West Hants Seeks Federal Funding for $8.5M Windsor-Falmouth Water Interconnection
West Hants council has applied to the Canada Housing Infrastructure Fund for an $8.5 million project to connect the Windsor and Falmouth water systems, aiming to boost capacity, support residential growth, and extend the life of local infrastructure.
West Hants council voted this fall to apply for federal funding through the Canada Housing Infrastructure Fund (CHIF) for an estimated $8.5 million water interconnection project linking Windsor and Falmouth. The CHIF is a $6-billion federal fund announced in 2024 that covers up to 73.33 per cent of eligible project costs.
Mayor Abraham Zebian stated that the project will connect the Windsor and Falmouth water plants into one system. He noted that the initiative will save work on the Falmouth dam and water treatment plant, potentially extending their operational life by 25 to 40 years.
The primary objective of the interconnection is to supplement Falmouth’s water supply from the Windsor Water Utility. This approach provides regulatory redundancy without requiring significant upgrades or raising dam levels in the French Mill Brook watershed. The system is designed as a two-way connection, allowing supplemental water supply to flow from Falmouth to Windsor when required.
Identified growth areas in West Hants include Windsor, Hantsport, Falmouth, and Three Mile Plains. The enhanced water capacity and redundancy are intended to support population growth and increased housing supply in these designated communities.
Todd Richard, director of public works, said the project is shovel-ready and will be substantially completed before the 2033 deadline. The municipality hopes to learn if its CHIF application was successful by early next year.