PRESS RELEASE

For Immediate Release
2005-01-18

 
For further information contact:
Heather Bradley, Office of Peter Milliken(613) 995-7882 or Geoff Coons, Office of Mayor Rosen, City of Kingston, 546-4291, ext. 1400 or Infrastructure Canada(613) 948-1148

UPGRADES AT WATER PLANT
PROMISE HEALTHIER FUTURE

	RELATED LINKS RAVENSVIEW UPGRADES Learn more about efforts to improve Kingston's Ravensview sewage- treatment plant.   FEDERAL PROGRAMS For further information on federal infrastructure programs, visit the Infrastructure Canada Web site.

A $25-million contribution agreement signed by the Government of Canada and the City of Kingston will mean improved water quality in Lake Ontario and therefore cleaner water for the residents of Kingston.

The Honourable Peter Milliken, Speaker of the House of Commons and Member of Parliament for Kingston and the Islands, on behalf of the Honourable John Godfrey, Minister of State (Infrastructure and Communities), and Harvey Rosen, Mayor of Kingston, today announced that a contribution agreement has been signed which will allow for upgrades at the Kingston Ravensview Water Pollution Control Plant (WPCP). The Government of Canada has committed up to $25 million. The City of Kingston will dedicate up to $55 million for these and related necessary improvements at this site. Funding will be used to upgrade the plant systems from primary to secondary treatment in an effort to improve the capacity of the facility and the quality of wastewater.

"Clean water is one of the most precious resources that we have here in Canada. Improvements to waste water treatment plants such as this one here in Kingston are critical to the people of this and neighbouring communities and cannot be overlooked," said Mr. Milliken. "As part of our New Deal for Cities and Communities, we are proud to help Kingston protect the environment, the people of this city and all of us who rely on and count on being able enjoy clean, safe water."

"The huge contribution of this community to this essential project, one to which Council has assigned its top priority, is truly staggering," Said Mayor Rosen "The support of the Government of Canada is, without a doubt, a most significant one, without which we could not even begin to undertake this reconstruction. However, we are looking to Queen's Park for the third and final piece of this partnership. I know that Minister Gerretsen is taking up this challenge on behalf of the province and the citizens of Kingston."

Construction at the Ravensview plant is scheduled to begin in the spring of 2006. Upgrades will include construction of eight biological filter tanks for secondary treatment, a pumping station to transfer wastewater, a digester that will handle solid materials from the treatment process, a septage receiving facility to relieve some of the pressures on the existing facility at the existing facility as well as chlorination/de-chlorination system improvements, automated headworks and grit removal, and upgrades to primary clarifiers and boiler and heat exchangers.

Kingston continues to grow and the ongoing development poses a significant impact on the available capacity of the WPCP as it stands today. In 1992, improvements to the Ravensview plant were made. However, in order to protect the water users locally and downstream, further work is required to improve the removal of dissolved contaminants from the effluent. The improvements that are made possible through this joint contribution agreement will aid in the further protection of public health, the environment and the quality of water in Lake Ontario.

This project at the Ravensview Water Pollution Control Plant is one example of how Canada is committed to protecting the environment and improving the quality of life for all Canadians. The Great Lakes-St. Lawrence basin is the most populated area in Canada with more than half of the country's population living in the region. Not only is Lake Ontario an important source of drinking water for the region, but it also plays significant role in the economies of both Canada and the United States.

Canada's contribution to this project is made available through the Canada Strategic Infrastructure Fund (CSIF), through which the Government of Canada collaborates with provincial, territorial and municipal governments as well as the private sector, to meet strategic infrastructure needs throughout the country. Since 1994, the Government of Canada has committed $12 billion toward over 20,000 infrastructure projects in Canada's communities. This is expected to leverage over $30 billion in investments from all partners.

Through the New Deal for Cities and Communities, the Government of Canada is taking constructive steps to engage and consult with stakeholders, to continue to promote new partnerships between federal, provincial, and municipal governments and to deliver stable, predictable, long-term funding for cities and communities in urban and rural areas.

BACKGROUNDER

On July 11, 2003 the Government of Canada announced a commitment of up to $25- million towards improved wastewater treatment in Kingston. The total estimated cost to upgrade the Kingston Ravensview Water Pollution Control plant from primary to secondary treatment is $80-million. The City of Kingston will dedicate the balance of up to $55-million.

Although short-term improvements were made in 1992 at the Kingston Ravensview Water Pollution Control Plant (WPCP), a subsequent Environmental Assessment Study Report confirmed that other upgrades and system improvements were necessary to keep the plant operating at optimum levels and to protect water users. Increased capacity of the plant through an upgrade to secondary treatment will contribute to the protection and improvement of public health and the environmental protection of the Great Lakes. Improvements at the plant also help to ensure ongoing compliance with the policies detailed by the Ontario Ministry of the Environment surface water quality guidelines which have a direct impact on the day-to-day operations of the Water Pollution Control Plant.

Immediate results of secondary treatment installation include the reduction of effluent biochemical oxygen demand and total solids. Results also include improved nutrient removal in discharge of effluent and enhanced facility energy efficiency. Upon completion of the upgrades and improvements at the Water Pollution Control Plant not only will the quality of water and wastewater be improved, but economic development in the area will grow resulting from the further development of commercial and industrial parks.

Currently, this project is in the preliminary engineering design phase. Construction is expected to begin in March 2006 targeting completion in 2010.

The federal contribution will be provided through the Canada Strategic Infrastructure Fund (CSIF). The CSIF supports large-scale strategic infrastructure projects that improve quality of life and further sustainable growth. CSIF is complemented by the recently launched Canada-Ontario Municipal Rural Infrastructure Fund, which will provide almost $900 million ($298 million from Canada) toward smaller communities in Ontario.

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