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The Primeau Grant: Check the eligibility of your project!

Seize the opportunity offered by this unique financial assistance program to upgrade your non-compliant individual septic systems to a community wastewater system.

If a municipality has to deal with an area outside the urban perimeter where homes are struggling to have compliant individual septic systems, it can propose to MAMH (Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing) a community solution for collecting wastewater and directing it to a micro treatment plant. To qualify for financial assistance from MAMH through the PRIMEAU program, the proposed project must meet the following four criteria:

  • Limited to existing permanent residences (financial assistance is not available for new housing developments);
  • The municipality must demonstrate that the septic systems in existing permanent homes are causing environmental health issues (Class C) using the MELCC sanitary survey document. Additionally, it should be established that achieving compliance with the Q2r22 standard for these homes based on soil impermeability is impossible, as confirmed by the MAMH representative;
  • If the volume of wastewater requiring treatment exceeds 10 m3/d (equivalent to approximately 20 homes);
  • The wastewater treatment process employed must be listed in the MELCC guide to conventional technologies or be included in a fact sheet approved by BNQ or MELCC.

SUB-COMPONENT 1.1

The percentage of financial assistance granted for eligible wastewater collection (sewers) and treatment (wastewater treatment plant) infrastructure projects varies based on the municipality’s population size. The rates are as follows: 85% for municipalities with a population of less than 2,000, 66 2/3% for populations between 2,000 and 6,500, and 50% for populations exceeding 6,500.

SUB-COMPONENT 1.2

The percentage of financial assistance granted for eligible wastewater collection (sewers) and treatment (wastewater treatment plant) infrastructure projects varies based on the municipality’s financial situation. The rate ranges from a minimum of 85% to a maximum of 95%.

SUB-COMPONENT 1.3

The economic criterion for eligible work is (in $K/permanent residence): For an implementation project (new drinking water and wastewater network and treatment): Drinking water = $30K/r.p. —Wastewater = $51K/r.p. —Both services in the same project = $72K/r.p. For a network extension project (sewer and/or aqueduct) with existing treatment plant(s): Drinking water = $18K/r.p. —Wastewater = $21K/r.p. —Both services in the same project = $30K/r.p.

The timeframe between the submission of a formal application for financial assistance by a municipality and the approval (Go) of the project varies depending on its size. Smaller projects with total eligible costs below $2M have shorter lead times compared to larger projects.

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