Drainage Concerns

Catch basins

What is a catch basin?

• A drain, usually found at the sides of roads,
• Designed to drain excess rain and ground water from paved streets, parking lots, sidewalks, and roofs into storm sewers, storm ponds, and nearby rivers.

What can you do?

• Replace and repair damaged catch basins.
• Provide maintenance to catch basins that are plugged with debris.
• Remove leaves, snow, ice and debris blocking catch basins.
• Do not pour household liquids into catch basins as they are not filtered and lead directly into our local streams and rivers.

Culvert maintenance

 What is culvert maintenance?

• A tunnel under a driveway, road, or railroad.
• They are connection points between ditches, storm sewers or ponds.
• They carry water from ditches to storm sewers and/or retention ponds.
• They provide a driveway entrance across an existing ditch for new constructions, new driveways, or new access points.
• Driveway culverts are the responsibility of the property owner

What we do

• Install culverts at the property owner’s expense (Transportation and Public Works User Fees)
• Replace damaged culverts.
• Provide maintenance to culverts that are plugged with debris, heaved up, caved in, or frozen (causing flooding).
• If a property owner chooses to pave their driveway, the Town will not be responsible for replacing pavement in the event that a repair or replacement of the culvert is required due to frost heaving or as a result of construction.

What can you do?

• Remove leaves and other debris as they accumulate.
• Regularly mow the grass in the ditch.
• Avoid altering the ditch, culvert, or drainage system in any way (altering grading, yard slopes, obstructions).
• Consider having a representative from Public Works check the condition of the culvert prior to repaving your driveway.
• Do not pour household liquids into culverts as they are not filtered and lead directly into our local streams and rivers.

Additional information

• Property owners do not have absolute right to outlet to roadside ditches.
• The Towns reserves the right to remove or restrict any outlets to ditches that cause operational issues or damage to the drainage system.
• If you need to direct water to the Town’s ditches, it is recommended that you contact Public Works before proceeding.

Apply for culvert installation or replacement

• For more information visit the Transportation and Public Works Department.
• Bring a copy of your property survey showing your existing driveway width and proposed changes.

Ditches

What is a ditch?

• Inlets found at the sides of roads are specifically meant to drain excess water on roads.
• Holds water, and controls how fast the water enters the drainage system (storm sewers and ponds).
• Some ditches allow water to flow into the groundwater table.
• During winter, snow plows push snow into ditches. They are therefore used as snow storage areas.

What we do

• Maintain roadside ditches.
• Monitor the drainage efficiency of ditches.

Additional information

• Property owners do not have absolute right to outlet to roadside ditches.
• The Town reserves the right to remove or restrict any outlets to ditches that cause operational issues or damage to the drainage system.
• If you need to direct water to the Town’s ditches, it is recommended that you contact the Public Works Division before proceeding.
• Do not pour household liquids into ditches as they are not filtered and lead directly into our local streams, rivers, or groundwater.

Storm sewers

 Glossary of terms

• Stormwater management ponds
  • Artificial ponds that are designed to collect and retain stormwater (precipitation of rain, snow, etc. falling to the ground), reduce potential flooding and also retain sediments and other materials. The function of a stormwater pond is to contain stormwater and release it slowly.
• Culverts
  • Relatively short sections of drainage pipe that allow water to flow under roads, railway, trails, etc. The Town commonly uses pipes made from High Density Polyethylene (HDPE), Corrugated Steel Pipes (CSP) or Poly Vinyl Chloride (PVC).
• Ditch inlets
  • Concrete inlets in the ground alongside a road or ditch to facilitate drainage and stop debris.
• Storm sewers
  • Sewer pipes, usually underground, used to carry off either snow melt or rain water.
• Catch basins
  • Stop debris and collect rainwater from the road which is distributed into storm sewers. The rainwater then travels through an outfall where the water is reintroduced safely into the environment.
• Manholes
  • Allow a person access into the storm sewers for inspection and cleaning.

For local examples of stormwater management ponds and facilities, please view the map.

Stormwater management

When it rains, or when snow melts, the water that accumulates builds up and flows across roads and land. Soil absorbs a portion of the runoff due to rain water. However, urbanization and development increases the amount of hard surfaces (roads, driveways, walkways…etc.), which do not allow for water to be absorbed. This increases the risks of flooding, large puddles, erosion of our lands, and water in unwanted places.  In order to decrease these risks, rainwater runoff is directed into our Town’s drainage system through catch basins, culverts, ditches, and drains which lead into storm sewers. From there, the rainwater runoff is directed into storm water ponds. These ponds slowly release water back into receiving streams such as the Credit River. Storm sewers and ponds ONLY collect surface water runoff and DO NOT collect sewage from homes or businesses.

The Town of Halton Hills requires developers to build Storm Water Management Ponds to control water runoff and drainage. When the subdivision is assumed, the Town of Halton Hills’ Public Works department becomes responsible for the pond’s maintenance.
This includes:

• Maintenance of structures such as gates and valves.
• Maintenance of plants and vegetation.
• Removal of invasive species (plants and animals).
• Removal of litter and debris.
• Monitoring of pond and sediment level.
• Removal of sediments.
• Maintenance to pond banks (erosion prevention).
• Pond drainage.

Additional information

• Specific plants have been installed in and around storm ponds by developers and Town crew. These plants have certain qualities that allow for proper drainage and fit into the local ecology of the area.
• Please DO NOT plant any vegetation of your own, as these will be considered invasive threats to the ecology and drainage patterns of the pond.
• Please DO NOT introduce any animals to the pond (birds, fish, frogs…etc.), as these are also considered invasive species and threaten the ecology of the area.
• The ponds have been created so that its water levels can change rapidly without warning.
• Swimming, wading, skating or boating within storm water ponds are prohibited.
• SPRING THAW: Residents are reminded of the dangers that may exist during spring. The warmer temperatures will bring rainfall and melting snow and ice which may contribute to higher and faster flowing water among waterways. For more information please see Credit Valley Conservation.