$176 million joint investment in regional clean water supply
South Huron, Ontario, October 18, 2013 – Representatives of the Government of Canada, the Government of Ontario, the Lake Huron and Elgin Area Primary Water Supply Systems Boards of Management, and 14 municipalities in Southwestern Ontario gathered today at the site of the Lake Huron Water Treatment Plant to celebrate significant progress on the Huron Elgin London Project (HELP) Clean Water initiative. Milestones being celebrated include the completion of the Lake Huron Generator, ongoing work on the Lake Huron Residue Management Facility, and twinning sections of the Lake Huron pipeline.
"Our Government’s top priorty is to create jobs, growth and long-term prosperity for Canadians. We are proud to invest in infrastructure projects that will improve the quality of life for Canadian families and benefit the local economy,"
said the Honourable Diane Finley, Minister of Public Works and Government Services. "HELP Clean Water will ensure a reliable and sustainable source of safe, clean water for residents in this region for years to come."
"Ontario is pleased to support this very important regional infrastructure project, which will provide safe, clean water to over half a million residents between Lake Huron and Lake Erie here in southwestern Ontario,"
said the Honourable Deb Matthews, Deputy Premier of Ontario, and MPP for London North Centre. "The Ontario government is investing in infrastructure projects like this to allow every corner of the province to thrive, create jobs and grow local economies."
"An infrastructure initiative of this magnitude is only possible when all levels of government work together as equal partners,"
said Harold Usher, Chair of the Lake Huron Board of Management. "We are grateful to our senior levels of government for their commitment to clean water in our region. We are particularly proud of our regional partnership, between the two regional water supply systems and the City of London, in Southwestern Ontario who all share the vision of clean water for ours and future generations."
Work continues on the Lake Huron Residue Management Facility and twinning sections of the Lake Huron pipeline. The Lake Huron backup generator is now installed and will enhance the reliability of the water supply system by providing increased emergency power to the water treatment and pumping facility in the event of an outage. The Lake Huron Residue Management Facility at the Lake Huron Water Treatment Facility will help the system comply with current standards and reduce environmental impact. Twinning will double approximately 8.5 kilometres of pipeline, reducing pressure on the line while decreasing the risk of a break.
The governments of Canada and Ontario are each contributing one-third of total eligible project costs, up to a maximum of nearly $50 million, for the entire HELP Clean Water initiative, including the Lake Huron components. The balance will be contributed by the Lake Huron Primary Water Supply System, the Elgin Area Primary Water Supply System and the City of London. The two water systems supply the clean water needs of more than 500,000 people living and working in urban and rural communities throughout the region of Southwestern Ontario situated between Lake Huron and Lake Erie. The total eligible cost is estimated at $176 million.
In addition to the milestones being celebrated today, construction on various HELP Clean Water project components located between Lake Erie and Lake Huron are well underway and are expected to be completed by 2016.
Canada's Economic Action Plan 2013 is delivering a New Building Canada Plan to build roads, bridges, subways, commuter rail, and other public infrastructure in cooperation with provinces, territories, and municipalities. Thanks to the Government of Canada's leadership and our strong economic and financial fundamentals, the Canadian economy has recovered from the global recession better than most other industrialized countries. Canada has been a leader among G-7 countries throughout the recovery with more than 1 million net new jobs created since July 2009. The New Building Canada Plan, combined with other federal infrastructure investments, supports Canada's infrastructure advantage, a key enabler of economic growth and job creation.
These investments support the Ontario government’s economic plan to invest in people, invest in infrastructure and support a dynamic and innovative business climate. Since 2003, Ontario has invested approximately $85 billion in infrastructure. Building modern, efficient infrastructure has created or preserved close to 100,000 jobs each year, on average, making Ontario’s economy more productive and improving quality of life, now and in the future.
For additional information about federal investments in infrastructure, visit Infrastructure Canada or follow us on Twitter @INFC_eng.
For more information on how Ontario is revitalizing its infrastructure, visit Ontario Ministry of Infrastructure.
Marie-Josée Paquette (Disponible en français)
Press Secretary
Office of the Minister of Infrastructure, Communities and Intergovernmental Affairs and
Minister of the Economic Development Agency of Canada for the Regions of Quebec
613-943-1838
Bryan Bossin
Press Secretary
Office of the Minister of Rural Affairs of Ontario
416-326-3072
Andrew Henry
HELP Clean Water
ahenry@london.ca
519-930-3505 ext. 1355
Infrastructure Canada
613-960-9251 or toll-free 1-877-250-7154
HELP Clean Water is a multi-year regional infrastructure initiative created by the City of London and the Joint Boards of Management for the Lake Huron Primary Water Supply System and Elgin Area Primary Water Supply System, funded equally by the Government of Canada, the Government of Ontario and the HELP Clean Water regional partnership (Lake Huron Primary Water Supply System, Elgin Area Primary Water Supply System, and the City of London) at a total eligible project cost of $176 million. The initiative includes multiple components located throughout Southwestern Ontario in urban and rural communities. Once complete, the project will supply over 500,000 residents in 14 municipalities between the shores of Lake Huron and Lake Erie in Southwestern Ontario with a reliable source of safe, clean water.
HELP Clean Water has seven project components that will be completed between now and 2016:
- Elgin Area Primary Water Supply System: Pipeline Twinning — the construction of approximately 17 kilometres of 900mm transmission pipeline between the water treatment plant near Port Stanley and the terminal reservoir northeast of the City of St. Thomas.
- Lake Huron Primary Water Supply System: Pipeline Twinning — the construction of a total of 8.5 kilometres of 120mm transmission pipeline in the areas of Mt. Carmel in South Huron and near Ailsa Craig in North Middlesex.
- Lake Huron: Backup Generator — installation of 10 megawatts of emergency backup generation.
- Elgin Area: Water Treatment Plant Residue Management — construction of a treatment system to treat the residue from the water treatment processes.
- Lake Huron: Water Treatment Plant Residue Management — construction of a treatment system to treat the residue from the water treatment processes.
- Lake Huron Transmission Pipeline Acoustic Fibre Optic Monitoring System (new) — installation of a fibre optic monitoring system to monitor long-term transmission pipeline deterioration and leak detection.
- Elgin Area Filter Replacement (new) — replacement of the dual media filters at the water treatment plant with a higher capacity and more efficient filtration system.
HELP Clean Water will meet the current and future land use planning and economic development needs of the region through:
- Sustainable and reliable supply of clean water
- Built in capacity for future growth
- Reduced reliance on groundwater supplies
- Enhanced reliability with full emergency power capacity
- Increased emergency storage
