2009.02.03 – London Free Press, A1

$150M projects on tap at last
By Debora Van Brenk

New waterworks valued at $150 million are finally in the pipeline for Southwestern Ontario, with the federal government saying it'll fund one-third of the massive project.

"It's been a long, long time coming," London Mayor Anne Marie DeCicco-Best said yesterday.

Plans include:

- A reservoir for emergency storage and a pumping station near Highbury Avenue South, similar to ones near Arva, to serve London.

- Twinned pipelines to London from Lake Erie and Lake Huron.

- A new backup generator for water pumping for the Lake Huron system.

- Methane co-generation -- producing power from waste gas -- at London's landfill, with the power to be used by the water systems.

Andrew Henry, who manages the regional water supply, said planning has been underway for more than five years. "I'm very excited. This is a good day," he said.

The two water systems serve 500,000 people in Southwestern Ontario.

The Elgin pipeline can carry 90 million litres a day and is almost at capacity, Henry said.

The Huron pipeline climbs the equivalent of 90 metres between the Grand Bend pumping station and Ilderton, and a second line to London will ease the pressure, he said.

The Highbury reservoir in particular has been planned for years.

"A lot of these projects are shovel-ready," Henry said.

The cost will be split among the province (which approved the project months ago), the federal government and the 22 member municipalities of the two water systems.

"We are very, very fortunate in London that we have two water systems and even from (an economically) competitive perspective, it gives us an advantage," DeCicco-Best said.

The federal Conservative government gave provisional funding approval in 2007, and has now given full approval.

MP Ed Holder, (Conservative -- London West) said the money is from a Building Canada project envelope, separate from the $12 billion announced for infrastructure spending in last week's federal budget.

The new waterworks will mean clean water for the long-term and jobs.

"It's good to go. They truly have the green light to go," Holder said from Ottawa.

"It's huge for London" and for everyone who relies on the water systems, he said.

The announcement comes as questions grow about the proximity of the Lake Erie pipeline intake to the Port Stanley harbour, where residents have called for a cleanup of contaminants. For more on that story go to lfpress.com/portstanley.