Drainage and Ditches

Storm sewers, municipal drains and roadside ditches help drain excess water from roads in the Township of Springwater.

Roadside ditches

Roadside ditches perform four necessary functions:

• Drain water from the road base and sub grade
• Carry collected water to an appropriate outlet
• Stop uncollected water coming from outside the road allowance from getting on the road
• Assist in snow clearing operations by providing snow storage below the elevation of the road

The Township owns and maintains 756,560 metres of roadside ditches.  The roadside maintenance program extends from June to October annually and targets the clean-out and rehabilitation of approximately 10,000 metres of ditch annually. 

• 2023 Ditching Locations
• 2024 Ditching Locations

Property owners can make requests for public roadside ditching improvements by contacting the Public Works department. All ditch cleaning or alterations to ditches with water flowing or discharges into water courses require a permit from the Conversation Authority. This application can take up to 2 months, plus the time needed to complete the work.

Municipal drains

A municipal drain is simply a drainage system. Most municipal drains are either ditches or closed systems such as pipes or tiles buried in the ground, primarily located in rural agricultural areas. Municipal drains in Springwater include:

• Municipal Drain Maps (Please be advised that the maps included are for reference only and not engineer drawings.)

Municipal drains are created under the Drainage Act. The municipality constructs the project and adopts an engineer's report through a by-law that outlines how the cost of the work is assessed to the lands in the watershed. Once constructed under the by-law, the municipality is responsible for repairing and maintaining the municipal drain. For more information about municipal drains and what they mean for property owners, visit the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs.