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Halifax Aerotech waste water treatment plant to get $21M upgrade

Taxpayers will spend $21 million to upgrade the Halifax Aerotech waste water treatment plant by 2016.

Ottawa, Nova Scotia and Halifax will share costs equally.

The project will expand the plant's capacity and meet new federal waste water regulations.

Michael Healey is vice president of infrastructure at Stanfield Airport and says it will be a big improvement for passengers and staff.

"We have lots of water capacity, but there’s been challenges around wastewater capacity," he said.

"This allows us into the future, have capacity to deal with our increasing passenger volumes and expansion of our terminal and also allows us to develop the ground side of the airport to provide services to the travelling public and to the 5,700 staff that work at the airport."

"The Aerotech plant will be able to accommodate future development at Stanfield Airport and the Aerotech park," says Nova Scotia federal cabinet Minister Peter MacKay.

MacKay says the upgrade will position Stanfield to take advantage of a new Canada-European Union Free Trade Agreement.

Halifax Mayor Mike Savage says the project was one of the city's highest priorities under the Build Canada Infrastructure program.

Will double capacity at Aerotech

"Expansion has been on hold until we could upgrade the facility," Savage said at Monday's announcement. "We’ve had a moratorium on Aerotech for sometime until we could solve the waste water issues."

The expansion will double capacity at the Aerotech waste water treatment plant to 2600 cubic metres a day.

For Halifax Water, the funding is important because it puts money from other levels of government on the table to help it meet new federal clean water standards - estimated at $600-million over the next 30 years.

"There is an anticipation that this program will continue for other works we have to do," said Carl Yates with the Halifax Water Commission.

Construction will start next year and will be completed by the end of 2016.

Halifax Water says the project will result in slightly higher rates that will go into effect in the spring of 2017.