The municipality of Port au Port West-Aguathuna-Felix Cove will undertake a $233,280 project to expand its municipal water supply thanks to the Canada/Newfoundland and Labrador Municipal Rural Infrastructure Fund (MRIF)

"This project will be a significant improvement to the water supply for the families involved in the area," said the Honourable Loyola Hearn, Minister of Fisheries and Oceans and Regional Minister for Newfoundland and Labrador on behalf of the Honourable Peter MacKay, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Minister of the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency (ACOA). "Canada's new government is pleased to invest in projects that strengthen communities and improve the quality of life for Canadians".

"I am so pleased with this funding announcement for the towns of Port au Port West-Aguathuna-Felix Cove," said Jim Hodder, MHA for the district of Port au Port. "An adequate supply of safe drinking water is something that many people take for granted, but this injection of funds will ensure that these towns will be able to meet the water supply demands of their residents."

"Our current system is not sufficient to meet the demands of the town," said Mayor Phyllis Ducette. "We are pleased to partner with the federal and provincial governments to upgrade our water supply and improve service quality and safety for our citizens."

A new artesian well will be drilled, supplying water to 158 families. The project will also include the construction of a new pump house over an existing well, as well as all pumping, chlorination, and lead filtration equipment.

Surveys of this well have estimated maximum daily output at approximately 120,000 litres a day. The tie-in of the new well to the water system will eliminate the need for drawing surface water from Jim Rowe�s Brook, and thus address the colouring and trihalomethanes issues.

The project will also include the construction of supporting pipelines to connect the new well to the existing system. Six-hundred meters of piping has already been laid in the area, with 400m more needed to complete the system.

The federal government will provide $77,760 through the MRIF program, while the provincial share will be $108,864, the municipality will provide the remaining $46,656.

The $84 million, six-year Canada-NL MRIF Agreement is administered jointly by the Department of Municipal Affairs on behalf of the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador, and ACOA, on behalf of Infrastructure Canada. The Newfoundland and Labrador Federation of Municipalities, acting on behalf of communities, helps set the strategic direction of the Agreement and identify priorities under the capacity-building component of the Agreement.

For more information on MRIF, visit //www.mpa.gov.nl.ca/mpa/mrifa/default.htm or e-mail MRIF@gov.nl.ca. For additional information on this and other infrastructure programs administered by the Government of Canada, visit www.infrastructure.gc.ca.

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