Balfour & Ymir Water Systems get huge grants
March 24, 2017
RDCK receives huge grants for two water systems
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Better water treatment in store for Ymir and Balfour |
NELSON— Water users in Balfour and Ymir will see important upgrades to their systems thanks to federal and provincial grant funding.
The Government of Canada and the Province of BC announced on March 17th that they would commit $373.2 million through the Clean Water and Wastewater Fund for 144 projects in BC.
The governments of Canada and British Columbia are safeguarding public health and helping protect the province's waterways by investing in projects that ensure water and wastewater systems are up to date, efficient and meet communities' increasing capacity needs. These investments will also help create jobs and lay the foundation for new economic opportunities to strengthen the middle class across the province.
“Safe and reliable drinking water and wastewater systems are essential infrastructure for all communities in our province,” says Peter Fassbender, Minister of Community, Sport and Cultural Development. “The Clean Water and Wastewater Fund enables local governments to make the critical investments in essential services their citizens rely upon. These projects will create close to 4,000 direct and indirect jobs that will benefit local families across British Columbia.”
The Ymir Water Storage Reservoir Replacement will receive $387,328 in federal funding and $255,636 in provincial monies. The remaining $131,693 of the project cost will be borne by the service.
“The community is delighted to receive this funding which will enable Ymir to replace its aging water tank,” says Hans Cunningham, the RDCK Area G Director. “The new reservoir will enhance fire protection, ensure cleanliness of our water and form part of the sustainability plan for the service.”
The Balfour Water System Upgrade and Universal Metering Project has been granted $1,698,500 in federal funds and $1,121,010 from the Province for a total of over $2.8 million.
“I am overjoyed and extremely grateful to the Federal and Provincial governments for choosing Balfour to receive these funds,” says Ramona Faust, Area E Director. “I also want to express deep gratitude to RDCK staff for preparing such a great proposal on Balfour’s behalf.”
Currently, the RDCK is seeking approval from the electors in the Balfour Water System Area via an alternative approval process to determine if they support the RDCK borrowing $588,323.00. That money would fund a number of essential capital projects for the system, including replacing the reservoir, installing universal metering, upgrading standby power and performing distribution capacity and reliability upgrades.
If the Balfour water users decide to authorize the borrowing, the RDCK will be eligible to receive the federal and provincial grant funding needed to proceed with the project. If the electors do not authorize the borrowing, the RDCK will still be required to undertake some aspects of the project.
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Quick facts
- The Ymir and Balfour projects are two of 144 projects funded under the Clean Water and Wastewater Fund. For more information, please visit http://infc.gc.ca/b705
- The Government of Canada allocated $225,067,721 to British Columbia under the Clean Water and Wastewater Fund, and will fund up to 50 per cent of the eligible project costs.
- The Government of Canada will provide more than $180 billion in infrastructure funding over 12 years for public transit, green infrastructure, social infrastructure, transportation that supports trade, and Canada’s rural and northern communities.
Associated links
Government of Canada’s $180-billion+ infrastructure plan: http://www.budget.gc.ca/fes-eea/2016/docs/themes/infrastructure-en.html
Federal infrastructure investments in British Columbia: http://www.infrastructure.gc.ca/map-carte/bc-eng.html
CWWF and PTIF projects in British Columbia: http://www.infrastructure.gc.ca/pt-sp/projects-list-liste-projets-bc-eng.html
The Clean Water and Wastewater Fund: http://www.infrastructure.gc.ca/plan/cwwf/cwwf-program-programme-eng.html.
Contact: Uli Wolf, Acting CAO and General Manager of Environmental Services, 250-352-8163
The content on this page was last updated March 24 2017 at 1:17 AM