The community of Chester Basin is set to begin construction on a new wastewater treatment plant that will connect more properties in the area to central sewer systems.

On Wednesday, Chester MLA Danielle Barkhouse announced the province is providing $2.25 million for the project. Its total cost is estimated at $8.2 million with the remaining funding coming from the municipality.

Chester MLA Danielle Barkhouse and Chester Municipal Warden Allen Webber announced funding for new wastewater infrastructure to be built in Chester Basin. Photo: Evan Taylor

“We need to make sure Chester is prepared for anything that comes our way, whether it is major storms or growing our community,” said  Barkhouse. “This is a critical infrastructure project and will make for a more efficient and resilient system in case of storm and flooding damage, which benefits all our residents.”

With funding now in place work will begin on the new water treatment plant later this year, with completion slated for March 2026.

“Currently only five properties are connected to central sewers, with everyone else on septics,” explained Chester Warden Allen Webber. “The new system will have capacity for 500 homes to start but it will be designed so we can increase that to up to 2,000 in the future,”.

Webber says multiple developers are awaiting the project’s completion with plans for major developments. “They are waiting for things to be done so they can build projects at a larger scale,”.

The new treatment plant will be going just behind the existing one on Highway 3. In doing so it, the new facility will be better protected from the elements and flooding as the current site sits right on the ocean.