The Manitoba and federal governments plan to spend $33 million to upgrade Brandon’s wastewater treatment plant, which will allow the community to become the first in the province to satisfy stricter nutrient removal standards, said mayor Dave Burgess.
“Brandonites realize that protecting our water is a shared responsibility and we are proud to be taking a leadership role with these upgrades,” he said in a release.
The Sept. 25 funding announcement is part of an ongoing effort to treat wastewater from Maple Leaf Foods hog processing facility and other industries in the Brandon region.
Last spring, the province announced $15.5 million in improvements to the Brandon sewage plant, to accommodate a second shift and additional hogs at Maple Leaf’s facility east of Brandon.
“Our government is making smart investments that will inject additional capital into our economy and keep people working during these tough economic times,” said Merv Tweed, MP for Brandon-Souris.
When the $81.4 million plant is completed, Brandon will be fully compliant with nutrient removal standards recommended by Manitoba’s Clean Environment Commission.
The provincial government has made limiting the amount of nitrogen and phosphorous in Manitoba waterways a priority, after nutrient overloading of Lake Winnipeg caused massive algae blooms to form on the lake in the summer of 2006.
