Municipal Drains

Port Colborne is home to a large network of municipal drains. Most municipal drains in Port Colborne are open ditches, but some are underground pipes or tiles that help move or drain excess storm water into natural bodies of water. For the most part, municipal drains are usually found in rural agricultural areas.

If your property is part of a municipal drainage system, or you are interested in petitioning for a municipal drain, you may have some questions. This page is meant to guide you. You can also contact the City's Drainage Superintendent for more specific information about your property.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ's)

Municipal drains are systems to move water. They are either ditches or closed systems such as pipes or tiles buried in the ground. They can also include structures such as dikes, berms, pumping stations, buffer strips, grassy waterways, storm water detention ponds, culverts, and bridges. Even some creeks and small rivers are considered to be municipal drains. For the most part, municipal drains are found in rural agricultural areas of Ontario.

Property owners shouldn't conduct any maintenance on the drain by themselves. However, there are several do's and don'ts for property owners with a municipal drain on their land.

Do's:

Do notify us if there is an issue with drainage by calling our customer service team at 905-835-2900 or emailing customerservice@portcolborne.ca
Do allow the City to come on your property to conduct investigations, inspections, maintenance or repairs on the drain. We will periodically arrange with you to enter your property and perform the necessary work. You will be billed for the work on a yearly basis.
Do remove debris from any catch basins that may be located on your property or adjoining roadway(s). This can help keep water flowing and can reduce the possibility of property damage during storm events. *
Do pay attention to any potential problems with the municipal drain on or near your property and let the City know so we can come investigate and conduct repairs or maintenance if needed.
Do some research to understand how the municipal drain affects your property. You should know things like:
- Your share of the assessment and what percentage you'll pay of any maintenance or repair costs.
- Are there any buried drains that cross beneath your land?
- Is there a municipal working space along or above a municipal drain on your property?
Do learn more about the municipal drains that affect your property. You can request additional information from the City (copying fee applies).

Don'ts:

Don't store materials such as brush, lumber, or other floatable material near the drain. During storm events, these materials could float away and block the drain.
Don't block or build in the 10-metre setback from the top of the bank along a municipal drain. Along every municipal drain there is working space that the municipality has a right to use to maintain or repair the drain. This is similar to an easement. It's important that you keep this space accessible and do not plant trees or build any structures in this area. If you do, and it results in an obstruction to maintenance equipment, you may have to pay to remove the obstruction. Don't perform any work or maintenance on the drain yourself. If you want to install a culvert or bridge on an open-ditch municipal drain, or if a municipal drain itself requires maintenance, don't perform the work yourself. If you do unauthorized work on a drain and that work results in damages to the drain or to other landowners, you could be responsible for paying the cost of repairing the damages. Notify the City if you would like work done, or if you think the municipal drain requires maintenance.

*Catchbasins are not typically part of the municipal drain network. This is a beneficial tip for the City's storm sewer system although it may be confusing.

If you think the municipal drain on your property needs maintenance, please let us know by calling our customer service team at 905-835-2900 or emailing customerservice@portcolborne.ca

If it is determined that the municipal drain needs maintenance or repairs, we will arrange with you to enter your property and perform the necessary work. After it is completed, you will be billed yearly for your share of the cost.

While the work is being completed, you can expect the working space along the drain to be accessed by maintenance equipment and the land to be disrupted to some degree. Because this working space is a form of an easement, you will not be paid for any damages that occur on this land.

According to provincial legislation, the City is permitted to accumulate the cost of maintaining a drain for up to five years, or to a maximum of $5,000. Therefore, it is possible that you may be billed for work that occurred before you owned a property.

If the municipal drain has been blocked by a property owner, contact our customer service team at 905-835-2900 or by emailing customerservice@portcolbonre.ca. The Drainage Act requires municipalities to manage drains and gives municipalities the right to enter private property to remove the blockage. If your neighbour is responsible for the blockage, the municipality may charge them for the cost to remove the blockage.

Yes. If you are within the defined catchment area of a municipal drain, you are responsible for your share of the cost of work.

For newly constructed drains, property owners will receive a bill with options to pay your share in one sum or over the course of five years.

For existing drains receiving maintenance or repairs, property owners will receive charges on their final tax bill. While we aim to bill maintenance work regularly, according to provincial legislation, the City is permitted to accumulate the cost of maintaining a drain for up to five years, or to a maximum of $5,000. Therefore, it is possible that you may be billed for work that occurred before you owned a property.

The process for creating a municipal drain is outlined in detail on the Ontario Drainage Act. At a high level, the process for a new municipal drain is through petition:

Petition for drainage work:

If there is a lack of drainage in a certain area, residents in the area can submit a petition for drainage work to the City of Port Colborne by contacting the Drainage Superintendent.

The petition is taken to Council and the Council will appoint an engineer to complete an investigation. If warranted, a report will be generated to identify the solution to the drainage problem and how the costs will be shared.

Engineer's report:

The Engineer's report is presented to Council for consideration.

The report is temporarily adopted by Council as a by-law.

Residents can then submit appeals to the Court of Revision and the Tribunal if they believe they have been assessed unfairly or if the report requires changes.

Once all appeals are settled, Council passes a by-law adopting the engineer's report. This gives the City the legal authority and responsibility to build the drain and maintain it in the future.

Additional Resources

For detailed information about municipal drains, you can learn more by reading through the Ontario Drainage Act R.S.O. 1990.

The City identifies municipal drains through the municipal bylaw that adopts an engineer's report. These reports have plans, profiles and specifications with the location, size and depth of the drain. They also include how costs are shared among property owners.

Municipal Drains

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ's)

What is a municipal drain?

What is the purpose of a municipal drain?

Where does the water that is collected by a municipal drain go?

How do I know if there is a municipal drain on my property?

Do property owners need to do anything to maintain a municipal drain?

What happens if the municipal drain on my property needs maintenance?

My downstream neighbour has blocked the municipal drain. What should I do?

I have identified what looks like a spill in a municipal drain. Who do I call?

Will I get a bill for the maintenance or construction of a municipal drain?

How are new municipal drains created?

What is the history of municipal drains in Port Colborne?

Additional Resources

Want to learn more?

Engineer's Reports

Supporting Documents

Notice of Appeal Forms

Petition for Drainage

Meeting Notifications

Mailings