The community of Hampden, in western Newfoundland, will undertake improvements to the municipal water system with the assistance of federal and provincial contributions made under the Canada/Newfoundland and Labrador Municipal Rural Infrastructure Fund (MRIF).

"Canada's new government is helping to ensure that our municipalities have modern infrastructure to provide their residents with clean, safe water," 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). "Helping municipalities improve their infrastructure systems has a direct impact on quality of life for families, and our government is pleased to help support this project in Hampden."

The town will construct a reservoir by-pass system with a contribution of $72,950. The by-pass system would allow constant supply of water to the town during reservoir cleaning operations. The concrete structure will be designed so that aluminum stop logs can be inserted and cause it to act as a dam, thereby allowing water to back-up and flow into an intake pipe that will be routed around the reservoir and to the treatment building downstream of the reservoir. When cleaning operations are completed, the stop logs will be removed and the water will flow its original route. The federal government will provide $24,317 for the Hampden project, while the provincial share will be $34,286, with the municipality providing the remaining $14,347.

"Installation of the new by-pass system will ensure that residents of Hampden have access to chlorinated water, with no disruption to water services during scheduled maintenance shut-downs," stated the Honourable Jack Byrne, Minister of Municipal Affairs, Government of Newfoundland and Labrador. "The new equipment is a positive investment to strengthen infrastructure in the community and a valuable initiative to improve water services."

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.

2007 02 16                                             11:00 a.m.