Press Releases
| Press Release | |
| CITY OF CHILLIWACK AWARDED $37,000 | March 25, 2003 |
CHILLIWACK – The City of Chilliwack will be taking steps to strengthen environmental practices thanks to funding of $37,000 from the Green Municipal Funds (GMF) for a water loss reduction project. “The project supports our goal of conserving water resources while ensuring a safe, high quality water supply for the residents of Chilliwack,” said Mayor Clint Hames. “We value the partnership of the Federation of Canadian Municipalities and the Government of Canada to improve our municipal water services.” The Government of Canada has endowed $250 million to the Federation of Canadian Municipalities to establish and manage the GMF. The Funds began operating in 2000 to stimulate environmental projects launched by municipal governments and their partners to cut pollution, reduce greenhouse gases and improve municipal services. The Funds leverage larger amounts for studies and projects through contributions by municipalities and private-sector partnerships. A recent study of water loss levels in drinking water distribution systems in North America estimated that the average loss through leaks and non-metered water equates to about 10 percent of total water produced. Last year, Chilliwack pumped over 7,300 million litres of water out of the Sardis-Vedder aquifer through its water production wells. By applying the 10 percent loss average to this production figure, Chilliwack could be potentially losing upwards of 730 million litres of water annually. The GMF promotes the use of conservation strategies to enhance water operations and ensure a consistent supply of safe, quality water in communities. In turn, these efforts contribute to strengthening a community’s economic base and quality of life. The study will identify audit and leakage control practices to implement in order to reduce water distribution system loss. Chilliwack intends to use the latest leading edge technology to become a pioneering municipality in this field by investigating and instigating water loss auditing and control methods that are highly cost-effective and self-sustaining. In addition to the environmental benefits of reducing water loss, operating costs for water pumping can be reduced. As well, the ability to defer capital costs for expansion of the water supply system and increased efficiency will help the City maintain its already low utility rates to the minimum possible levels for its customers. FCM has been the national voice of municipal governments since 1901. It is dedicated to improving the quality of life in communities by promoting strong, effective and accountable municipal government. To date, 214 GMF projects have been approved for funding of $25 million, leveraging more than $98 million in total spending to act on cleaner air, water, soil and climate change. For more information: |
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