Alterations to Drinking Water and Sewage Infrastructure

Alterations to drinking water infrastructure that require approval refer to watermains. The Ministry of the Environment, Conservation and Parks (MECP) grants the City the authority to review and accept pre-authorized alterations to watermains in Toronto under the City’s Drinking Water Works Permit (DWWP).

Only alterations that meet the conditions and requirements in the DWWP Schedule B qualify for submission of an application to the City.

Alteration to a watermain longer than 6.1 m

An alteration to a watermain longer than 6.1 m requires a watermain application approved under the DWWP prior to construction and must be prepared in accordance with requirements listed in the City’s Application Checklist for Watermain Works and include:

• MECP Form 1 - Record of Watermains Authorized as a Future Alteration
• MECP Pipe Data Form
• City’s Supplement A and/or Supplement B (as applicable), and
• Other documentation as applicable per the Application Checklist

Alteration to a watermain 6.1 m or less

Modification or replacement of an existing watermain that is 6.1 m or less in length (i.e. short length watermain) is exempt from requirements that:

• The design is prepared by a professional engineer; and
• A professional engineer verifies on Form 1, Part 3, Item 1; as per the DWWP, Schedule B Condition 3.7

Conditions and submission requirements are available in the Requirements for Modification or Replacement of Short Length Watermain.

Abandonment or removal of an existing watermain

Abandonment or removal of an existing watermain without replacement, to which no existing water services are connected, is exempt from a completed watermain application. The following documents must be submitted for these works:

• Completed MECP Form 1 Record of Watermains Authorized as a Future Alteration
• Technical memo, including rationale for abandonment or removal, and
• Letter-size key plan(s) of the abandonment or removal

Alterations that are not pre-authorized

The following alterations are not pre-authorized and must be submitted directly to MECP for approval through a Schedule C amendment application:

• Pass under or through a body of surface water, unless trenchless construction methods are used;
• Have a nominal diameter greater than 1500 mm;
• Result in the fragmentation of the drinking water system; and
• Connect to another drinking water system, unless there is written consent from the owner or owner’s delegate of the system being connected to.

Exemptions

Exemptions from approval for alterations to drinking water infrastructure under the Safe Drinking Water Act (O. Reg. 170/03: Drinking Water Systems) include:

• establishment or alteration of or a change to a service pipe;
• establishment or alteration of or a change in an appurtenance of a watermain, if the appurtenance does not disrupt the operation of the drinking water system that the watermain is part of;
• relining of a watermain, if the new lining does not disrupt the operation of the drinking water system that the watermain is part of; and
• replacement of an existing watermain with a new watermain that has similar dimensions and performance criteria and that is in the same or approximately the same location, if the existing watermain was established or altered in accordance with an approval, drinking water works permit or municipal drinking water licence.

Sewage infrastructure alterations that require approval include but are not limited to:

• sewer mains, forcemains, storm ditches and culverts
• stormwater management facilities
• pumping stations
• combined sewage storage tanks and storage structures

The Ministry of the Environment, Conservation and Parks (MECP) grants the City the authority to review and accept pre-authorized alterations to sewage infrastructure in Toronto under the City’s Consolidated Linear Infrastructure Environmental Compliance Approval (CLI ECA) Program.

Effective June 2, 2025, the MECP has issued the CLI ECAs to the City of Toronto for Municipal Sewage Collection and Stormwater Management Systems. As a result, as of June 2, 2025, all new applications for alterations to sewage infrastructure are required to be reviewed under the CLI ECA Program, subject to new MECP CLI ECA forms and City’s new wastewater service fees, as adopted by City Council (2024.EX19.9).

The City no longer accepts new applications under the Transfer of Review (TOR) Program. As of June 2, 2025, any open applications under the TOR Program will be required to submit the new MECP CLI ECA forms (without additional fee payment).

Alteration applications for sewage infrastructure

Only alterations that meet the conditions and requirements in the CLI ECAs Schedule D of Municipal Sewage Collection and/or Stormwater Management Systems qualify for submission of an application to the City.

An alteration to sewage infrastructure requires a sewage application approved under the CLI ECA prior to construction and must be prepared in accordance with requirements listed in the City’s Application Checklist for Sewage Works and include:

• MECP CLI ECA forms, as applicable per alteration type listed in the table below
• MECP Pipe Data Form, as applicable
• City Supplement A and/or Supplement B (as applicable)
• Other documentation as applicable per the Application Checklist

Abandonment or removal of existing sewage infrastructure

Abandonment or removal of existing sewage infrastructure without replacement, to which no existing sewer services are connected, is exempt from a completed sewage application. The following documents must be submitted for these works:

• Completed MECP CLI ECA form(s), as applicable per alteration type in the table listed above
• Technical memo, including rationale for abandonment or removal, and
• Letter-size key plan(s) of abandonment or removal

Alterations that are not pre-authorized

The following alterations are not pre-authorized and must be submitted directly to MECP for approval through a Schedule C amendment application:

• Pass under or through a body of surface water unless trenchless construction methods are used or the local Conservation Authority has authorized an alternative construction method;
• Have a nominal diameter greater than 3000 mm for a sanitary sewer, 4000 mm for a combined sewer, 6000 mm for a storm sewer, 600 mm for a sanitary forcemain, 600 mm for a combined forcemain, and 900 mm for a storm forcemain;
• Add new sewage pumping station with capacity greater than 100 L/s;
• Alter storm sewer/forcemain to be a concrete channel, to convert rural road cross section ditches to curb, gutter and storm sewers that increases stormwater volume and/or peak flow without achieving water quality criteria, to increase storm flow in existing sewer/ditch without achieving water quality criteria unless existing downstream system has sufficient residual transmission and treatment capacity to accommodate the additional stormwater, or to exceed the capacity of downstream pumping station;
• Connect to another municipal sewage collection system, unless there is written consent from the owner or owner’s delegate of the system being connected to;
• Create a new sanitary and/or combined discharge point to the natural environment;
• Result in a new combined sewage storage tank;
• Establish stormwater management (SWM) facility for regional SWM end-of-pipe flood control, as new outlet discharging directly to the natural environment without treatment and monitoring, to service a drainage area greater than 65 ha or to convert an existing SWM facility to another type of SWM facility;
• Receive or will receive a Section 16 Order (previously known, as Part II Order) under Environmental Assessment Act s.16;
• Determined to impact Indigenous treaty rights or asserted right.

Exemptions

Exemptions from approval for sewage works under the CLI ECAs, Ontario Water Resource Act (s. 53(6)) and O. Reg 525/98: Approval Exemptions include:

1. works constituting maintenance or repair.
2. a sewer system subject to the Building Code Act.
3. drainage works under the Funeral, Burial and Cremation Services Act, the Public Transportation and Highway Improvement Act or the Railways Act.
4. use, operation, establishment, alteration, extension or replacement of or a change in a service connection.
5. use, operation, establishment, alteration, extension or replacement of or a change in an appurtenance of a sewer, if the appurtenance does not disrupt the operation of the sewage works of which the sewer is a part.
6. relining of a sewer if the new lining does not disrupt the operation of the sewage works of which the sewer is a part.
7. replacement of an existing sewer with a new sewer that has similar dimensions and performance criteria and that is in the same or approximately the same location, if the existing sewer was used, operated, established, altered or extended in accordance with an approval granted by a director.
8. use, operation, establishment, alteration, extension or replacement of or a change in a stormwater management facility that
   • is designed to service one lot or parcel of land;
   • discharges into a storm sewer that is not a combined sewer;
   • does not service industrial land or a structure located on industrial land; and
   • is not located on industrial land.

Verification for inspection and testing

The designated City case manager is required to complete Part 5 of the previously accepted MECP CLI ECA Forms (i.e., SS1, SW1 and/or CS1) and submit via email to DWWP-ECA@toronto.ca.

Director Notifications for completion and/or ownership change of sewage work

The designated City case manager is required to complete Director Notification Form(s) for sewage collection and/or stormwater management system as applicable, as per CLI ECAs Schedules B and /or D Conditions. Submit the required documents by:

• Emailing MECP at ECA.Submissions@ontario.ca, and
• Copying the City at CLIECA.DN@toronto.ca

The submission is required within 30 days after:

1. Placing into service or completion of any alterations of specific sewage infrastructure facilities (e.g. stormwater management works, pumping stations, combined sewer regulators/tanks).
2. Ownership change/assumption of any alteration works.
3. Ownership change of sewage works approved under individual ECA under the previous Transfer of Review Program.

Review process and timeline

All forms must be signed by authorized persons from all parties before submitting an application for alterations to drinking water and sewage infrastructure. A complete application should be submitted by the designated City case manager responsible for primary review or delivery of the project.

A City review engineer with MECP-designated authority will review the application following the receipt of a complete application package. Comments will be provided to the case manager and copied to the consultant(s) within 10 business days from receipt of the application and each subsequent re-submission.

Application support

The City offers optional pre-application meetings to clarify the objectives of the proposal and to identify the necessary documentation required. Contact us to request a pre-application meeting.

Current fees (including tax) for alterations to drinking water and sewage infrastructure

*The fees are reviewed annually and adjusted as determined by the City’s Chief Financial Officer and Treasurer

How to pay applicable fees

Payments can be made via:

• electronic funds transfer (EFT) or wire payment; or
• certified cheque, bank draft or money order.

Payments should be payable to “Treasurer, City of Toronto” and include the payer’s name and mailing address.

For EFT or wire payment, payment/remittance advice is required, including the caption “ECA/DWWP Works Review Fee” and additional payment details (i.e., project name, location, payment date, reference number).

Contact us to request the City’s account information for EFT or wire payments.

Contact us to drop off a certified cheque, bank draft or money order to:

Approvals & Partnerships, Water Infrastructure Management, Toronto Water

Metro Hall, 18^th Floor

55 John St, Toronto, ON M5V 3C6