Frequently asked questions (FAQs)
- I just spilled some waste or I witnessed a spill into a sewer or catchbasin. Whom should I call?
- I just witnessed intentional waste dumping into a sewer system. Whom do I call?
- I have a question about the Sewers Bylaw. Whom do I call?
- I have some paint and waste thinner left over from painting my house. Is it OK to dump it down the toilet?
- I own a restaurant. What should I know about the Sewers Bylaw?
- I have a swimming pool. Is it OK to drain the water onto the road or into a ravine?
- I’m a dentist. What Sewers Bylaw rules apply to me?
- I own/operate an automotive service garage, gas station or car wash business. What do I need to know about the Sewers Bylaw?
- I own a construction company or ready-mix concrete business and get complaints that my trucks track mud or wet concrete onto the road or that dewatering operations discharge muddy water onto the road. What am I supposed to do?
I just spilled some waste or I witnessed a spill into a sewer or catchbasin. Whom should I call?
For all spill reporting and non-drinking water quality complaints or concerns, such as odours emanating from sewers or basement drains or discoloured discharge from storm outfalls, call Toronto Water's 24-hour Spill Reporting Line.
I just witnessed intentional waste dumping into a sewer system. Whom do I call?
Call Toronto Water's 24-hour Spill Reporting Line.
I have a question about the Sewers Bylaw. Whom do I call?
Contact Environmental Monitoring & Protection.
I have some paint and waste thinner left over from painting my house. Is it OK to dump it down the toilet?
You run the risk of violating the Sewers Bylaw (Municipal Code, Chapter 681) (PDF) if you do. Please take any domestic toxic wastes to a City-run Household Hazardous Waste Depot or call the Toxic Taxi at 416-392-4330. For updates to Municipal Code, Chapter 681, see here: www.toronto.ca/legdocs/municode/
I own a restaurant. What should I know about the Sewers Bylaw?
Almost half of all sewer blockages result from grease discharged by restaurants. The Sewers Bylaw says that you must have, and maintain, a grease trap to prevent blockages.
I have a swimming pool. Is it OK to drain the water onto the road or into a ravine?
You can discharge the water on your property and let it soak into the ground. You are not permitted to discharge it into a ravine or an adjoining property.
If there is chlorine residual or soap from cleaning your pool, you should not discharge the water onto the road. In this case, you can discharge it into the sanitary sewer from your home (a special connection to a 4” drain may have to be made), you can soak the water into your yard or you can have the water trucked away by a disposal company. You cannot lift manhole covers on City property (i.e., to access a sanitary sewer). Note that the same rules apply to water ponding on the pool cover.
In general, contaminated water may not be discharged into storm sewers. And just a note about soaking water into your yard. Water ponding in your yard may contravene the City’s Property Standards bylaws by providing a habitat for mosquitoes.
I’m a dentist. What Sewers Bylaw rules apply to me?
Dentists who discharge amalgam to drains in any amount will need a high-efficiency separator in order to meet the City’s stringent discharge limit of 0.01 mg/L of mercury. All amalgam-receiving drains (e.g., sinks or cuspidors) must be plumbed to the separator, taken out of service or somehow be prevented from receiving amalgam particles.
Certain dental practices are exempt from this requirement. For details refer to the Toronto Municipal Code Chapter 681.
On May 14, 2003 the Province passed Regulation 196/03 amending the General Regulation 205/94 under the Dentistry Act, 1991. The new Regulation requires that any practice where dental amalgam is removed, repaired or replaced must have an ISO 11143 dental amalgam separator as of November, 2003. Note that an ISO 11143 separator may not be capable of meeting the more stringent Toronto Bylaw standard. Further, provincial regulations do not ensure that all mercury-bearing drains are serviced by the separator, nor do they deal with the possibility that strong oxidizing chemicals may defeat the performance of the separator. The City's insistence on meeting a mercury concentration limit places an additional responsibility on dentists to deal with these issues.
I own/operate an automotive service garage, gas station or car wash business. What do I need to know about the Sewers Bylaw?
Every owner/operator is obliged to install and maintain an oil separator to prevent discharges of oil to sewers and a sediment trap to prevent sediment discharges.
Waste engine coolant may contain heavy metals, such as copper and zinc, which may exceed bylaw limits. Waste oil and coolant should be picked up by a recycling service, not discharged to sewers – even with a proper oil/sediment interceptor in place. Waste fuel and solvents are explosive and toxic, and must never be discharged to sewers in any amount.
Be careful that soaps do not contain nonylphenol ethoxylates as they are severely restricted by the Sewers Bylaw. Garages and gas stations must submit Pollution Prevention Plans (see Pollution Prevention Plan and Summary Forms).
I own a construction company or ready-mix concrete business and get complaints that my trucks track mud or wet concrete onto the road or that dewatering operations discharge muddy water onto the road. What am I supposed to do?
You could be violating the Sewers Bylaw when rain washes the mud or concrete into catchbasins. Construction sites should be equipped with wash stations or other means to prevent road contamination. Never wash mud or concrete onto City streets or catchbasins. Excavation water should be filtered or settled to prevent sediment from dewatering operations. Make sure the dewatering sump is not drawing sediment from the bottom of the excavation. Sweep gravel/mud, etc. from roads immediately.