As part of the 2024 Water and Wastewater Budget, City Council approved a grant program to assist residents with the cost to replace their water line and/or sewer line. As shown in the picture below, the City is responsible for the water and sewer lines extending from the watermain or sewermain in the road to your property line; however property owners are responsible for the water and sewer lines that run from your property line to your home.

Graphic of Water Services

 

Why Replace a Water or Sewer Line? 
While the private water and sewer lines are the responsibility of the property owner, when any of the issues listed above become known on the section which is owned and maintained by the City, the City or one of their approved contractors, will repair or replace the City’s side of the line(s).

There are many different reasons a property owner may need to replace their water or sewer line:

  • When a water or sewer line is found to be damaged, leaking, deteriorating, or is undersized
  • If the water line is constructed with lead pipe

Who is eligible?

While all residential property owners who receive a Water/Wastewater bill are eligible, there are two application periods in each calendar year:

 

Application PeriodTimeframeWho
 Winter  January 1 to June 30 (extended on a one-time basis to October 31)

Residential property owners in an area where:

  • A watermain replacement and/or sewer main replacement project is scheduled in the calendar year
  • An inflow and infiltration study is scheduled in the calendar year
  • Sewer backups have occurred within the previous 24 months
Summer July 1 to December 31

City Wide

 

The City will send a letter to residential property owners that qualify for the Winter application period by February 28 of each calendar year.

 

Grant approvals are subject to the availability of funding at any given time, as determined by Council. Applications will be processed in chronological order based on the date of receipt of applications.

 

The applicant(s) for the grant must meet the following criteria in order to qualify for the Program:

  • Must be a residential property
  • Must be the owner(s) of the property;
  • All owners of the property must apply for the grant;
  • Complete the Application for Water Service/Sewer Lateral Replacement Grant. The Job Estimate section details what work is to be done, and separates out costs for each portion of work (i.e. separate line item prices for private water line and/or sewer line replacement, surface restoration, internal plumbing modifications up to the water meter, etc.);
  • The owner(s) must meet all conditions of this Program.

Are there any timeline restrictions? 

Although the Winter application period is open for residential property owners where a watermain and/or sewer main replacement project is being completed by the City, the property owners in these areas must wait until the City’s contractor has completed the project before replacing their private services. Under Provincial regulations, the active construction site can only be accessed by the construction contractor and their staff, except in the case of an emergency (i.e. a severely leaking service, collapsed sewer pipe).

 

For this reason, all grant approvals will be valid for twelve (12) months and will expire if the work is not completed within that time period, unless extended at the discretion of the Superintendent of Water/Wastewater. It is the applicant’s responsibility to contact the City to request an extension. Failure to do so will result in automatic expiry.

City Not Liable

In order to qualify for a grant, the owner agrees that the City shall not be liable for any damages to the owner’s property as a result of any private water and/or sewer line replacement.

Grant Details

Each residential property owner is eligible to apply for and receive the following grant(s):

 

Replacement Grants 
Water Line   $1,000
Sewer Line  $1,000
Water and Sewer Lines Together $3,000

 

 Do I have to pay back the grant?
 No. The grant is not required to be paid back.

Are all costs covered?
 

Only the costs associated with replacing the private water and/or sewer lines (excavation, permits, materials, inspections, internal plumbing from point of entry up to the water meter) and basic surface restoration (asphalt/gravel patching, topsoil, seeding) are eligible, as approved and determined by the Superintendent of Water/Wastewater. Grants will not be available to cover any other associated costs (e.g. it will not cover the costs of relocating internal plumbing past the existing water meter, repaving of an entire driveway, restoration of landscaped yards, or any other such costs that are deemed by the Superintendent of Water/Wastewater to be unnecessary for the replacement of the owner’s private service).

 

Any work that is started or completed prior to the application approval will be ineligible under this Program (unless waived at the discretion of the Superintendent of Water/Wastewater). 

The Grant Process 

Step 1: The property owner(s) must contact at least one contractor for a quote to replace their private water line and/or sewer line. (The City always recommends that any property owner get multiple quotes to ensure they are paying a fair price.)

 

Step 2: Complete the online Application form, indicating what grant(s) are being applied for and submit the Application form to the Water/Wastewater Department, along with a copy of the quote from the chosen contractor. To request a hard copy of the application call our Customer Service Representatives at 905-835-2900, email customerservice@portcolborne.ca, .or visit City Hall, 66 Charlotte Street. 

 

The City will review the application and supporting documentation and assess approvability subject to available budget. The City will advise the applicant in writing of its decision.

 

If the Application is approved:

Step 3: The owner or their contractor will apply for a building permit through the Building Department. Failure to obtain a permit prior to work commencing and having related inspection(s) completed will result in cancellation of any approved grant.

Step 4: The contractor completes the replacement of the private water and/or sewer line(s).

Step 5: The contractor contacts the Building Department to have an inspection completed on the new line(s). Any deficiencies must be corrected. Failure to obtain an inspection will result in cancellation of any approved grant.

Step 6: Once the Building Inspector has approved the work, the contractor will need to send an invoice for the work to the property owner.

Step 7: The property owner must then submit a copy of the invoice to the Water/Wastewater Department. 

Step 8: The Superintendent of Water/Wastewater will review the submitted invoice for approval. This process will consist of the Superintendent of Water/Wastewater comparing the invoice to the approved application form. If there are any invoice charges that are not detailed on the approved application, the Superintendent will evaluate and may approve charges that meet the eligibility criteria (stated in Schedule A of the application form). The property owner(s) will be notified of any invoice charges that do not meet the eligibility criteria prior to the grant payment being issued.

Step 9: Where the applicant is seeking a grant, Financial Services will be notified to issue the grant payment(s) directly to the contractor.  The property owner is responsible for paying the contractor the balance of the invoice.

 

Apply!

Complete the online application form