Over $5 million in joint funding will help pay for the design and construction of a new pumping station to replace the Drayton Sewage Pumping Station.
The goal is to protect the community and the nearby waterways during severe weather incidents.
Township of Mapleton Mayor Gregg Davidson said the project includes new sanitary system connections to the existing wastewater collection system. A new overflow storage facility will allow the system to accommodate higher volumes of water during storms and prevent sewage discharges. The new system will be easier to maintain and more energy efficient thanks to the installation of isolation valves and high-efficiency pumps.
The Government of Canada is investing over $2 million in this project through the Disaster and Mitigation Adaptation Fund (DMAF), while the Township of Mapleton is contributing over $3 million.
"Repairing and expanding Mapleton's wastewater system is important to our community. We are thankful to the Government of Canada for contributing over $2 million towards our goals. This funding will be used to help safeguard our system from future flooding events and build capacity for community growth," said Davidson. "Without the refurbishment of our water and wastewater system, we cannot do many more expansions than what we currently have on the docket. So we recently completed a new water tower that's online now. And now, of course, we need to work on the waste water system which is going to take a number of years and upwards of $30-million."
They hope to have the work completed over the next few years.
"Local flooding from the Conestogo River that occurred in 2017, and other extreme weather events, pose significant risk of sewage overflowing into the river from the pumping station. And when that event occurs, we have very little time to react. So working on this project is very important for the water system," Davidson explained.
