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Social Impacts
Various attitudes were generated from local residents who would be affected directly or indirectly by the construction of the Columbia River Treaty dams. BC Hydro had to relocate and compensate for peoples loss of land, and homes. In Arrow Lake 3,144 properties had to be bought and 1,350 people had to be relocated. With the construction of the Duncan Dam 39 properties were bought and 30 people moved, subsequently at Mica Dam 25 properties including trap lines and other economic resourceful land was bought. Since Arrow Lake had the largest number of people needing to be relocated it generated the most controversy and varying of opinions. People who worked on the dam felt a sense of pride and purpose for being able to provide for their families for a long time. However due to the exclusion of local hearings for the Treaty and the outcome of the Arrow Dam many residents felt powerless in the provinces decision to flood the area.

J.W Wilson who took part in the settlement agreement for BC Hydro noticed that while they looked at the physical value of the residents houses they were unable to include the losses that went along with living self-sufficiently, which was a lifestyle that and could not be possible in a city or urban area. The kind of wealth that went unnoticed consisted of agriculture, livestock, tourism, lumbar, and paying minimal taxes all of which enabled a self-sufficient lifestyle with little cost. In addition, from an outsiders perspective it seemed as though BC Hydro was being fair with the residents settlement prices for their land and homes. However many people felt that the settlement prices from BC Hydro were unfair, but felt too intimidated and powerless to challenge them in court, so they accepted the prices begrudgingly. The residents questioned what benefits the dam would have to them if they were just going to be relocated, and lose money in the long run. However BC Hydro built new communities for those living from Nakusp to Edgewood, as part of the compensation process. These communities came with BC Hydro electricity, running water, telephone services, a school, a church, a park and stores. Finally building the dam did provided work for many families, and eventually electricity into remote communities that were once out of the reach of BC's transmission grid, and dependent solely on gas and diesel.

Despite receiving physical reimbursement, Wilson argues that the emotional loss of peoples home and familiar landscape could not be replaced, this was added on to the physical and psychological stress of rebuilding ones home and community. The emotional loss was especially difficult for the First Nations people living around these areas. The Sinixt people who occupied the Columbia River Valley for thousands of years, lost sacred burial grounds, which was extremely devastating for their community. Furthermore the Sinixt were labeled as officially extinct by the Canadian government in 1953 despite many Sinixt people still being alive. It is questionable the timing of labeling these people extinct, with the quick follow up of singing the Columbia River Treat a few years after. With that in mind Indian Affairs of Canadahad to power to possibly influence the singing of the dams in particular the Libby and Wardner Dam and potential cost of replacement as well as “rehabilitating Indians”. However due to the push to assimilate First Nations people into a cash based economy, and no reserves being physically effected by the dams, Indian Affairs had minimal participation and influence. Once again like BC Hydro, Indian Affairs disregarded hunting, fishing, gathering, and sacred grounds as material but also having emotional and spiritual significance to First Nations people.