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Wastewater and Sewers

The Municipality of Kincardine is responsible for the collection and treatment of sewage in serviced areas on municipal property. We also look after the collection and management of rain water on municipal roadways and allowances.

Homeowners and property owners are responsible for the water pipes, assets, sewer, and stormwater pipes  on their private property.

The water department's hours of operation are Monday to Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. with closures on statutory holidays. An operator is on-call for after hours emergencies. 

See our Water Services webpage along with the Utility Billing and Digging/Locates for details on those services. Reports related to wastewater and sewers are available on the Water Reports and Plans webpage.

Sewers

If you have a sewer issue, please call the Environmental Services department at 519-396-4660. We will check to make sure the sewers under the road are clear of a blockage. If street sewers are clear, please call a plumber to check the pipes inside your home.

Sewer Use By-Law 2016-128

Current Rates & Fees for Sewers
(Schedule L)

A roll of toilet paper with the words "Poop, Pee, Paper" on the first square.

Remember the 3 Ps!

The only things that should ever be flushed down the toilet are Poop, Pee, and Paper (as in toilet paper!)

To help you avoid a sewer back-up.

  • Put grease in a jar and place in garbage
  • Scrape all food scraps into garbage
  • Use hair and lint traps
  • Put diapers and wipes in garbage
  • Put dental floss in garbage
  • Put condoms in garbage
  • Put pads and tampons in garbage
  • Take paints and varnishes to hazardous waste disposal
  • Take leftover pills to drug store

Frequently asked sewer and storm sewer questions

Only poop, pee, and paper (toilet paper) can go in your toilet.

Flushing items such as baby wipes, menstrual products, rags, and disposable face masks can clog our pumps and have to be manually removed. Please place these in your garbage to go to the landfill.

No. Grease should be collected in a jar or sealed container which can then put into the garbage.

Start by calling our building department at 519-396-3468.

Our Sewer Use By-law provides details about this.

Pouring water down your floor drains and sinks can help fix this, but if the smell does not stop, you should call a plumber.

The Municipality does not take waste from RVs. Please contact a campground for disposal.

Please contact at 519-396-4660 or by e-mail.

Please call us at 519-396-4660.

A stormwater management pond collects water runoff in the area.

It holds the water and slowly releases it back into the environment. This helps keep items like dirt, fertilizer, cigarette butts, and garbage out of our rivers and lakes.

Grass will not be cut around the pond to keep it natural.

After many years, debris may be removed from the pond. 

Structures and bank stabilization may occur at different times, too.

Please give us a call at 519-396-4660.

Optional Service Line Warranty Program

As a homeowner, you are responsible for the water and sewer service lines running from outside your home to the public main.

When your service line breaks, leaks, or clogs, the repair can cost thousands of dollars and many homeowner insurance policies do not cover these repair costs. Check with your insurance provider to see if your policy includes coverage.

The Municipality of Kincardine, in conjunction with Service Line Warranties of Canada (SLWC), offers an optional Service Line Warranty program to homeowners.

Participation is optional and voluntary. It is not a municipal program. SLWC is solely responsible for the administration and service of the warranty program.  Any homeowner enrolling in this program should do so with the understanding that the Municipality in no way warrants or is liable for the work or performance of SLWC.

SLW is associated with the Association of Municipalities of Ontario as a preferred vendor. They've partnered with over 65 leading cities and municipalities in Canada to provide repair service plans that offer peace of mind and convenience.

SLWC has provided over $6 million in coverage since first launching in 2014.

SLWC is an accredited Better Business Bureau organization maintaining an A+ rating.

For more information or to sign-up for the program, contact SLWC toll-free at 1-866-922-9004 or visit their website.

The Municipality of Kincardine has partnered with SLWC to provide this optional warranty coverage to homeowners for their water and sanitary services to:

  • Educate residential property owners about their responsibilities for the maintenance, repair, and replacement of water and sewer service lines (the portion running from their homes to the property line.)
  • Make available to residents optional, affordable protection for unexpected costs of repairing or replacing non-functioning water and service lines, as well as, broken interior plumbing and drainage systems.
  • Protect the environment with timely repairs to reduce water loss and minimize wastewater pollution.

SLWC works with Data Axel to gather mailing information from several publicly available sources including real estate listings, the telephone white pages, etc. 

The Municipality of Kincardine did not provide your details to SLWC.

If you'd like to be removed from their mailing list, please e-mail us.

SLWC is headquartered in the United States, but they do have a Canadian Head Office in Toronto, and are committed to using local contractors when completing repairs.

Our agreement with them allows them to use the Municipality of Kincardine logo in their communications to indicate the formal relationship in place and that the service they're offering is legitimate one with our approval and benefits for our residents.

No, the SLWC program has no impact on resident's taxes, water, or sewer rates.

The Ontario Clean Water Agency (OCWA) is responsible for maintaining and repairing equipment up to the ownership demarcation point.

It is the property owner's responsibility to maintain and repair equipment beyond the ownership demarcation point.

It's not a new idea for public and private sectors to work together. This is about brining Municipality of Kincardine residents a solution to a real problem facing homeowners around the country.

SLWC brings the best of the best of the private sector, including efficiency and expertise, to relieve the burden on homeowners facing expensive repairs.

At the same time, SLWC supports communities by helping us, as local decision-makers, tackle the problem of making sure all of our community’s water and sewer infrastructure is maintained. It is good practice to bring together the best of what public and private entities have to offer.

Sewer bypasses and overflows

A bypass occurs at the treatment works when the wastewater is not able to go through one or more of the treatment processes before it is discharged. An example of this would be when there is a power outage, and the UV disinfection system is not able to run.

An overflow is similar to a bypass in that the wastewater is not fully treated but it typically occurs in the wastewater collection system when the flows exceed the capacity of the pumping station. An overflow typically occurs when the system is overwhelmed by stormwater inflow due to heavy precipitation as some areas have residential footing drains and/or sump pumps connected into the wastewater collection system instead of the stormwater system. An overflow is intended to prevent infrastructure damage and basement flooding.

The tables below outline the bypass and overflow events for the current calendar year and period of two years before.

Bypass and Overflow Report 2024

Type of Event Date Duration (Minutes) Estimated Volume (m3) Reason Location System
Bypass April 13, 2024 390 97.2 Power Interruption Kincardine Effluent Station Kincardine Wastewater System
Bypass June 13, 2024 145 17.4 Power Interruption Kincardine Effluent Station Kincardine Wastewater System

Bypass and Overflow Report 2023

Type of Event Date Duration (Minutes) Estimated Volume (m3) Reason Location System
Spill March 30, 2023 240 >0.1 Grinder Line Leak Harbour Street Kincardine Wastewater System
Overflow / Spill April 5, 2023 165 74.25 Heavy Precipitation Durham Street Pump Station Kincardine Wastewater System
Overflow / Spill April 5, 2023 186 26.9 Heavy Precipitation Park Street Pump Station Kincardine Wastewater System
Overflow / Spill April 5, 2023 418 83.2 Heavy Precipitation Maple Street Pump Station BEC Wastewater System
Planned Bypass / Spill June 28, 2023 195 183.57 Influent chamber cleaning BEC Lagoons BEC Wastewater System
Bypass July 7, 2023 150 498 Power Interruption Kincardine Effluent Station Kincardine Wastewater System
Bypass November 19, 2023 240 47.9 Power Interruption Kincardine Effluent Station Kincardine Wastewater System
Spill November 23, 2023 Unknown 0.5 Plugged outlet at splitter box between aerated cell and lagoons Kincardine Lagoons Kincardine Wastewater System

Bypass and Overflow Report 2022

Type of Event Date Duration (Minutes) Estimated Volume (m3) Reason Location System
Spill August 24, 2022 10 0.003 New Construction Huron Terrace Pumping Station Kincardine Wastewater System
Overflow / Spill September 27, 2022 735 498.96 Heavy Precipitation / Tree roots in manhole Kincardine Effluent Station Kincardine Wastewater System

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