to eligible individuals. Among the bigger challenges facing the town (and other small towns) with respect to mass transit is the low overall population density and dispersed development that results in a pattern of travel that is less focused on the downtown and hence more difficult to serve by transit. Studies show that for every 1% increase in residential density, there is a 0.22% rise in transit ridership. However, destination density, such as clustered employment locations, tend to have a larger impact on transit ridership than residential density alone. Utilities The Town of Peace River extracts water from the Peace River at the Shaftesbury Water Treatment Plant. The treatment process involves clarification, sedimentation, filtration, chlorination and fluoridation. The potable water is then pumped to the three reservoirs the town owns. Sanitary waste is piped to the wastewater treatment plant in the north end of town that involves secondary treatment and extended aeration. Residential garbage pickup is contracted out to Allen Bros. Trucking Ltd., a private company. The Town of Peace River provides municipal sanitary sewer and treated potable water against a unique set of topographical and climatic conditions. There is a significant annual variation in temperature compounded by dramatic changes in elevation within town that leads to frequent leaks and breaks in water mains and sewer trunks. The dramatic changes in elevation also necessitate a large number of lift stations to pump both treated drinking water and sewage across large distances. When combined with the maintenance issues associated with the unstable soils, these factors lead to very high infrastructure costs for urban development within the valley. Health care The Peace River area is served by the Peace River Community Health Centre, which is a site for Rural Alberta North & Rural Family Medical Training Program for University of Alberta. Other hospitals in the area include the Grimshaw/Berwyn Community Health Complex in Grimshaw, the Manning Community Health Centre in Manning and the Sacred Heart Community Health Centre in McLennan. Peace River Mental Health Clinic in downtown Peace River provides psychiatric care for patients in the region. When very specialized care is required, patients are often transferred to Edmonton via air ambulance. Initially these hospitals were run by the Peace Country Health Services. They are now administered by Alberta Health Services, the provincial health authority since a reorganization in 2008, that plans and delivers health services on behalf of the Ministry of