1. Clean Water and Wastewater Fund Municipal/LSB Webinar October 13, 2016
The Ministry of Infrastructure
Clean Water and Wastewater Fund
Municipal/LSB Webinar
October 13, 2016

2. Overview
On September 14, 2016, the federal and provincial governments announced the signing of bilateral agreement to make funding available under the federal Clean Water and Wastewater Fund (CWWF).
The program is designed to accelerate short-term community investments, while supporting the rehabilitation and modernization of drinking water, wastewater and stormwater infrastructure.
The federal government is providing up to 50 per cent of this funding for projects while the provincial government will invest up to 25 per cent. Municipalities, First Nations and local services boards will cover the remaining costs.
Allocations under the CWWF are based on the amount of water, wastewater and stormwater assets owned by municipalities and local services boards and their economic conditions.
At this time, all eligible municipalities and local services boards have received a letter indicating the amount of funding each is eligible to apply for.
Eligible recipients are required to submit project lists by October 31, 2016.

3. Application Form
CWWF application forms are available on the Grants Ontario website for download.
Eligible applicants wishing to submit a project list must complete the application form in full and submit to Infrastructure Ontario at prior to the October 31, 2016 deadline.
In addition, applicants must complete and sign the attestation section on the application form. The attestation includes the following:
Funding will only be used to support eligible expenditures, as set out in the program guidelines.
Project incrementality has been met.
The applicant owns the drinking water, wastewater of stormwater infrastructure presented in the project list.
The proposed project(s) is a priority or contained within the municipal or local services board’s asset management plan.
Incomplete application forms or application forms without signature will not be considered eligible.

4. How to Fill Out the Application Form
Appendix C in the guidelines provides an overview of how to complete the application form. The following slides will provide further guidance based on initial feedback.
Application Form Item
Guidance
Unique Project ID
Each applicant is required to provide a project ID for each project submitted.
We recommend using the first 3 letters in the applicant name along with 3 numbers (e.g. for Barrie, BAR-001; BAR-002).
Project location vs Actual Project Site
The project location is the location where the project would take place (e.g. North Bay, City of).
The actual project site is the address of where the construction activity will take place.
For all projects, please include the geo coordinates.
For planning studies, please provide the location of where the future construction project will be located
Project Title
Titles should be short but also meaningful.
For example, “Pipe at Plant 5” is not acceptable. Recommend using “Upgrade to the main water line to the Wastewater facility (Plant 5)”.

5. How to Fill Out the Application Form (con’t)
Application Form Item
Guidance
Project Funding Category
Eligible Investments Category
Project Nature
Drop down menus are available to complete these sections.
Projects must fit within one of the proposed options in the drop down menu.
Please refer to the guidelines for further details.
Advice: for planning and design studies without capital work and that do not relate to upgrades to wastewater treatment to meet federal regulatory requirements, please classify these projects as point (iii) - initiatives that support system optimization and improved asset management including studies and pilot projects related to innovative and transformative technologies.
Forecasted Start Date/End Date
Start dates cannot begin prior to April 1, Costs prior to this point are not eligible.
End dates cannot go beyond March 31, Where need is demonstrated, 25% of costs can extend up to March 31, Pre- approval is required by the federal/provincial governments.

6. How to Fill Out the Application Form (con’t)
Application Form Item
Guidance
Program Contribution (Eligible Expenditures)
This is the amount of federal funding the applicant is applying for under each project.
Federal funding for each project cannot exceed 50%.
Total amount of federal funding cannot exceed the amount listed in each applicant’s notification letter.
Other Federal Contributions
This is the planned amount of funding being provided from federal programs other than the CWWF towards the total eligible costs of the project.
The total contribution from all federal sources (including CWWF) cannot exceed 50%.
Other Contributions
The amount of funding being provided by any non-government source, such as private sector or not-for-profit funding.

7. Frequently Asked Questions
MOI would like to take this opportunity to answer common questions that have been asked by applicants since the launch of the program.
Following this, we will give an opportunity for participants to ask a few questions.
For all additional questions, please contact or
(1) What do you mean by evidence of incrementality?
Projects are only considered eligible if they demonstrate evidence of incrementality. That means projects must meet the following:
The project would not otherwise have taken place in or
The project would not have been undertaken without federal funding.
Projects that were approved in the Ontario 2016 budget or 2016 municipal budgets that require additional funding are considered incremental and are eligible.
(2) Can I include other components in the project that are not for water, wastewater or stormwater infrastructure?
Yes, provided the work completed for the other components is to bring it back to its original state (e.g. if a road needs to be opened up in order to complete work on a watermain, bringing the road back to its original state is considered eligible).

8. Frequently Asked Questions
(3) Are planning and design studies eligible for future capital work?
Yes, costs associated with preliminary and detailed design work and feasibility studies for a future water, wastewater and stormwater project are eligible. 
However, receiving funding for planning and design work does not guarantee government funding in support of the capital work under a future program.
(4) What is the start date for eligible project costs?
Eligible costs can be incurred starting April 1, 2016 for reimbursement.
Reimbursement is contingent on approval from the provincial and federal governments.
Costs incurred prior to April 1, 2016 are not eligible.

9. Frequently Asked Questions
(5) Can I undertake a single project by combining my OCIF and CWWF funding?
Municipalities and LSBs may use their OCIF formula-based grants to support their contribution to projects approved under the CWWF.
However, successful applicants under the OCIF top-up application component cannot use funding from other application programs – including the CWWF – to support their share of project costs.
(6) Can I split a project into two components and submit one under CWWF and the other under OCIF top-up?
Applicants may submit two distinct project components under CWWF and OCIF top- up intakes.  
However, we would encourage applicants to identify projects where the functionality of one component does not depend on the other, as approval is not guaranteed under both funding programs.

10. Potential Nutrients Projects in the Lake Erie Basin and Lake Ontario

11. Lake Erie Nutrient Commitments
Through the binational Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement (GLWQA) process, Canada and the U.S. adopted a 40% phosphorus load reduction target for Lake Erie’s western and central basins in that included 8 priority watersheds, two of which are in Ontario (Thames River and Leamington)
Canada’s allocated portion of this reduction is 212 tonnes, while the U.S. reduction is 3,315 tonnes
These targets were adopted by Ontario by virtue of provisions within Canada-Ontario Agreement on Great Lakes Water Quality and Ecosystem Health, 2014 (COA)
Ontario and Canada are working together through COA to complete an Action Plan for Lake Erie by , which will identify actions aimed at reducing nutrient loads to meet the binational targets applicable to the Ontario portion of Lake Erie
The Action Plan for Lake Erie would also meet Ontario’s other Lake Erie commitments including:
Minister’s requirement to establish an algal bloom target by November 2017 and associated action plan under the Great Lakes Protection Act (GLPA)
Western Basin of Lake Erie Collaborative Agreement between the Premier of Ontario and the Governors of Michigan and Ohio (June 2015) – 40% reduction in the western basin by 2025, with an aspirational target of 20% by 2020
Great Lakes Commission’s Joint Action Plan developed in collaboration with Ontario and bordering states of Michigan, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and New York, which included ten high level recommendations for action (September 2015)

12. Policy Proposal Notice for Lake Erie
On October 6th, Ontario (MOECC in collaboration with OMAFRA and MNRF) posted on the EBR for public comment a Policy Proposal Notice for 45 days which:
Sets out Ontario’s target under GLPA of 40% phosphorus load reduction by 2025 (from levels) for the Ontario portion of the western and central basins of Lake Erie, as well as an aspirational interim goal of a 20% reduction by 2020
Seeks public input on preliminary list of Ontario’s proposed actions which may be incorporated in the draft Canada-Ontario Action Plan for Lake Erie
Proposed preliminary actions are grouped into several broad themes:
Point source reductions (e.g., municipal and industrial wastewater)
Non-point source reductions (e.g., stormwater)
Agricultural source reductions
Natural heritage (e.g., wetlands)
Science, monitoring and reporting
Posting will facilitate the development of additional actions for the draft Action Plan
The Policy Proposal Notice can be found on the by searching the number

13. Ongoing Engagement on Lake Erie Actions
Lake Erie Nutrients Working Group:
Established to enable a sharing of multi-sectoral perspectives, identifying and discussing potential actions.
Includes representation from municipalities, conservation authorities, environmental organizations, the science community, First Nation and Métis communities, and the industrial, agricultural, recreational and tourism sectors.
Sector-specific Sessions:
Municipalities, conservation authorities, ENGOs, and First Nations.

14. Ontario’s Proposed Phosphorus Reduction Actions of Interest to Municipalities
Point Sources:
Work with partners to update provincial policies for Lakes Erie and Ontario to establish a legal effluent discharge limit of 0.5 mg/L of total phosphorus for municipal sewage treatment plants (STPs) having average daily flow capacity of 3.78 million litres or more per day.
Work with partners to reduce loadings where feasible, through upgrades from secondary to tertiary level of treatment for STPs that have an average daily flow capacity of 3.78 million litres or more per day in the Lake Erie basin, as well as improvements to wastewater treatment and collection infrastructure to reduce combined sewer overflows and bypasses, and stormwater management systems (including facility rehabilitation and incorporating green infrastructure).
Continue to support the development of area-wide optimization programs for municipal wastewater treatment plants to reduce phosphorus loads from STPs and include Lake Erie as the priority geography for this effort. As part of this effort, Ontario encourages municipalities to consider, where appropriate, optimization of municipal wastewater treatment plants to improve plant performance and lower phosphorus discharges.
Non-point Sources:
Ontario is working with developers and others to promote and support the use of green infrastructure and low impact development (LID), including clarifying and enhancing policies, and developing green standards. Ontario is in the process of drafting a LID guidance manual that will assist proponents in implementing their efforts. The draft manual is expected to be available for public comment in early 2017.

15. CWWF Opportunity: Potential Wastewater Capital Projects to Support Phosphorus Reduction
Treatment upgrades from secondary to tertiary
Improvements (e.g., new, replacement, rehabilitation, repair) to collection and/or treatment works that would lead to a reduction in volumes of combined sewer overflows and/or bypasses
Sewer separation, work to reduce inflow/infiltration, eliminating bottlenecks, storage or satellite treatment, sewer replacement
Improvements to stormwater management infrastructure
Rehabilitation/repair/improvement of existing works (e.g., pond cleanouts, retrofit green infrastructure features)

16. CWWF Opportunity: Potential Wastewater Non-capital Projects to Support Phosphorus Reduction
Non-capital projects such as plans, environmental assessments and preliminary design
Note: Canada has indicated that such projects are eligible even though they are not directly related to meeting the federal wastewater regulation
Planning, assessments and engineering-type work that are precursors to larger projects which could only be funded/completed post-2018, for example:
to support upgrades from secondary to tertiary at larger wastewater treatment plants to enhance phosphorus removal and reduce loadings to Lake Erie
major collection system upgrades to reduce existing significant CSOs and/or bypasses
Optimization work (e.g., studies/technical assistance) aimed at reducing effluent phosphorus concentrations to below 0.5 mg/L for secondary wastewater treatment plants within the basins of Lakes Erie and Ontario – see proposed action in Policy Proposal Notice

17. Contact Information
For further information on the CWWF, please contact:
Infrastructure Ontario
Telephone:
For further information on phosphorus reduction efforts, please contact:
Madhu Malhotra, Manager in the Land and Water Policy Branch at the Ministry of Environment and Climate Change
Telephone: