Weird loophole in Toronto sewer bylaw
Toronto seems to have a weird and expensive loophole in its sewer bylaw. Virtually every municipal sewer bylaw prohibits the discharge of non-municipal water, such as storm water or groundwater, into its sanitary sewers. Stormwater and groundwater are permitted only in storm or combined sewe…
View the post titled Weird loophole in Toronto sewer bylawModel Sewer Bylaw spreading across Canada
In 2009, the Canadian Council of Ministers of the Environment (CCME) adopted a national Waste Water Effluents Strategy that recommends/expects municipalities to adopt and implement an updated sewer use bylaw. The text of the recommended CCME Model Sewer Use By-Law is set out in a 2006 repo…
View the post titled Model Sewer Bylaw spreading across CanadaCombined sewer overflows into Great Lakes going down
This month’s issue of Water Canada has some good news about what has been done to cut the flow of untreated sewage into the Great Lakes over the last 40 years. “Curbing the Flow” chronicles the steps that have been taken to slash raw and combined sewer overflows in four Can…
View the post titled Combined sewer overflows into Great Lakes going downTown liable for negligence re developer's storm sewer
Property owners often suffered damage when storm and sanitary sewers malfunction. Canadian municipalities are generally exempt from civil suits in nuisance relating to their sewers, due to special statutes adopted across the country. However, they can be successfully sued in negligence. Such…
View the post titled Town liable for negligence re developer's storm sewerDownspout disconnection- why bother?
A dinner guest recently grumbled about municipal requirements that he disconnect his downspouts. Why are they making us do such a stupid thing, he complained. What’s the point? Do we really have to do it?
View the post titled Downspout disconnection- why bother?Block 2- The Industrial Water Rate
For major employers in Toronto, the most important incentive to comply with the sewer bylaw is not the risk of prosecution, it’s the risk of losing their preferential Block 2 Industrial Rate for water and sewage service. Block 2 can save large companies tens of thousands of dollars or…
View the post titled Block 2- The Industrial Water RateHide and seek with bylaws
The Internet has been an enormous boon to those needing to keep up with municipal bylaws. Instead of the old process of sending a student down to City Hall, now we just access the city’s website. But it turns out that municipalities have as much trouble keeping their websites up-to-da…
View the post titled Hide and seek with bylawsWho pays for basement flooding?
It will likely be increasingly difficult for home and business owners to find anyone willing to pay for basement flooding. According to the insurers’ Institute for Catastrophic Loss Reduction, “basement flooding is one of the biggest challenges facing homeowners, municipal governments…
View the post titled Who pays for basement flooding?Stormwater surprise
Why does so much filth pour out of Toronto sewer outfalls? Hundreds of the outfalls, which should only carry rainwater and perhaps noncontact cooling water, run even in dry weather. Toronto’s water department has identified 53 priority outfalls, places where the “water” p…
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