Funding announced for Portage la Prairie wastewater facility expansion
February 19, 2020
By CCE
Photo courtesy City of Portage la Prairie
The government of Manitoba has announced it will provide upward of $61 million to help upgrade Portage la Prairie’s municipally owned and operated water pollution control facility (WPCF), which treats wastewater—including that from the region’s agri-business industry—before it is discharged into the Assiniboine River.
“The area around Portage la Prairie has seen job creation and ongoing population growth,” says Brian Pallister, the province’s premier. “This investment will bring wastewater treatment for the city and surrounding areas into compliance with provincial and federal regulations.”
“The expansion of Portage la Prairie’s wastewater infrastructure provides an opportunity to improve our environmental footprint and support economic growth in the area,” adds Irvine Ferris, Portage la Prairie’s mayor.
The local agri-business industry includes Nutri-Pea and Roquette pea processing plants and a McCain Foods potato processing plant.
Funding for the facility’s expansion is being provided through the Investing in Canada Plan. In addition to provincial support, the federal government is supplying $60 million and the municipal government is providing $59 million. Construction is expected to begin in the summer of 2022.
