The town has initiated this study to build on and advance the recommendations in the Stormwater Master Plan to improve overall drainage conditions in the area. In addition, the town aims to assist Halton Region with reducing infiltration into the region’s sanitary sewer system. It is believed that stormwater and groundwater is entering the region’s sanitary sewer system by indirect infiltration and not directly from the town’s stormwater system. By improving stormwater drainage in the area identified by the region for sanitary sewer replacement work starting in 2025, less stormwater will infiltrate public and privately owned sanitary sewage infrastructure, reducing the potential risk of overloading the region’s sanitary infrastructure in the area.
The study area is defined by the direction of stormwater flowing on land and in sewers through the Saville area. The focus of the study is on improving drainage within town-owned lands located north of Rebecca Street as this is the area identified by the region for sanitary sewer replacement.
Within this study area, the town’s stormwater system and the region’s sanitary sewer system were designed and constructed as separate systems. This design continues to be used today in new subdivisions as it minimizes the potential for stormwater to enter the region’s sanitary sewer system.
A diagram illustrating separated storm and sanitary sewer systems representative of those within the study area.
This study will follow the planning and design process as defined in the Municipal Engineers Association Municipal Class Environmental Assessment document (October 2000, as amended in 2007, 2011, 2015, and 2023) as a Schedule B project.
Aquafor Beech Limited is the town’s consultant for this study.
There are four phases to this project:
As of the beginning of August 2023, key tasks in Phase 1 have been completed including:
As of the beginning of March 2024, key tasks in phase two have been completed including:
As part of the town’s Saville Area Stormwater System Improvement Study, the study team has conducted site visits to inspect the ditches, culverts and obtained topographic survey data which were used to assess current conditions and opportunities for interim improvements.
Select areas north of Rebecca Street were reviewed to explore opportunities to improve drainage by means of operation and maintenance prior to the completion of the study and construction. The following short-term options were reviewed:
Through this analysis, a section of ditches in the vicinity of Saville Crescent and Seaton Drive was identified to benefit from re-ditching and cleaning of culverts with heavy sedimentation. This work was completed during the week of September 11, 2023.
Halton Region successfully completed smoke testing on the sanitary sewer system from October 16 to 19, 2023 in the Saville area. The smoke testing identified a number of potential private-side direct stormwater connections to the region’s sanitary sewer system and other private sewer lateral deficiencies which are contributing to the high infiltration and inflow within the Saville area.
As a next step, the region will be working with individual homeowners to identify and implement corrective measures to remove these direct connections and fix deficient private side infrastructure.
On Wednesday, March 20 we held a public information meeting to discuss long-term improvements to the Saville area stormwater system.
The PIC covered project problems/opportunities, existing conditions, alternative solutions, and preliminary preferred alternative solutions.
On May 10, 2023, a resident meeting was hosted jointly by the town and Halton Region to discuss flooding concerns and present background information.
The town owns over 660,000 metres of stormwater pipe which generally last 70 to 80 years. The average age of pipes in the town’s network is currently 30 years old. The town’s asset management plan includes a storm sewer inspection, maintenance and renewal program, which aims to keep the storm sewer pipe system in a state of good repair. CCTV camera inspections are performed annually on a percentage of the storm sewer system that is over 30 years old. The CCTV camera inspections provide a structural condition rating and an operation and maintenance condition rating which help to identify maintenance and rehabilitation needs for the 10-year capital plan.
The specific pipe lengths/areas to be inspected are determined on an annual basis based on their age and location.
For information on wastewater backups in homes:
If you have any questions or concerns about the study, please contact:
Jing Liu
Water Resources Engineer
905-845-6601 ext. 3234
Jing.Liu@oaville.ca