The federal government and the Federation of Canadian Municipalities (FCM) have announced $2.2 million worth of funding for two Ontario communities to use to improve water quality and reduce potable water use.

Guelph MP Lloyd Longfield past FCM president Joanne Vanderheyden announced the funding through the Green Municipal Fund (GMF) on July 13.

"Today's investments will provide South Bruce, Georgina and the Ontario Water Centre with the support needed to ensure that Ontarians have access to clean water and that our aquatic ecosystems are protected,” said Natural Resources Minister Jonathan Wilkinson.

The Municipality of South Bruce will receive up to $1.7 million in the form of a loan and grant funding to upgrade its Teeswater Wastewater Treatment Plant. The work will accommodate population growth, enhance water quality and manage organic loadings caused by increased sewer discharge from a major local plant.

The municipality's new combined nitrogen, phosphorous and anaerobic digester system will address effluent quality issues, recover more nutrients from biosolids for land application and meet the objectives of the Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement. The project aims to enhance the quality of effluent discharged to Lake Huron and reduce energy consumption and costs.

Meanwhile, the Ontario Water Centre in collaboration with the Town of Georgina will receive $475,000 to conduct a field test combining water harvested from stormwater run-off and from organic waste to replace potable water usage in a near-urban agricultural community.

For this project, Clearwater Farm will be connected to municipal water and sewer services, eliminating an existing septic tank and replacing 1.08 million litres of potable water that would otherwise be drawn from municipal sources for agricultural irrigation by a combination of water-harvesting and extraction of water from clean organic food waste.

"Local governments own sixty percent of the country's infrastructure. With support from the Green Municipal Fund, municipalities of all sizes are implementing smart sustainable solutions to improve their infrastructure,” said Vanderheyden. “Together, we are building resilient communities, accelerating the path to net-zero and helping achieve Canada's climate goals."

The GMF is administered by the Federation of Canadian Municipalities and funded through an endowment by the Government of Canada. The fund helps local governments switch to sustainable practices faster, giving municipalities the tools they need to build resiliency and reduce greenhouse gas emissions.