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News Release
March 19, 2004
WORKING TOGETHER TO IMPROVE WASTEWATER TREATMENT AND HALIFAX HARBOUR WATER QUALITY
HALIFAX REGIONAL MUNICIPALITY, Nova Scotia - Residents of the Halifax Regional Municipality (HRM) will benefit from improved
wastewater treatment and quality of water in the Halifax Harbour thanks to an
enhanced partnership between the Government of Canada and HRM.
The Honourable Geoff Regan, Minister of Fisheries and Oceans, accompanied
by His Worship, Mayor Peter J. Kelly, today announced that the Government of
Canada will now invest $60 million toward wastewater treatment plants key to
the Halifax Harbour Solutions Project. With an increase of $30 million in federal
funding, HRM will now be able to invest in other components of the Project and
extend its positive impact.
“Through this investment from the Canada Strategic Infrastructure Fund,
the Government of Canada demonstrates once again its commitment to improving
the environment and the quality of life of all Canadians, including the people
of HRM,” said Minister Regan. “I want to acknowledge the role that
the Regional Municipality and the Province of Nova Scotia have had in making
this partnership such a success.”
“This additional funding from the Canadian government now enables HRM
to advance incremental and much needed wastewater projects to further protect
our watersheds, and ultimately, achieve the water quality objectives for Halifax
Harbour,” said Mayor Kelly. “Implementation of these complementary
projects will greatly enhance HRM’s strategic efforts toward a “Healthy,
Sustainable and Vibrant Community.”
The Government of Canada’s increased investment will support the construction
of wastewater treatment plants in Herring Cove and Dartmouth. The $30 million
already announced is for improvements to the sewage collection system and the
design and construction of a sewage treatment plant in Halifax. The federal
investment is coming from the Canada Strategic Infrastructure Fund (CSIF).
The investment announced today will give HRM sufficient flexibility to improve
other components of the Halifax Harbour Solutions Project, including a further
reduction of combined sewer overflows into the Harbour and the phase out of
the biosolids lagoon at Aerotech Park. The phase out of the lagoon will result
in the elimination of methane gas discharged into the atmosphere.
Through the CSIF, the Government of Canada works with provincial, territorial
and municipal governments, as well as with the private sector, to meet strategic
infrastructure needs throughout the country. The CSIF supports large-scale strategic
infrastructure projects that improve quality of life and further sustainable
growth. The fund also supports the Government of Canada’s ‘new deal’
for communities that will help make Canada a world leader in developing vibrant,
creative and prosperous cities and communities. Since 1994, the Government of
Canada has contributed $12 billion to over 20,000 infrastructure projects in
Canada’s communities. This has helped leverage over $30 billion from all
partners.
For more information about the Halifax Harbour Solutions Project, please visit
www.halifax.ca/harboursol.
Contacts:
Brian Underhill
Director of Communications
Office of Minister Geoff Regan
(613) 992-3474
John O’Brien
Corporate Communications Officer
Halifax Regional Municipality
(902) 490-6531
Mary Johnson
Office of Minister of State (Infrastructure) Andy Scott
(613) 952-1684
Infrastructure Canada
Communications and Promotion
(613) 948-1148
BACKGROUNDER
Additional Funding from Canadian Government Will Enable
HRM to Enhance Halifax Harbour Project
November 12, 2003, marked the beginning of Phase 1 of the Harbour Solutions
Project with the commencement of the construction of the Sewage Collection System
(CSC) by Dexter Construction. The SCS will divert raw sewage from the numerous
outfalls in the Harbour, which are presently discharging approximately 180 million
litres of raw sewage daily, to the three new Sewage Treatment Plants (STP’S)
that will be built in Halifax, Dartmouth and Herring Cove.
On March 9, 2004, Halifax Regional Council gave approval to staff to enter
into an agreement with D&D Water Solutions Inc. to design, construct and
commission the three STP’s. These plants will use a process known as advanced
primary treatment. This level of treatment includes mechanical solids separation
augmented by chemical treatment to enhance removal of suspended solids. Effluent
will be disinfected with ultraviolet (UV) light prior to discharge into the
Harbour. Advanced primary treatment removes up to 70% of the suspended solids
in the wastewater.
The funding of the Harbour Solutions Project comes from a partnership among
the Canadian, provincial and municipal governments. The original funding arrangement
consisted of $30 million from the federal government, $30 million over 15 years
and $2million in land from the Province and the balance of the $333 million
project provided by HRM. Today, the Canadian government is announcing an additional
$30 million contribution from the Canadian Strategic Infrastructure Fund. It
is proposed that these additional funds will be applied against the cost of
the Dartmouth and Herring Cove STP’s.
This additional $30 million of funding being announced today by the Honourable
Geoff Regan, Minister of Fisheries and Oceans, will enable HRM to advance incremental
and much needed wastewater projects to further protect our watersheds and ultimately
achieve the water quality objectives for Halifax Harbour. These projects include,
a combined sewer overflow prevention and pumping station upgrade projects which
will minimize the pollutants entering into HRM’s receiving water and,
at the same time, convey the pollutants to the sewage treatment plants. The
diffusion ratio upgrades will enable the treatment plant effluent to be discharged
in a manner that will significantly decrease the impact of effluent in the direct
vicinity of the receiving water. Implementation of a biosolids dewatering facility
will enable all HRM biosolids to be processed to a Class A standard and will
enable the phase out of the biosolids lagoon at Aerotech Park, thus eliminating
a huge volume of methane (>10,000,000 cu. ft) that is released to the atmosphere
annually.
Contacts:
John O’Brien
Corporate Communications Officer
(902) 490-6531
Deborah Story
Harbour Solutions Office
(902) 490-6787
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