The towns of Appleton and Glenwood will share $558,010 in funding for the construction of sludge drying beds, which are a component of the Abydoz system. This environmentally sound system uses plants capable of purifying a wide variety of domestic, municipal and industrial waste water. This funding is through the 2008-09 Municipal Capital Works (MCW) program, which fosters the development of cost-shared projects in a wide range of municipal infrastructure.

"The province is very supportive of alternative infrastructure approaches and I am pleased to announce funding for the final piece of this new and innovative initiative," said the Honourable Dave Denine, Minister of Municipal Affairs. "With this investment, the towns of Appleton and Glenwood will now be able to treat the last remaining by-product of their system in an equally environmentally sensitive manner."

Minister Denine earlier announced that through the 2008-09 MCW program, $61.2 million will be spent on many infrastructure improvement projects province-wide. Under the program, the Provincial Government will contribute $32.4 million; the Federal Government will contribute $12 million and the municipalities will contribute $14.1 million. Towns will also utilize the Federal GST rebate as part of the capital cost.

"This is a very important piece of infrastructure, not only for the towns of Glenwood and Appleton, but also for the preservation of the Gander River," said the Honourable Kevin O�Brien, MHA for the Gander District. "I am very happy to see this investment in the final phase of the sewage treatment facility for the towns."

The MCW program has been significantly improved this year by revised cost-share ratios for municipalities. These new changes state that towns with populations under 3,000 now have to contribute only 10 per cent toward the cost of capital infrastructure. Towns with populations between 3,000 and 7,000 contribute 20 per cent and the largest cities and towns with populations over 7,000 contribute 30 per cent.

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