Governments announce $139M for Riverhead wastewater expansion in St. John’s

Federal, provincial and municipal governments announced more than $139 million in funding last week for the first phase of an expansion of the Riverhead Wastewater Treatment Facility in St. John’s.

The project will increase the facility’s primary treatment capacity and include design and site preparation for a future secondary treatment plant. Officials say the work will move the system closer to meeting national standards under the federal Wastewater Systems Effluent Regulations, which set requirements for how wastewater must be treated before being released into the environment.

Governments say the upgrades are expected to improve wastewater treatment for residents, support cleaner waterways and help accommodate future housing development in the region.

The federal government is contributing $69,639,116 through the National and Regional Projects program of the Provincial-Territorial Infrastructure Component of the New Building Canada Fund. The Government of Newfoundland and Labrador and municipal governments will each provide $34,819,558.

Within the municipal share, the City of St. John’s will cover about 81 per cent, or roughly $28 million, while Mount Pearl will contribute 14 per cent and the Town of Paradise five per cent.

Officials say the project is expected to become the largest infrastructure initiative ever undertaken by the City of St. John’s.

Phase 1 of the project is expected to take about five years. Procurement for design consultants is scheduled to begin in 2026, with site preparation construction anticipated to start in 2028 following completion of geotechnical and detailed design work.

A second phase, which would include construction of the secondary treatment facility, will depend on future funding.