Sanitary Sewer System

• Updates will be posted when available

• Updates will be posted when available

• Updates will be posted when available

We use a high-pressure nozzle to flush water down the sewer. The debris is removed through a maintenance hole by a large vacuum truck and taken to the landfill.

It takes about one day to clean the sewer on each street. However, some sewers can take longer, depending on their size and condition.

During the cleaning, air pressure in the sewer may cause water to splash out through drains, sinks, and toilets.

You should:

• close the lids on all toilet bowls when not in use
• if you have a float plug in your floor drain or a backwater valve installed in your house, make sure that it is clean and operating properly
• place drain plugs in all bathtubs and sinks when not in use
• wrap an old towel or other disposable cloth around the base of your toilet
• cover your basement floor drains with plastic (e.g., a freezer bag) and lay something heavy over the floor drains to keep the plastic-covered floor drain covers in place. 

You can return these fixtures to normal when the equipment has moved off your block.

Sometimes the sewer cleaning and inspection leaves an odour in the home. If so, run water down the sink and bathtub drains, flush the toilets, pour a pail of water into each basement floor drain and open the windows. This should help the odour disappear soon after.

Yes. But, be careful as air pressure in the sewer during the cleaning and inspection can sometimes cause water to splash out through drains, sinks, and toilets. Remember to close the lids on all toilet bowls when not in use and insert drain plugs in all sinks and bathtubs when not in use.

We will release a notice via our newsfeed and update this page.

However, if we need to clean the sewer quickly because of a blockage, we won’t have time to let you know in advance.