Did you know, you can’t just discharge any type of water to the sewer?
Sewer Discharge Permits and Agreements are required when private water (water not purchased from the City) is discharged into the City’s sewer system, including storm sewers, sanitary sewers or combined sewers. The City of Toronto’s Sewers Bylaw requires a Sewer Discharge Permit and/or Agreement be obtained and executed before any private water discharge can occur. Examples of private water include:
Once approval is granted by Toronto Water, Discharge Permits and Agreements allow private water to be discharged into the storm sewer, sanitary sewer or combined sewer.
Permits are issued when:
Examples of this type of activity include site remediation and construction dewatering.
Foundation Drainage Policy will be implemented starting January 1, 2022.
Agreements are issued when:
Agreements are granted for terms up to one year and may be renewable. An example is discharge from a permanent private water drainage system.
Note: If discharging to a storm sewer, that then leads to a combined sewer or sanitary sewer, a fee will be charged for treating that wastewater.
Completed applications must be submitted at least eight to 12 weeks prior to the proposed discharge start date. Incomplete applications will take longer to process.
Download the Private Water Discharge Approval Application (PDF)
Attn: Toronto Water Environmental Monitoring & Protection
2126 Kipling Avenue
Toronto, ON M9W 4K5
Email: pwapplication@toronto.ca
The requirements for amending a Private Water Discharge Agreement have recently changed. For a list of the latest requirements, please email: pwapplication@toronto.ca