Canada announces $4.5 million investment in Waterloo water infrastructure
Canadian officials today announced a $4.5-million investment through FCM’s Green Municipal Fund (GMF) for projects that will improve the quality of water and traffic infrastructure in the region of Waterloo.
The City of Waterloo will receive $175,000 to study the risks of sodium chloride infiltration from Stormwater Management Facilities in the Laurel Creek sub-watershed. This initiative will use a ground water model developed by the University of Guelph. Testing and verifying the model in Waterloo will be useful for any community concerned with sodium chloride contamination in high-risk areas.
The Regional Municipality of Waterloo will receive $1.9-million to upgrade its Hespeler wastewater treatment plant with a membrane-aerated bioreactor to reduce operational costs, support future growth in the municipality, improve water quality, reduce energy consumption and cut down on treatment waste.
In addition, the Regional Municipality of Waterloo will receive $2.4 million to implement a new traffic system at 275 intersections to improve traffic flow across the entire region. The new system will collect data that will better integrate pedestrians, cyclists, rapid transit and emergency vehicles, leading to improved safety and lower greenhouse gas emissions.
A virtual event for the Waterloo announcements took place at 11:00 a.m. EDT this morning, via Zoom.
The Canadian government also shared, in a separate announcement, the funding of various wastewater treatment operations in Southwestern Ontario, including: $598,000 for anew disinfection system in the Municipality of Brockton; and $71,800 to assess opportunities to retrofit and upgrade an anaerobic digester in the Township of Georgian Bluffs.
The Government last announced funding for stormwater infrastructure on March 23, where over $1.5 million went to stormwater infrastructure in the Township of Woolwich.
The Government of Canada has invested $1.65 billion in GMF since its inception, enabling municipalities to support projects like these that leverage local resources to drive municipal solutions.
SOURCE: Natural Resources Canada
