Flooding and prevention

How do I prevent flooding? Take action!

Taking action is your best strategy for preventing a flood. Based on the home’s history, many homeowners know when and under what circumstances their homes will be susceptible to flooding and have already taken the necessary precautions.

Tips to avert flooding

Basic preventive measures:

• Do not put grease or objects (diapers, plastic bags, panty hose, paper towels, hygiene products, cat litter) down your drains or toilets. For more information, see: Don’t flush it all away.
• If you have an older home you can consider replacing your sewer system with newer pipe.
• Regular cleaning of the service connection helps maintain flow. Hire a drainage contractor to video inspect your sewer service.
• Keep storm drains (catch-basins) clear of leaves and debris. In the fall, sweep up leaves for composting to prevent overland flooding from plugged drains.
• Ensure the backwater valve of your storm sump is functioning properly. Consider installing a pump if you are the lowest property situated along a street. This approved method of reducing flooding risks is designed to continually pump wastewater from a property under any storm condition. For further details on standards and installation, please contact a citizen service representative at 3-1-1.

New home owners

If you are a new homeowner or do not know the history of your home and your home is thirty years or older, here are some considerations.

• When buying a home, ask the sellers to disclose any information related to flooding or sewer back-ups.
• Include as part of your house inspection, a video pipe inspection of the sewer service to find out the condition of the sewer service.
• Do the drain-tiles require replacement?
• Does the basement smell musty?
• Is the home located on a hill or in a valley?
• Where is the sewer connection located?
• Are there large trees on or near your property?

Questions for City records

These are all things to consider. To access City records about your home, you can call a citizen service representative at 3-1-1. You can ask the following:

• How old is my house / sewer connection?
• Where does my sewer service connect to the City?
• Do you have any records of previous sewer blockages?
• Is my sewer service combined or separated
• Do I live in an area surrounded by peat?
• Can you tell me whether there are underground streams near my property?

[top]