The funding for this would come from the Electoral Area B Peace River Agreement Funds.