NEWS RELEASE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
PERMANENT BIO-SOLIDS HANDLING SYSTEM PROJECT
MADE POSSIBLE THANKS TO FEDERAL GAS TAX FUND
CRESTON, B.C., March 9, 2018 – The Town of Creston is pleased to announce the establishment of a long-term solution to address the removal of bio-solids from the Bulk Volume Fermenter (BVF) process, thanks to funding received from the Federal Gas Tax Fund.
Bio-solids are by-products of the Waste Water Treatment Plant and specifically the BVF. The Town has an effective short-term solids removal solution, however, the establishment of a permanent structure and waste collection/laydown area that is in conformance with current Ministry of Environment regulations will ultimately lower the solids handling costs, and address the Ministry of Environment’s concerns regarding potential contamination of the environment through the bio-solids process. Upon completion of this project, the Town will be able to process bio-solids throughout the year without changing the current wastewater processes.
The Federal Gas Tax Fund will provide $2,834,150 which will fully fund the entire project.
Each year, the Government of Canada provides over $278 million in funding for local government infrastructure across British Columbia through the Federal Gas Tax Fund. The Union of BC Municipalities administers the Federal Gas Tax Fund in British Columbia in partnership with the Government of Canada
and the Province of British Columbia.
“Wastewater and bio-solids may not be something we talk about often, but their management is essential to our quality of life,” said Michelle Mungall, MLA for Nelson-Creston and B.C. Minister of Energy, Mines and Petroleum Resources. “It's great to see the Town of Creston secure funding from this federal and provincial partnership to support such important infrastructure projects.”
“Communities across BC are looking for funding to replace, upgrade and expand local infrastructure”, said Wendy Booth, President of the Union of BC Municipalities. “The Federal Gas Tax Fund is accelerating the pace of infrastructure renewal through the transfer of close to $3 billion since 2005 for projects in our province. I appreciate the Government of Canada’s long-term commitment to fund priorities identified by BC local governments.”
“The Town of Creston very much appreciates the ability to establish a long-term solution to bio-solids handling, made possible by the Federal Gas Tax Fund”, Mayor Ron Toyota said. “This project will directly impact 100% of the community that is currently connected to the piped sewerage collection system within Town limits. On behalf Mayor and Council, I want to express our heartfelt appreciation to the Government of Canada for this funding.”
Links:
To learn more about the Federal Gas Tax Fund visit http://www.infrastructure.gc.ca/plan/gtf-fte-eng.html. To see all projects funded through this intake, visit https://news.gov.bc.ca/16553.
Contacts:
Lou Varela, Chief Administrative Officer
Town of Creston
Phone: (250) 428-2214
Email: info@creston.ca