Stormwater and your home

Drainage warning signs

Look around the exterior of your house and check for warning signs like:

• Pooling water that lingers for more than a day next to your foundation or in private storm drains in your driveway
• Green moss growing on your concrete foundation
• Sunken areas of ground or patios that are sloped towards the house next to your foundation
• Water spilling over your eavestroughs or filling your basement window wells
• Blocked or covered drainage in your backyard or between your house and your neighbour’s house
• Roof downspouts and elbows draining immediately next to your foundation

Managing your downspouts

A downspout is the vertical pipe that carries rainwater down from your eavestrough to the ground. Your home may have several of these pipes directing water from your roof.

Many older homes have downspouts connected to underground pipes, sometimes even the sanitary sewer system. During heavy storms, this can overload sewers and lead to sewage backing up into basements.

You should disconnect any downspouts and redirect that water to a safe surface outlet. Splashpads or large stones where the downspout discharges water will reduce erosion of lawns or gardens.

Disconnecting and extending downspouts can:

• Lower the risk of water getting into your basement
• Help you capture rainwater to water your lawns and gardens
• Keep unnecessary water out of the sewer systems and avoid flooding

How to disconnect and extend your roof downspout:

• If possible, disconnect your roof downspouts and extend them at least 1 metre, or 3 feet, away from your foundation and other structures with basements. Extend them to a safe discharge location on the lawn or garden.
• Make sure not to direct water from your roof across walkways, sidewalks, or onto driveways to prevent slippery surfaces and reduce the risk of accidents.
• Cap or seal underground pipe openings after disconnecting downspouts to prevent debris and pests from entering.

Follow our step-by-step guide for more information on how to disconnect your roof downspout. For more complex disconnections, contact a licensed contractor.

Keep your swales, ditches and storm drains clear

Never fill swales and ditches with soil, mulch or yard waste. Keeping them grassy and open will help water flow freely. Make sure there are no fences or sheds blocking them.

Swales are shallow channels, often between houses or beside driveways, that guide rainwater safely across your property.

Ditches are usually next to roads in older neighbourhoods and help drain both the road and nearby yards.

Private storm drains, or metal grates in the yard or driveway, collect water from low spots. Maintaining private storm drains is your responsibility, not the City’s.

Outdoor inspection and cleaning

• Routinely inspect and keep eavestroughs, downspouts, ditches, window wells and storm drains on your property clear of leaves and other debris, especially in spring and autumn.
• If you have a private catch basin in your backyard or driveway, keep it clear of debris and blockages and make sure it drains properly.
• Clear drains near basement doors to prevent water accumulation.
• Make sure window well edges are raised and sealed to prevent water from entering.

Lot grading

• Make sure that the grading of your property slopes away from your house and neighbouring properties.
• Fill low spots with clean clay soil, making sure the ground is highest at the house and lower toward property boundaries.
• Prevent water diversion onto neighbouring properties as per the City’s Property Standards Bylaw.
• Hire licensed professionals for major drainage work and get necessary permits. City inspectors can make sure that work is done properly and safely before you pay your contractor.

Service your sump pump

A sump pump is an automatic pump installed in some basements. When groundwater collects around the home’s foundation, the pump turns on and moves the water away from the house, usually to the lawn.

• Check for blockages and ensure your pump, backup pump and battery are working.
• Regularly clean and test your sump pit and pump.
• Make sure your sump pump discharges water onto your property, not in City ditches or roads.

Service your backwater valve

• Clean and regularly check the valve to make sure it opens and closes.

Seal cracks

• Seal any cracks around your basement windows, walls and doors to prevent water seepage.

Learn how to reduce the risks and impacts of flooding in your home.

Managing your rain gardens

• Rain gardens are shallow depressions in the ground filled with soils, plants and mulch that encourage infiltration. They are designed to capture stormwater and allow it to soak into the soil below.
• To make a rain garden, choose a flat location at least 3 metres away from any buildings or trees and at least 1.2 metres away from any neighbouring properties.
• For the soil, use a mixture of topsoil and compost placed over a layer of loose stones. Native perennial plants that tolerate both wet and dry conditions are the best choice for a rain garden. Read Credit Valley Conservation’s Native Plants for Rain-ready Landscapes for a list of plants to consider for your location.
• Avoid steep slopes, areas under mature trees and areas with poor drainage.

Managing your rain barrels

• A rain barrel at the end of your downspout can help you collect rainwater for your lawn, garden, or other plants on your property.
• Rain barrels need screens and guards to keep children and mosquitoes out.
• Install an overflow hose to direct excess water at least 2 metres, or 6 feet, from home foundations.
• Disconnect your rain barrels in the fall to protect them from freezing. Be sure to direct roof water at least 2 metres, or 6 feet, from home foundations.
• To learn more about rainwater collection, view the Government of Canada’s guide for homeowners.

Managing your soakaway pits

• A soakaway pit, also called a dry well, is an underground pit filled with large stones that’s lined and covered with landscaping fabric. Downspouts directed to these devices help stormwater soak into the ground faster.
• You can plant grass or a garden over the soakaway. Place soakaways at least 3 metres away from foundations. Any overflow should be able to drain safely into the City’s stormwater system.
• Before you start digging a soakaway or rain garden, contact Ontario One Call to check where utilities and underground services are buried. Keep any digging at least 3 metres, or 10 feet, away from the foundation of all buildings.

Maintaining your yard

• Keep litter, pet waste, leaves, grass and debris out of street gutters, catch basins and ditches.
• Always pick up and dispose of pet waste in trash containers. Dog waste left on the ground is a health hazard and a source of stormwater pollution. Read more about responsible pet care.
• Avoid washing items like carpets or outdoor furniture in the driveway. Soap, detergents and cleaning products can flow into the stormwater system and pollute nearby creeks.
• Choose native species and plants that require less fertilizer for your garden to minimize polluted runoff.
• Apply lawn and garden chemicals sparingly and according to directions.
• Avoid over-spraying pelletized fertilizers onto driveways, sidewalks and the roadway. Rain washes these pellets into catch basins and into our water.
• Store chemicals and other hazardous materials securely in sheds or garages according to the manufacturer’s instructions.

Maintaining your pool

• Drain chlorinated and saltwater pool water safely. Never drain pool water into a ravine or neighbouring property. Read the Safe Water Practices for Pool and Spa Owners for more information.
• Make sure any hired contractors who service your pool comply with the Storm Sewer Use By-law requirements. Homeowners may be liable for polluted discharge or flooding from pumping.
• Throw away pool filter cartridges with your regular household waste and bring leftover pool chemicals to a neighbourhood community recycling centre.
• Only discharge water that has been backwashed through a pool sand-filter to the sanitary sewer, as per the Debris and Anti-littering By-law.
• Pool water may only be discharged with a hose long enough to reach the street. This protects neighbouring properties and allows the water to drain into a catch basin or ditch.

Managing your renovations

• Make sure your contractor disposes of liquid construction waste according to the Storm Sewer Use By-law and  Provincial Waste Regulation 347.

Drainage maintenance while cleaning your vehicle

• Wash your vehicles at a car wash, not in your driveway. This keeps soap and dirt from going into the catch basin.
• Consider washing your vehicle on grass. The grass can help trap the soap and chemicals and stop them flowing into the stormwater system.
• Maintain your vehicle regularly to make sure engine fluids are not leaking. Clean up any spills or leaks promptly.
• Vacuum, sweep and use rags to control spills instead of hosing down your car.

Managing your waste disposal

• Put out cigarette butts in a non-flammable container, then throw away the container.
• Throw away all food and beverage waste as either solid waste for curb side pick-up or liquid waste into the sanitary sewer system.
• Use the Region of Peel’s community recycling centres to throw away hazardous waste, like used oil, antifreeze, paints or other household chemicals.