Municipal Drains and Drainage

Municipal Drains

The Municipality of South Bruce manages all our municipal drainage systems located within the municipal boundaries.

Our drainage systems are often known as “municipal drains.” They are vital to our communities, roads, and surrounding lands in rural Ontario. Municipal drains help to reduce flooding, improve safety, and reduce property damage. They are as important to rural Ontario as storm sewers are to urban areas.

All work performed on a municipal drain requires authorization from the Drainage Superintendent.

The Drainage Act

The Drainage Act allows us to provide construction and management of many of the communal drainage systems in rural Ontario. Costs may be recovered by the properties that are in the watershed of the drain.

For more information, review the OMAFRA Website. Contact us at 519-392-6623 to speak to the Drainage Superintendent.

The Drainage Act OMAFRA Website

Drain Maintenance

If you have a municipal drain that requires a clean out, maintenance, or repairs please contact the municipal office as soon as possible. This work requires approval from the local conservation authority and Department of Fisheries and Oceans. We are noticing that these approvals take up to 18 to 24 months. Additional tiling and connections to existing municipal drains requires review and authorization from the Drainage Superintendent prior to any work being completed.

Tile Drain Loans

You may be eligible for a tile drainage loan if you plan to install a drainage system on your property.

The Municipality of South Bruce has created a Tile Loan Program that you can apply for if you’re installing a tile drainage system on your property. The Tile Loan Program is authorized by the Tile Drainage Act. It also represents a partnership between municipalities and the province.

For more information, visit OMAFRA or contact the Municipal Office, at 519-392-6623.

Apply for a tile drain loan

If you are a farmer and are planning on installing a tile drainage system on your property, follow these steps:

Apply for a tile drain loan in your Municipality (the application must be signed by all registered owners)
Once approved by Council, arrange to have the work completed by a licenced tile drainage contractor
Once the tile work has been completed, contact the Municipality for an inspection by the Tile Drain Inspector
Provide the Municipality with the contractor’s invoice
The municipality will then prepare a “debenture” for sale to the province in the amount of the loan or loans
The province issues a cheque to the municipality who then passes it on to you
The municipality collects the loan repayments from you through your property taxes
These payments are then passed back to the province

Please note that currently, the interest rate for this program is 6%. The maximum available loan is the lesser of $50,000 or 75% of the total cost.

Tile Drain Act