Storm Connection Exemption Application

Eligibility

Your property may be eligible for a storm connection exemption if:

• the City determines that keeping the stormwater on-site would create a hazard, and/or
• managing stormwater on-site is not feasible because of one or more of the following:
  • downspouts run inside the building’s walls
  • a heritage designation prevents relocation of the downspouts
  • the building has no setback from the property line
  • the footprint of the building leaves limited space for landscaping and infiltration
  • runoff would flow onto a neighbouring property or a public sidewalk and cannot be redirected
  • runoff would flow toward the building foundation
  • runoff would cause erosion, unstable slope conditions, ponding or basement flooding
  • there is a high groundwater table
  • soil conditions would reduce the effectiveness of on-site stormwater management

When to Submit an Application

You must submit a storm connection exemption application if you are proposing any of the following:

• a new storm connection to a City storm or combined sewer
• an increase in the size of an existing storm connection to a City storm or combined sewer
• a replacement of an existing storm connection to a different City storm or combined sewer
• a replacement of an existing storm connection because a building on the property is being “substantially demolished” as defined by the Sewers By-law
  • A building is considered substantially demolished when more than 50 per cent of the exterior walls of the first storey above grade are removed, whether they are rebuilt or not.
• a replacement of an existing storm connection to a City storm or combined sewer because a new building is being constructed

Obtaining a building permit does not exempt the property owner from the requirement to apply for a storm connection exemption.

Storm connections to City sewers located outside of the public right-of-way and storm connections to trunk sewers are generally prohibited and require specific consultation and technical review by Toronto Water.

Projects reviewed through other processes

You do not need to submit a storm connection exemption application if your project will be reviewed by:

• Development Review as part of a Planning Application (such as a Site Plan Control Application), or
• Engineering and Construction Services – Engineering Transit Review

Storm sewer connections will be reviewed as part of these processes.

How to Apply

Do not begin this process until you have reviewed, understood and prepared the required supporting documents, including technical reports and drawings, and you are prepared to pay the technical review fee.

For questions on submission requirements or the application process, contact Victoria.Crowther@toronto.ca.

1. Submit a completed Municipal Services Application Form to TWC@toronto.ca. If someone other than the property owner is submitting the application, the owner must provide a letter that authorizes the agent to apply on their behalf.
2. Review staff will contact you to request the required supporting documents for your application.
3. After receiving your supporting documents, staff will contact you to arrange payment of the technical review fee. The fee is listed as “Technical Review by Toronto Water staff – Application to Toronto Water for new connection or change or alteration to the existing storm connection, sanitary or water supply connection”. Payment is made to the Toronto Water Counter at TWC@toronto.ca. Accepted forms of payment include:
   • credit cards (Visa, MasterCard and American Express)
   • certified cheques
   • bank drafts
4. After payment is received, staff will review the submitted materials and provide comments.
5. If approved, you will receive an approval letter. You will also receive copies of the approved report and design drawings for your records.

Required Supporting Documents – Technical Reports & Drawings

To apply for a storm connection exemption, you must submit the following:

• stormwater management report
• servicing report
• 1:100 site storm connection plan
• site topographic survey plan

Stormwater management report requirements

The stormwater management report must:

• be prepared, stamped, signed and dated by a professional engineer licensed to practise in Ontario
• justify the need for a direct storm connection and demonstrate that on-site stormwater management is not feasible
• identify the type of discharge to the municipal sewer (stormwater runoff, groundwater or both)
• identify the number and location of all existing sewer connections that convey stormwater
• recommend stormwater management measures and provide designs that meet water balance, water quality and discharge criteria to municipal infrastructure requirements summarized in Table 7 of the City’s Wet Weather Flow Management Guidelines
  • For all sites, comply with the “Sewer Connections” and “Discharge Criteria to Municipal Infrastructure” requirements in Row 1 of Table 7 in the City’s Wet Weather Flow Management Guidelines. These requirements apply to the entire site.
• quantify pre- and post-development flow rates under two-year and 100-year storm conditions and quantify separately the flow rates discharged to each receiving sewer in both pre- and post-development conditions
• provide a site grading and drainage map of the pre-development conditions with the sub-drainage area IDs, area sizes, runoff coefficients, overland flow directions of surface flows onto and off the property and site drainage outlets
• provide conclusions on the proposed design and its impact on adjacent properties and the natural environment
• if proposing a connection from a reverse slope driveway drainage collection system to the City’s sewer system, meet the technical requirements outlined on the Toronto Water Technical Reviews for Reverse Slope Driveways page for both residential and non-residential buildings
• if proposing to discharge groundwater to the sewer system, confirm that on-site management of foundation drainage is not technically feasible and that long-term discharge is required to avoid hazardous impacts
• if proposing to discharge groundwater to the sewer system from industrial, commercial, institutional or multi-unit residential sites:
  • confirm that the lowest elevation of any structure will be higher than the maximum anticipated groundwater level
  • apply for Private Water Discharge Approval if the lowest elevation of any structure will be lower than the maximum anticipated groundwater level

Servicing report requirements

The servicing report must:

• be prepared, stamped, signed, and dated by a professional engineer licensed to practise in Ontario
• demonstrate compliance with Ministry of the Environment, Conservation and Parks Procedure F-5-5 for connections to combined sewers or connections to storm sewers discharging to the combined sewer system
  • Connections to a combined sewer will only be considered in situations where there is no storm sewer adjacent to the site.
• if stormwater flows will be redirected such that overall flows to the receiving storm sewer will increase in post-development conditions, conduct a sewer capacity analysis to demonstrate receiving system has adequate capacity to convey proposed discharge from the site to the trunk sewer or storm outfall

1:100 site storm connection plan requirements

The site storm connection plan must:

• be prepared, stamped, signed and dated by the same professional engineer preparing the stormwater management report
• show the plan and profile of the proposed storm connection system, service connection design and the site drainage map under post-development conditions
  • The storm connection design must comply with the City’s Design Criteria for Sewers and Watermains, Sewers By-law and Standards and Specifications for Designing and Constructing City Infrastructure.
• show all existing storm connections on the drawing and include notes indicating that each existing connection will be disconnected at the City sewer

Site topographic survey plan requirements

The site topographic survey plan must be prepared, stamped, signed and dated by a qualified surveyor.

Review Timelines

Review timelines begin once you have submitted a complete application and paid the technical review fee.

Your application is considered incomplete if you do not meet the submission requirements under Required Supporting Documents. For complex applications, Toronto Water review staff may request more information to support the application.

Submission	Review Timeline
After submitting the first complete application	Four to six weeks
After submitting revisions	10 business days for each revision

After Your Application Is Approved

Refer to your approval letter for contact information and details on the storm service connection installation process, which is administered by the Toronto Water Planned Contracts Unit. The City will install the storm connection(s) within the public right-of-way at the property owner’s expense.

Refer to Request a Water and/or Sewer Service Connection or Disconnection for installation fees and timelines.