Ottawa is lending a financial helping hand when it comes to cleaning up the Thames River in London, Ont.
During a news conference inside Museum London on Monday, London North Centre MP Peter Fragiskatos announced nearly $20 million in federal funding to support flood prevention and mitigation at the city’s Greenway and Adelaide wastewater treatment plants.
“Combined with municipal contribution, the total money for this project is $49.5 million,” Fragiskatos said.
Deputy Mayor Josh Morgan says the project will bring much-needed upgrades to the two wastewater treatment plants and allow them to operate better during severe weather events such as storms.
During these type of events, rising water levels often overwhelm the capacity of the two plants, causing them to spew raw sewage and other partially treated sewage into the Thames River.
“Allowing for flood mitigation and protection will allow these plants to stay fully operational through a major storm event,” Morgan said.
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“This should lead to very few instances of partially treated or raw sewage going into the Thames River because the plants will not be overwhelmed during a significant severe weather event as they have been in the past.”
“It’s going to be able into the future and (is) projected to actually help the plants over the next 75 years,” said Scott Mathers, London’s director of water and wastewater.
Mathers says the project will be working with very expensive infrastructure, with both of the wastewater treatment plants valued at a combined total of about $600 million.
Once the project is complete, both the Greenway and Adelaide wastewater treatment plants will be equipped with a floor barrier and an effluent pumping station. The project is intended to be integrated into existing park and shoreline systems near the plants.
“The environmental assessment, public consultation and First Nations engagement will be in 2021,” Mathers said of the project’s timeline.
“Design will be proceeding in 2022 and construction will be between 2023 and 2025.”
Between construction and design, the project is expected to create 80 new jobs in London.
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