Basement Flooding in Burlington: What August 2014 Changed and What to Do Before the Next One

Three kinds of water in 2014, and every year since

Sewer backup arrives at the floor drain, a basement toilet or the laundry standpipe, during or just after heavy rain, and smells like sewage; in 2014 it hit the older neighbourhoods south of the QEW and the low ground along the creeks hardest. Groundwater arrives clear at the wall-floor joint and through cracks after long rains and in the thaw, common in the 1960s and 70s subdivisions where clay weeping tile has silted up. Storm water comes down driveways, over window wells and up the creek valleys, and in 2014 it came through front doors.

Photograph where the water first appeared and when. Halton Region takes reports on the sanitary system; the City of Burlington on storm drainage and creeks; a plumber handles what is yours.

Halton Region’s subsidy

Halton Region’s Basement Flooding Prevention Subsidy Program, expanded after 2014, contributes toward the cost of a backwater valve on the sanitary lateral, a sump pump and pit, and disconnecting the foundation drain from the sanitary sewer, at eligible homes in Burlington, Oakville, Milton and Halton Hills. The work must be done by a licensed plumber under a City of Burlington plumbing permit and inspected, and the subsidy is claimed after completion. The eligible amounts and rules change; read the Region’s current program page before signing a quote.

A backwater valve closes when the sewer surcharges so sewage cannot flow back into the house; while it is closed nothing in the house drains. A sump pump moves groundwater from the foundation drain outside; a battery backup keeps it running when the storm takes the power, as it did across Burlington in 2014.

• Eligibility confirmed on Halton Region’s program page
• Licensed plumber and City of Burlington plumbing permit number
• Camera inspection recording and locate
• Itemized invoice for valve, pump and labour
• Subsidy claim submitted after completion

Who owns which pipe

In Burlington the owner is responsible for the sanitary lateral on private property up to the property line, and Halton Region for the sanitary sewer beyond it. The City of Burlington owns the storm sewers, catch basins and creek works, and Conservation Halton regulates the creek valleys and publishes the flood-plain mapping. A camera inspection with a locate tells you which side a break or blockage is on. Keep the recording; an insurer will want it for a sewer backup claim.

After 2014, insurers in Burlington tightened sewer backup terms and some raised deductibles. Check what your policy covers, and ask whether a backwater valve and sump pump change the premium; often they do.

Before the next storm

Lift the sump float and listen for the pump; test the battery backup; extend downspouts well away from the foundation and correct grading so water runs toward the street. Houses along Tuck, Shoreacres, Appleby and Roseland creeks should know the flood-plain mapping and keep valuables off the basement floor. Aldershot and the old south have pre-war houses with clay weeping tile and block foundations that need excavation and a membrane rather than a sump alone; get a waterproofer and a plumber to look together.