Council approved a new Water storage reservoir and pumping station for the Millbrook area to support water servicing needs identified in the 2024 Water and Waste Water Master Servicing Study to support growth identified in the Growth Management Study.
This report identified additional water storage and increased booster pumping capacity as the most urgent need due to the long lead time required for it to be established.
Seven different sites were considered along with three different storage structures. The preferred solution was a location on the east side of County Rd. 10 north of Fallis Line which is located in the region of the future Vargas North subdivision. The proposed structure alternatives included a standpipe like the one beside the municipal building with a new booster pumping station, an elevated tank with upgrades to the existing pumper station or an in-ground reservoir with a new pumping station. Of the three technologies, Township staff and R.V. Anderson have identified the in-ground reservoir with anew booster pumping station as their preferred technological solution to Millbrook’s need for additional water storage and booster pumping capacity. The in-ground solution was preferred for several reasons, not the least of which is that it could provide back-up water services if the existing standpipe and booster station had to shut down operations for any reason.
This is an expensive project but the township has received grant funding approval to support this new facility. The project’s funding is to be covered by Ontario’s Housing Enabling Water Systems Fund (HEWSF) grant obtained in August of 2025. As per the grant, the Province has committed to providing $12,911,875.00 towards the construction of Millbrook’s new water storage facility and water distribution system expansion. The grant is to be used to cover eligible costs incurred between April 1st, 2023, and March 31st, 2029.
A key milestone outlined in the grant is that construction tenders are to be awarded by September 30th, 2026. The funding of the project does not include property purchase. Township staff recommend that they approach the landowner to negotiate the acquisition of the area required for this facility, which is roughly sixty meters square. It should be noted that any additional costs incurred by the project are to be covered by Development Charges as this project is directly driven by residential growth.
Council approved the design and construction of a new in-ground drinking water reservoir and pumping station at the preferred site and autho-rized senior staff to negotiate the acquisition of the property for the facility. The project design will be flushed out in a future report.