Barriere - Residents and businesses in the District of Barriere are set to benefit from a new community wastewater system that has been made possible through $6.7 million from Canada’s Gas Tax Fund.
“Our government is proud to deliver long-term infrastructure funding for municipalities through a permanent annual investment of $2 billion in the Gas Tax Fund,” said Cathy McLeod, MP for Kamloops-Thompson-Cariboo, on behalf of the Honourable Denis Lebel, Minister of Transport, Infrastructure and Communities. “These upgrades will create local jobs and benefit hundreds of homes that do not currently have sewer service.”
The new wastewater system will connect the oldest neighbourhoods in the downtown core, replacing septic fields. In turn this will encourage redevelopment, revitalization and densification of the town core, supporting a key goal in the District of Barriere’s new Official Community Plan (OCP). It is anticipated that the funding will cover the entire cost of the project.
“This is welcome news to our community,” said Mayor Bill Humphreys. “This funding will allow Barriere to move forward with our OCP and the long awaited plan to revitalize the town core. It will also provide timely infrastructure relief for many of the businesses and residents that in the near future would have experienced costly septic problems. This is a perfect example of multiple levels of government working together to serve the citizens of our communities.”
As well as addressing the need to replace older and, in some cases, near-failing systems, the sewage plant will incorporate a solar-panelled greenhouse where living plants will assist in the water purification process. It will be able to receive septage from the local area, providing a small revenue stream towards its operation. The treated water will be used to irrigate the adjacent parks and baseball diamonds, helping to conserve Barriere’s supply of potable water.
“It’s good to see the Gas Tax Fund supporting innovative approaches to wastewater treatment and benefitting the community’s infrastructure overall,” said Kamloops-North Thompson MLA Terry Lake. “Funding partnerships are about making such large projects possible, while emphasizing green, environmentally sustainable solutions.”
Canada’s Gas Tax Fund provides stable, long-term infrastructure funding to municipalities through a tripartite agreement between the federal government, British Columbia and the Union of British Columbia Municipalities (UBCM). The fund primarily supports capital projects that lead to cleaner air, cleaner water or reduced greenhouse gas emissions. UBCM administers the Gas Tax Fund in B.C. in collaboration with the governments of Canada and British Columbia.
