Businesses in Toronto may be eligible for a rebate on water that is used on-site for their industrial or commercial processes. The rebate is based on the percentage of water not returned to the sanitary sewer system, and is applied to the sewer portion of the water rate.
The program is open to industrial and commercial water customers that use purchased water for their on-site operations. The percentage by which the sewage discharge is reduced in relation to the amount of water purchased must meet the following criteria:
Property’s Total Annual Water Consumption | Sanitary Contribution Amount |
---|---|
≤1500 m3 | ≤ 80% |
>1500 m3 but ≤15,000 m3 | ≤ 85% |
>15,000 m3 but ≤ 1,500,000 m3 | ≤ 90% |
>1,500,000 m3 | ≤ 95% |
Water that is discharged to sanitary or combined sewer systems, used outdoors (i.e. for irrigation) or transported off-site is not eligible for the Sewer Surcharge Rebate Program. For full eligibility criteria, refer to By-law No. 849 – Water and Sewage Services and Utility Bill.
Submit a letter of intent by email to ssr@toronto.ca that includes:
You will have nine months from the date your letter of intent is received by the City to submit the application with all required documentation to ssr@toronto.ca (see Online Application Forms and Reporting Requirements section below). In your application
If all documentation and information is received within the nine-month period from Step 2, and your application is approved, the rebate will be retroactive to the date your letter of intent was received. If the application received is incomplete, and all additional information required to complete the submission is not received within 10 business days of being requested by the City, the rebate will be retroactive to the date all requested information required to complete the submission is received.
To continue to receive a rebate for subsequent year after the initial year in the program, a renewal application must be submitted (except the letter of intent) to ssr@toronto.ca by February 1 of the following year. The application must contain all documentation including data from the most recent 12 months.
If a renewal application is not received by February 1, the rebate will be adjusted and made retroactive to the date the renewal application is received.
*All communications with respect to the current year’s application will be maintained with the facility owner and the Professional Engineer of Record.
Provide an engineering report that follows this outline:
i. A completed Sewer Discharge Summary form (Excel).
ii. Background – An overview of the facility, the dates of the study periods, and a process flow diagram showing: connection to the City, water meter and sub-meter locations, process connections, discharge connections, outflow(s) to sewer, and other relevant appurtenances.
1.1 completed Purchased Municipal Water form. Include copies of the first and last month’s water bills for each water account in Appendix A.
1.2 Other Sources – Specify and provide meter readings or calculations for volumes for other sources of water.
2.1 Completed Boiler/Cooling Tower form(s) for Cooling Tower makeup and blowdown water meter readings, as applicable. Note: Conductivity Readings are required where blowdown meter readings are not available and where there is any discharge by-passing the blowdown meter.
2.2 Completed Boiler / Cooling Tower form(s) for the Boiler makeup and blowdown water meter readings, as applicable. Note: Conductivity Readings are required where blowdown meter readings are not available and where there is any discharge by-passing the blowdown meter.
2.3 Completed Product Water Content form(s). For each product include:
Note: Monthly production records are required to be submitted with the report, along with this Excel file.
2.4 For other processes, not included above, that divert water from the sanitary system, include:
A. First and last month’s water bills
B. Production records and/or verification study periods
C. Other Process records and/or verification study periods
If you need help locating an engineer to help prepare the report, you may contact Partners in Project Green.
Clients who meet the below criteria are eligible to receive a triennial rebate, without having to submit a renewal application annually:
To opt out of the triennial application process, please notify us via email at ssr@toronto.ca.
In 2022, a business consuming 100,000 m3 and diverting 20% of purchased water could receive a rebate of $48,546 (100,000 m3 x $4.2586/m3 ** x 57%*** x 20%).
Annual Water Bill for General Customer:
$425,860 (100,000 m3 x $4.2586/m3)
Annual Water Bill with Sewer Surcharge Rebate:
$425,860 ($425.860 – $48,548)
**Rebate calculation applies to water rate paid by consumer, either the general (Block 1) or industrial (Block 2) water rate. See the current water rates.
***57% represents the portion of water rate charged for sewer use discharge (sewer surcharge). This rate of rebate is determined by City Council and can be subject to change.