The Town of Niverville is planning to build a $40.5M Wastewater Treatment Facility to replace the current lagoon system.

Niverville Mayor Myron Dyck says council has submitted a grant application to the Investing in Canada Infrastructure Program. He notes ICIP is a joint program between the federal and provincial governments and it is the same program that approved their application for the CRRC.

Niverville Mayor Myron DyckDyck says building a mechanical wastewater treatment plant would be an environmentally friendly step forward for the whole region.

"We have a lot of really good Ag land in this area and anytime a community needs a new lagoon, it is another 40 acres, 80 acres, 160 acres and that is production that is being taken out of our economy. By going to these more mechanized type of facilities, it is less land that we take out and we can do more on less so it is part of being environmentally responsible."

Dyck says Niverville has committed to funding up to $11M dollars of the project. He notes council will also be talking with neighbouring municipalities to discuss a regional approach to this project to eliminate the need for lagoons in nearby communities as well.

"A number of years ago I went to a community just outside of Montreal and I toured the wastewater treatment facility. I think it was 22 acres and it serviced 36,000 population and it was through a series of aeration and things like that. You can just get a whole lot more in less land."

Though this would be a unique project in Manitoba, Dyck says council and town staff have done their homework and they believe this is the most responsible way to move forward. He notes if everything falls into place and the grant application is approved, construction on this project could begin as early as 2023.

Dyck adds a project of this scale may seem like a shot in the dark, but no more so than the Niverville Heritage Centre or the CRRC that is currently under construction.