Canada and British Columbia invest over $110 million in 14 drinking water, wastewater and stormwater infrastructure projects to provide reliable services to communities

UCLUELET, BC, Aug. 12, 2021 /CNW/ - The governments of Canada and British Columbia continue to invest in local infrastructure during this unprecedented time to meet the needs of communities across the province, enhance peoples' quality of life, and support economic recovery from COVID-19. 

Today, the Honourable Catherine McKenna, Minister of Infrastructure and Communities, and the Honourable Josie Osborne, British Columbia's Minister of Municipal Affairs, announced funding for 14 water , wastewater and stormwater infrastructure projects in the province. Supporting communities to build modern and reliable water infrastructure is a shared priority for both governments.

Among the projects approved today, the District of Ucluelet will upgrade its local water treatment system to increase storage capacity for drinking water and improve access to clean drinking water in the community. The upgrades include adding a water treatment plant at the Mercantile Creek water source, adding filtration of the well field that pulls from Lost Shoe Creek, and adding a third reservoir to the Ucluelet drinking water system.

Port Clements will improve how it treats wastewater by replacing the existing lagoon with a new aerated wastewater treatment lagoon system. This new system will increase overall retention time, provide separate cells for aeration, and limit the risk of a system failure. Its increased efficiency will help reduce energy consumption and extend the lifespan of this critical wastewater infrastructure.

The Cowichan Valley Regional District will increase the capacity of the Saltair Water System to treat drinking water. Two new treatment units will be installed to improve water quality at the existing treatment plant site, along with a micro-hydro turbine to generate green power and reduce the plant's overall energy consumption.

The Government of Canada and the Province of British Columbia are investing $110.3 million in the 14 projects announced today through the Investing in Canada Infrastructure Program's Green Infrastructure Stream. Canada is contributing more than $60.2 million, conditional on requirements related to consultations with Indigenous groups being met. British Columbia is contributing more than $50.1 million. Project recipients are investing over $40.1 million in total.

Quotes

"Today's announcement of more than $60.2 million in federal funding will help 14 communities in British Columbia upgrade their water, wastewater and stormwater infrastructure, and provide reliable services to local residents. In partnership with the Province, we continue to invest in critical infrastructure, building greener, healthier, and more resilient communities, and supporting local economies at a time when it is needed most. Canada's infrastructure plan invests in thousands of projects, creates jobs across the country, and builds cleaner, more inclusive communities."

The Honourable Catherine McKenna, Minister of Infrastructure and Communities

"Investing in infrastructure is investing in people, and these projects we're announcing today with our federal partners will benefit people for generations to come – not only by supporting cleaner, healthier communities, but also by creating important infrastructure jobs that contribute to local economic growth. In the coming months and years, I hope to be able to tour in-person the many upgraded and new water and wastewater facilities being made possible across B.C. with this funding." 

The Honourable Josie Osborne, British Columbia's Minister of Municipal Affairs 

Quick facts

• Through the Investing in Canada plan, the federal government is investing more than $180 billion over 12 years in public transit projects, green infrastructure, social infrastructure, trade and transportation routes, and Canada's rural and northern communities.
• Across B.C., the Government of Canada has invested more than $4.4 billion in over 580 infrastructure projects since 2015 under the Investing in Canada plan.
• The Province is investing $3.6 billion over a 10-year period under the Investing in Canada Infrastructure Program for British Columbia's infrastructure initiatives.

Backgrounder: Canada and British Columbia invest in 14 water, wastewater and stormwater infrastructure projects to provide reliable services to communities

The Government of Canada and the Province of British Columbia are investing $110.3 million in 14 water and wastewater projects through the Investing in Canada Infrastructure Program's Green Infrastructure Stream. Canada is contributing more than $60.2 million, conditional on requirements related to consultations with Indigenous groups being met. British Columbia is contributing more than $50.1 million. Project recipients are investing over $40.1 million in total.

Project Information:

Community	Project Name	Project Details	Federal Funding	Provincial Funding	Recipient Funding
100 Mile House	Wastewater Treatment Plant Upgrades	Upgrade the district's wastewater treatment plant to increase capacity to manage wastewater and improve effluent quality	$409,524	$341,236	$273,051
Capital Regional District	Magic Lake Estates Wastewater Upgrades	Upgrade existing pump stations, install a new pump station and force main, decommission an old plant, and expand the Schooner wastewater treatment plant	$3,083,740	$2,569,526	$2,056,084
Cowichan Valley Regional District	Saltair Water Treatment Expansion Project	Install two new treatment units and a micro-hydro turbine to increase capacity to treat drinking water and reduce energy consumption	$2,142,400	$1,785,154	$1,428,446
Grand Forks	Stormwater System Management and Treatment Improvements	Upgrade the downtown stormwater system and incorporate rain garden and other infrastructure to address flooding and improve storm water management,	$1,859,732	$1,549,621	$1,239,977
Kelowna	Septic System Elimination and Sewer Connection Project	Replace the septic system in three areas with a new sewer system to better convey sewage to the existing wastewater treatment plant	$4,928,000	$4,106,256	$3,285,744
Regional District of Kootenay Boundary	Columbia Pollution Control Centre Upgrade to Secondary Treatment Construction and Commissioning	Upgrade the wastewater treatment facilities, including new headworks facilities, new primary and secondary treatment systems, new ultraviolet disinfection system, upgraded biosolids handling, and other works	$25,154,800	$20,960,237	$16,771,963
Nakusp	Wastewater Treatment Plant Optimization Project	Upgrade the wastewater treatment plant headworks, aeration system, and sludge management system to improve wastewater quality for environmental purposes and meet regulatory compliance	$540,000	$449,955	$360,045
District of North Vancouver	Reduction of Inflow and Infiltration Program - Lynn Valley	Increase the capacity to manage wastewater with rehabilitation of sewer pipes to reduce the frequency of overflows and reduce system operating costs.	$2,000,000	$1,666,500	$1,333,500
Port Clements	Wastewater System Upgrading	Construct a new aerated wastewater treatment lagoon system to replace the current, out of date system	$1,370,332	$1,141,829	$913,671
Regional District of Okanagan-Similkameen	Missezula Lake Water System Upgrades	Install a new water treatment facility to address boil water advisories, meet regulatory requirements, and improve environmental flows	$916,104	$763,343	$610,813
Revelstoke	Wastewater Treatment Facility Upgrade	Upgrade the wastewater treatment plant to improve the level of treatment, increase capacity and control odours, including a new treatment process, a new partitioning and aeration improvements, a new lagoon cover, and other related work.	$5,359,200	$4,465,553	$3,573,247
Stewart	Wastewater Treatment Facility Upgrades	Construct a new rapid infiltration basin and perform associated works to increase system capacity and efficiency, and to reduce algae growth in lagoons and potential overflow into Bear River	$451,120	$375,895	$300,785
Ucluelet	Water Treatment System Upgrades	Add a water treatment plant, filtration, and a third reservoir to the Ucluelet drinking water system to improve treatment, increase drinking water storage capacity, and increase access to potable water	$3,840,000	$3,199,680	$2,560,320
Vancouver	Hastings Sunrise Sewer Renewal and Green Infrastructure Project	Replace the combined sewer with new separate sanitary and storm sewers in the Hastings Sunrise area to mitigate flooding, reduce sewer overflows into local marine waters and increase capacity.	$8,182,684	$6,818,221	$5,455,805

 Associated links

Federal infrastructure investments in British Columbia
https://www.infrastructure.gc.ca/plan/prog-proj-bc-eng.html 

Investing in Canada Plan Project Map
http://www.infrastructure.gc.ca/map

Investing in Canada plan funding stream: Green infrastructure
https://www.infrastructure.gc.ca/plan/gi-iv-eng.html

Investing in Canada Infrastructure Program in British Columbia
www.gov.bc.ca/Investing-in-Canada-Infrastructure-Program

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SOURCE Infrastructure Canada

Contacts: Emelyana Titarenko, Press Secretary, Office of the Minister of Infrastructure and Communities, 873-355-9576, [email protected]; Lauren Mulholland, Media Relations, B.C. Ministry of Municipal Affairs, 250 208-0410, [email protected]; Media Relations, Infrastructure Canada, 613-960-9251, Toll free: 1-877-250-7154, Email: [email protected]

Related Links

www.infrastructure.gc.ca