Flooding
Note: This section of the website is dedicated to basement flooding and protection options. For information on emergency preparedness and flooding, please visit our Lake and River Flooding page and associated links there.
Basement Flooding
- If you have a blocked private drain connection (PDC), the City provides eel service free of charge three (3) times over a 24-month period if tree roots are the source of the problem. If tree roots are not the source of the problem, a service fee applies. Please contact our Operations Yard at (519) 255-6326 to request this service.
- To reduce the risk of basement flooding, the City Engineer strongly recommends the disconnection of your eavestrough downspout. Some areas of the City may have mandatory disconnection in place. This service is provided without charge to city homeowners that qualify. To find out if you qualify, call 311 to arrange for an inspector to visit your home.
- City Council has approved a Basement Flooding Protection Subsidy Program (BFPSP) to assist homeowners with a financial subsidy to install a sump pump and/or backwater valve (flood protection devices) to residents in certain area of the City. See the Backflow Prevention page to see how a backwater valve works.
Tips to Reduce Basement Flooding
- As part of their mission to build resilient communities, the Institute for Catastrophic Loss Reduction (ICLR) has issued the Handbook for Reducing Basement Flooding, authored by Dan Sandink. The ICLR has graciously made their handbook available to the City of Windsor for distribution.
- It is recommended that an overflow discharge pipe be installed on sump pumps. To see how existing sump pumps can be converted, you can refer to the drawing, Conversion of Sump Pump to Discharge Outside House.
- View the How to Reduce the Risk of Basement Flooding video provided by the Insurance Bureau of Canada to learn how a backwater valve can help reduce basement flooding.
Road & Alley Flooding
- Blockage from debris such as litter, leaves, dirt, and grass are often the cause of street flooding.
- There are areas in the city where Public Works has installed flow restrictors in the catch basins to slow down the drainage of water from roadways.
- If, after a rainfall, you experience that water is not draining properly from roadways, please call 311 with a brief description (including the location) so we can relieve the flood as soon as possible.
Yard Flooding
- All new subdivisions are required to contain their drainage within each lot and drain via sub-drain to the sewer. In older areas of the city, sub-draining rarely exists.
- If you experience yard flooding for more than 24 hours after a rainstorm, you may wish to install a sub-drain in your yard and eliminate mosquito breeding grounds.
Sewer Flooding
- Due to the age of some sewers with the city, occasionally a collapse or blockage occurs.
- If you notice a sewer collapse (sinkhole), please call 311 immediately.
Preventative Sewer Maintenance
- The Contracts, Field Services & Maintenance Division has a preventative maintenance cleaning program wherein they routinely:
- Maintain sanitary sewers
- Clean storm sewers
- Clean catch basins
- The program also includes cleaning and grading of municipal drains and roadside ditches.
Sewer Rehabilitation List
- Each year the City awards contracts for the reconstruction of deteriorated sewers, through the Infrastructure Planning Division. The number of projects that can be completed is dependent on the budget allocation of a given year.
- Please visit the Construction and Detours Database for a list of this year's sewer rehabilitation projects.
Contracts, Field Services & Maintenance Division
1531 Crawford Avenue
Windsor, Ontario
Canada
Hours of Operation: 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., Monday to Friday (excluding holidays)
Phone: For general information, call 311. For detailed inquiries, call (519) 255-6326.
Email: 311@citywindsor.ca