Municipal Drainage

Most municipal drains were constructed to improve the drainage of agricultural land by serving as the discharge point for private agricultural tile drainage systems. However, they also remove excess water collected by roadside ditches, residential lots, churches, schools, industrial lands, commercial lands and any other properties in rural areas. They are a vital component of the local infrastructure. Without them, many areas of the province would be subjected to regular flooding, reduced production from agricultural land and increased public health risks.

Landowners who need to solve a drainage problem may submit a prescribed petition under the Drainage Act to their local municipality, requesting the establishment of a municipal drain. If certain criteria are met, the municipality appoints an engineer who prepares a report, identifying the proposed solution to the problem and how the costs will be shared. There are various meetings where landowners in the watershed of the municipal drain can voice their desires and concerns. There are also several appeal stages where they can voice their objections. So, the end result of the process is a "communally accepted" project.

After all appeals have been heard and dealt with, the municipality passes a by-law, adopting the engineer's report. The cost of the work is assessed to the lands in the watershed in the same ratios as contained within the engineer's report. So for a ditch or a pipe to be a municipal drain, there must be a by-law adopting an engineer's report.

First of all, before purchasing a rural property, it is important to find out from the municipality or the real estate agent if the property is affected by a municipal drain and in what way.
As an involved landowner, you have a responsibility for the drains located on your property.

Observe them. If you notice any problems, immediately notify the Township. Remove debris from any catch basins that may be located on your property or the adjoining road. This type of ongoing preventative work can reduce the possibility of property damage during storm events.

The Township must maintain its municipal drains. Therefore, if you have a municipal drain located on your property, you can expect that we will periodically arrange to enter onto your property and perform the necessary work. After it is completed, you will be billed for your share of the cost.
For a period of time while the work is being completed, you can expect the working space along the drain to be accessed by the 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.

Municipalities have the right to accumulate the cost of maintaining a drain for up to five years or $5,000. Therefore, it is possible that you may be billed for work that occurred before you owned a property.

Along every municipal drain is an unregistered working space that the municipality has the right to use to maintain or repair the drain. Keep this working space accessible and do not plant trees or build structures in this area. If you do, and it results in an obstruction to the maintenance equipment, you may have to pay the cost of removing that obstruction.
Don't store materials such as brush, lumber or other floatable material near the drain, because during storm events, it could float away and block the drain.

Champlain Township is responsible for maintaining municipal drains on behalf of the community of landowners involved in a drain. If you want to install a culvert or bridge on an open ditch municipal drain, or if a municipal drain requires maintenance, don't perform the work yourself; instead notify the Township. 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.

Although they are "man-made", all municipal drains eventually connect with the many beautiful lakes, rivers and streams located in Ontario. Do not direct septic system waste, milkhouse wastes, barnyard and manure storage runoff or other pollutants directly to these drains.