KIM BURTON-SCHRAM
LOCAL JOURNALISM INITIATIVE REPORTER
The provincial government is continuing to invest in rural communities to upgrade infrastructure and ensure residents have access to safe drinking water and dependable wastewater services. The $175 million investment is through the Health and Safety Water Stream (HSWS), part of the Municipal Housing Infrastructure Program (MHIP), to replace pipes, watermains and stormwater facilities, along with enhancements for flood mitigation during extreme weather events.
North Glengarry Township, in consultation with the Raisin River Conservation Authority (RRCA), hopes to be successful in securing funding for the Garry River Integrated Water Infrastructure Rehabilitation and Resilience Project. The province is funding up to $30 million per project to successful applicants through the HSWS grant, covering 73 per cent of costs.
The Garry River system in North Glengarry feeds the Mill Pond located in Alexandria, which provides water to both Maxville and Alexandria. The Mill Pond is the third in a series of three inland lakes linked through the Garry River system and includes Loch Garry, Middle Lake and Mill Pond. Each of these water bodies is controlled by individual dams that regulate the water levels as well as the flow of water in the Alexandria channel that runs through the town. The Garry River project would review the three dams as well as the Alexandria channel, which is showing signs of erosion and some structural instability.
Estimated costs associated with the Garry River Integrated Water Infrastructure Rehabilitation and Resilience Project would include: Dam Safety Assessments at $225,000; Geotechnical and Structural Assessments at $200,000; Alexandria channel design at $100,000; dam upgrades at $300,000; Channelization – straightening or deepening of the channel – at a cost of $1 million; and erosion protection at $200,000 for a total cost of the Garry River project coming in at just over $2 million.
At the 2025 Rural Ontario Municipal Association (ROMA) conference in January of this year, over 500 meetings were held with ministers and municipalities from across the province to discuss key concerns addressing housing, health services and infrastructure in rural communities. “After years of neglect from previous governments, we are making sure rural communities are seeing the new investments, infrastructure and homes they need to thrive and create new jobs and opportunities,” said Doug Ford, Premier for Ontario.
North Glengarry is set to grow with the expansion of the Alexandria lagoons and new housing units to be built. Investment in aging watermains, wastewater pipes, bridges and the channel through town is necessary to continue to provide the needed services to the municipality. Having over 20 kilometres of watermains in Alexandria, the Township has been making improvements, working on repairing structural issues and eliminating infiltration of the municipal sewer systems since 2008. North Glengarry continues to take steps for infrastructure improvements such as the Dominion Street bridge replacement in 2024, along with work on the Centre Street bridge starting this summer. In addition, the Township will be awarding Clearwater Municipal Services the contract to complete structural repairs through Cured-in-Place Pipe (CIPP) technology, a cost-effective method to seal cracks and joints. This CIPP work is expected to be completed by October 2025 for a total price of $156,505 and will extend the life of the existing pipes by over 50 years.
L’article <b>North Glengarry to apply for Health & Safety Water Stream funding</b> est apparu en premier sur Cornwall Seaway News.
