Water and Sewer

WATER & SEWER BILLING

 For all ratepayers on the municipal water system, the Town currently issues a utility (water) bill every month.

PAYMENT OPTIONS

Wastewater Collection and Treatment

The Corporation of the Township of McGarry  provides a complex collection and wastewater treatment system for its residents. There are two (2) wastewater aerated lagoons and one (1) mechanical sewage treatment plant. The three (3) treatment facilities are operated and maintained through a contract with the Ontario Clean Water Agency (OCWA). OCWA is also responsible for the various sanitary lift stations located throughout the municipality. 

The Public Works provides regular and preventative maintenance programs including sewer flushing, adjustments and repairs, catch basin adjustments and cleaning and underground locates. 

Sewer Service Connection

If you require a sewer service connection a Municipal Services application must be completed and submitted to the office.  It may be advantageous to discuss service connections with Public Works located at the Municipal Office by calling 705-634-2145.

Sewer Flushing Program

Sanitary Sewer Flushing is conducted yearly as part of the Preventative Maintenance Program. These operations are normally commenced in the spring of each year to remove debris, sand and gravel from the collection system. During this time customers may experience sewer backup from the main. When sewer backup occurs, it is usually due to poor venting in the residence. If you experience sewer backup, please contact the Municipal Office at 705-634-2145.

Sewer Laterals

A sanitary sewer lateral is a section of the sewer that connects your building to the Municipality's main sewer. This permits the discharge of all the domestic waste from toilets and sinks.

Trouble Shooting for Blockage and Collapse

The first indication of a blockage or collapse is that sewage is being forced up through a basement floor drain. Locate your internal cleanout, a capped access to the sanitary sewer lateral is normally located in the basement in proximity to where the service lateral enters the building, and determine by removing the cap is sewage is also being forced up at this location. If there is no sewage at the capped access, then the problem is located within the internal plumbing. If there is sewage, then the problem is located outside the foundation wall.

Sewer Blockage

The Corporation of the Township of McGarry policy regarding sewer lateral problems is that the property owner is responsible for their lateral from the building to the Municipality's main sewer with limited exceptions such as whether it can be shown that there are tree roots from a Municipal tree.

The Public Works must be notified (705-634-2145) such that staff can confirm that the collection main is operating properly. Environmentally sensitive materials should not be poured down the drain, on the ground or into the sewers. The Town will not reimburse property owners for charges by plumbers or contractors hired by the property owner if the Town has not been advised in advance and had sufficient time to assess the nature of the problem.

Property owners or tenants sometimes experience sewer odors within their building. This is most often caused by a floor-drain trap that has gone dry, thereby allowing sewer gases to enter the building. Residents are encouraged to pour a pail of water into their floor drains several times per year in order to ensure the U-shaped trap is full of water and able to perform its function of blocking sewer gas from entering the building.

Please note that should the sewer be blocked due to improper use (such as rags, diapers etc.) then it will be the owner's responsibility to pay for the cost to clean and repair the lateral. We wish to make it clear that just because a blockage is created on Municipal property, it does not necessarily follow that the Municipality will pay the cost to resolve the problem.

There are several possible causes for a sewage blockage/backup including, but not limited to the following:

• Blockage within the service lateral due to age, deterioration, roots, settlement or objections too large inserted into the drain;
• Blockage in the collection main that requires cleaning by Public Works;
• Surcharging in the collection main due to abnormally high flows and/or heavy rainfall;

The property owner is responsible for the removal or rodding of blockages within the entire length of the sewer service lateral. A proper clean out must be available to insert the cleaning rods. 

If the Town representative determines that the backup is caused by a problem with the service lateral pipe between the property line and the sewer main, the rodding fee may be reimbursed. It is sometimes necessary for the property owner to carry out a closed circuit camera inspection of the service line to determine the nature of the problem, particularly if there is a prior history of sewer backups. 

If the problem is found to be a pipe defect on the private side of the property line, the owner is responsible for car­rying out the repair. If the problem is on the Town side due to roots, collapse or frozen, the Works Department will carry out the repairs at Town cost.

The fees from the Township of McGarry are as follows: The property owner may also require the services of a local qualified plumbing contractor. 

Municipalities throughout Ontario have been required to comply with Ontario Regulation 170/03 made under the Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA) since June 2003. The Act was enacted following recommendations made by Commissioner O'Conner after the Walkerton Inquiry. The Act's purpose is to protect human health through the control and regulation of drinking water systems. O. Reg. 170/03 regulates drinking water testing, use of licensed laboratories, treatment requirements and reporting requirements.

​The Safe Drinking Water Act (2002) and the drinking water regulations can be viewed at the following website: http://www.e-laws.gov.on.ca.

Drinking Water Reports 

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