Inga Lake is more than just a body of water. It is a vital recreational, ecological, and community resource for Northeastern British Columbia. Inga Lake Dam was originally constructed in the 1970s and first stocked with Rainbow Trout in 1973. The dam was later upgraded by Ducks Unlimited in 1990 to support their core mission to conserve and manage wetland habitat for wildlife, particularly waterfowl and associated ecosystems. Ducks Unlimited Canada worked with provincial partners to improve the original industrial dam and raise water levels slightly to help reduce winterkill risk for stocked fish and maintain the lake as a recreational fishery and wetland environment.

Inga Lake has since become a well-loved public lake used year-round for fishing, camping, education, wildlife viewing, and local tourism. Families, local residents, First Nations and visitors rely on this lake for recreation. The lake supports fish populations, waterfowl, and surrounding ecosystems. Each winter, aeration projects take place which supports jobs and research. There’s also a spawning channel project on Inga Lake that began in the late 1990s to support fish reproduction and education for students to learn about fish life cycles. Many families write about teaching their children to fish on this lake and have memorable camping trips here. 

We are now facing the possible decommissioning of the Inga Lake dam, not because the lake has lost its value, but because funding for necessary repairs has not been secured and no one wants to take on the responsibility for maintenance or liability. Allowing the dam to be decommissioned would dramatically lower water levels by 60%, effectively destroying the lake as it exists today. This would eliminate a cherished fishery, remove recreation ability, and permanently change the landscape that has been around for decades that wildlife has adapted to since the 70's. 

This situation is not unique. Across Canada, ageing dams that serve important public purposes have been successfully repaired and maintained when governments recognized their long-term social, economic, and environmental value. Decommissioning should be a last resort, not the default outcome when funding is challenging.

We call on the Province of British Columbia and relevant authorities to:

Commit funding for the repair and future maintenance of the Inga Lake dam
Explore provincial and federal infrastructure funding options
Engage meaningfully with local communities, Indigenous Nations, recreation groups, and environmental experts
Recognize Inga Lake as critical public recreational infrastructure worthy of preservation

The cost of decommissioning may seem smaller than actioning this but ultimately, draining the lake will be a far greater cost than the cost of repair. Once this lake is lost, it cannot simply be rebuilt.

Save Inga Lake. Repair the dam. Protect our shared public resource — now and for future generations.