The Ontario government has announced it is investing more than $18 million to spur the construction of nearly 3,900 new housing units in Prince Edward County.

The funding announcement is the latest in a series in which the province is pledging money under the first round of investments under the Housing-Enabling Water Systems Fund.

Valued at up to $970 million, the fund aims to help municipalities develop, repair, rehabilitate and expand drinking water, wastewater and stormwater infrastructure that will enable the construction of more homes.

“We’re working with our municipal partners here in Prince Edward County and across Ontario to get more homes built faster,” said Premier Doug Ford. “With billions of dollars in investments in housing-enabling infrastructure, our government is helping get more shovels in the ground to keep the dream of homeownership alive and help families find a home that meets their needs and their budgets.”

The County of Prince Edward will use the funding to help build the new Wellington Regional Water Treatment Plant that will replace the local water treatment plants in Wellington and Picton and deliver clean water to residents in the community.

“By investing in drinking water treatment facilities and connecting pipes to land, we are helping municipalities build 511,000 new homes through the Housing-Enabling Water Systems Fund, including nearly 4,000 homes through this project here in Prince Edward County,” said Infrastructure Minister Kinga Surma.

The province also recently announced that it will allocate an additional $250 million to the Housing-Enabling Water Systems Fund, bringing its total value to $1.2 billion.