2023-03-22

RQM receives $2.6 million in funding for water and wastewater upgrades

LIVERPOOL - Today, March 13, an investment of more than $2.6 million in joint funding for water and wastewater infrastructure upgrades, was announced for the Region of Queens Municipality.

Funding will go towards upgrading and replacing water, sanitary and storm sewer lines and decommissioning the existing combined sewer outfall in the Waterloo East sewershed boundary.

The project will also include a new wastewater pumping station, force main and a new storm sewer outfall. The stormwater system will be designed to withstand 100-year storm water levels.

RQM Mayor Darlene Norman said work should begin on the project in late spring or early summer.

"It's always good to get funding partnerships from both the Government of Canada and the province of Nova Scotia. When the town of Liverpool, like many other coastal towns in our country, when they built wastewater systems they built them with direct outfall into the marine environment," she said following the announcement.

"This section of Liverpool has many homes that are still direct outfalling into Liverpool Bay, so this will correct those direct wastewater outfalls. It will separate the storm water and at the same time it will include new water lines and that will improve the reliability and the capacity of the drinking system."

Norman asked for patience from homeowners that live in the area, considering there is just one road to go in and out.

"Please be patient with the work crews as they work to solve this outfall issue," she said.

Queens PC MLA Kim Masland, who attended the announcement at Queens Place Emera Centre, said "today the sun is shining and we're delivering."

"This is a project that I know the municipality applied for in 2021 and I'm really glad to see that this project has finally received the attention that it certain deserves," she said in an interview. "This is very important for our municipality and it will ensure that we have reliable, clean drinking water and wastewater lines that will not only stand the day-to-day use, but will handle the stronger storms we are seeing in our coastal areas."

The Government of Canada is investing $1,046,800 through the Green Infrastructure Stream of the Investing in Canada Infrastructure Program. The government of Nova Scotia is investing $872,333, while the Region of Queens Municipality (RQM) is providing $697,867 - the money will be included in the 2023-24 budget and it will be coming from the region's sewer reserve..