News release

Critical Infrastructure Upgrades for Bridgewater

Municipal Affairs and Housing (to November 2024)

Critical infrastructure upgrades to the Town of Bridgewater’s wastewater system will help protect residents from flooding. The investment also opens the door for the development of close to 3,000 housing units.

Upgrades include:

  • improving several pump stations
  • rehabilitating essential systems at the wastewater treatment plant
  • replacing combined sewers with separate stormwater and sanitary sewer systems.

“With this investment in Bridgewater’s water and wastewater infrastructure, we are protecting public health and the environment, as well as unlocking the potential to develop much-needed housing,” said Becky Druhan, Minister of Education and Early Childhood Development and MLA for Lunenburg West, on behalf of John Lohr, Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing. “This partnership between all three levels of government will fuel growth and create a brighter future for our community.”

The project improves public safety and helps build more homes. Once complete, this project will:

  • reduce the risk of damage from flooding caused by storms, which have previously caused sewer backups into homes and businesses and resulted in untreated sewage being discharged into the LaHave River
  • directly unlock more than 260 proposed housing units in the core of Bridgewater
  • remove barriers preventing the construction of more than 2,570 residential units.

The project represents a 10-year, $69.4-million provincial, federal and municipal investment.

Quotes:

“Nova Scotians have seen their communities bear the brunt of more frequent and severe weather. Your federal government knows this, so making sure community infrastructure is ready for when the next big storm hits will give better protection to more homes and businesses in Bridgewater, along with the LaHave River.”
— Gudie Hutchings, federal Minister of Rural Economic Development and Minister responsible for the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency, on behalf of Sean Fraser, Minister of Housing, Infrastructure and Communities

“It is crucial that the people in the Bridgewater area have access to the water and wastewater services they need and our support for this project is with the health, safety and future of this area in mind. This project is a big step towards building a stronger community and protecting the future of this beautiful region.”
— Kim Masland, Minister of Public Works

“This investment by all three levels of government in the future of Bridgewater’s wastewater infrastructure is critical in so many ways – our ability to accommodate new residential and commercial developments will be substantially increased and the health of the LaHave River watershed will be protected as outdated pump stations and wastewater mains are upgraded over the next several years to meet the standards of the 21st century. As a community, we could not be more excited by this announcement.”
— David Mitchell, Mayor, Town of Bridgewater

Quick Facts:

  • project cost-sharing:
    • Province of Nova Scotia: $22.8 million
    • Government of Canada: $20.4 million
    • Town of Bridgewater: $26.2 million
  • the project is in addition to a $6.3-million provincial-municipal investment in water and wastewater upgrades for Bridgewater announced in May under the Municipal Capital Growth Program

Additional Resources:

News release – Water and Wastewater Upgrades for Bridgewater: https://news.novascotia.ca/en/2024/05/28/water-wastewater-upgrades-bridgewater

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