County of Brant, Ont. – Basil Stewart, president of the Federation of Canadian Municipalities (FCM) and mayor of Summerside, P.E.I., and Phil McColeman, member of Parliament for Brant, on behalf of Natural Resources Minister Christian Paradis, today announced Green Municipal FundTM (GMF) support for the County of Brant. The county will use the $4,314,787 in funding to improve the quality and safety of the drinking water, and reduce water loss, in the community of Mount Pleasant.

“FCM’s Green Municipal Fund offers a range of resources and services that specifically address the sustainable community development needs of municipal governments,” said Stewart. “The financing and knowledge provided by the Fund support the development of communities that are more environmentally, socially and economically sustainable.”

“The Government of Canada is assisting municipalities across the country in achieving their goal of a cleaner and healthier environment for Canadians through the Green Municipal Fund,” said McColeman. “Today’s announcement is another example of how our government—in partnership with FCM—is helping the County of Brant build a greener future for the citizens of Mount Pleasant.”

Mount Pleasant’s municipal water system serves about 500 residences, 20 commercial units and one bulk-fill water station from its Ellis Avenue facility. Water is pumped from two wells at Ellis Avenue and treated with sodium hypochlorite before it is stored in the underground reservoir. Most of the activity for this project, other than the relining or replacement of mains, will be conducted at this facility.

In 2006, manganese levels in both wells were higher than the Guidelines for Canadian Drinking Water Quality (GCDWQ.) The County of Brant expects improvements to the water system to lower manganese levels below the GCDWQ requirements, an average reduction of 84 per cent. The system’s high levels of iron and sodium, although within GCDWQ limits, are also expected to decrease.

The three-year average of total potable water entering the water distribution system is 620 cubic metres per day. With improvements to reduce water loss from the system, the average volume of potable water expected to enter the water distribution system, based on the same consumption, is 575 cubic metres per day. That amounts to a saving of 16,425 cubic metres of potable water per year.

The county anticipates a range of economic benefits from this initiative, including savings from reduced electrical power needed to operate the facility’s pumps and water treatment equipment; savings on chemical costs due to the reduced amount of sodium hypochlorite required to treat less water; and increased revenues from the residential and commercial development made possible by the increased number of households the existing Mount Pleasant reservoir and distribution system can serve.

“The Council of the County of Brant is extremely pleased to receive funding from the FCM Green Municipal Fund”, said County of Brant Mayor Ron Eddy. “This funding comes at the right time to assist with improvements to the water system for the residents, commercial operations and the bulk-fill water station in the Mount Pleasant area.  This project will enable the County to reduce the loss of water and provide a purer water supply.”

The Green Municipal Fund is an endowment financed by the Government of Canada and managed by FCM. The Fund supports partnerships and leveraging of both public- and private-sector funding to reach higher standards of air, water and soil quality, and climate protection.

FCM has been the national voice of municipal governments since 1901. It fosters the development of sustainable communities to improve quality of life by promoting strong, effective, and accountable municipal government.