Item - 2014.PG35.25

The Planning and Growth Committee:

1.         Requested that Toronto Water and City Planning report back to Planning and Growth Management Committee in the first quarter of 2015 on options to require all storm sewer systems and catch basins within current private property and in new subdivisions and if possible within multi-residential townhouse developments to be publicly owned and maintained.

There have been instances that I am aware of where catch basins on private property are not maintained on individual lots and they have caused flooding problems for the neighbourhood. With a recent development application, the applicant's initial plan did not provide any means to manage future maintenance or repair of the catch basins and storm sewer system. At my request Toronto Water reviewed these concerns and recommended conditions in the draft plan of subdivision to address the issue. I would like to draw your attention to two of the clauses that Toronto Water included to address this problem:

Toronto Water

24. The Owner agrees that all proposed catch basins and leads on the Lands that are to be connected to the municipal sewer system for storm water management purposes shall be constructed to City standards and their ownership be transferred to the City, and that any necessary easements shall be conveyed to the City for their future operation and maintenance, all to the satisfaction of the General Manager, Toronto Water.

25. The Owner agrees to make a cash payment to the City for the incremental costs arising from non-standard City easements for the maintenance, repair and eventual replacement of the storm water drainage system described in condition 1 above, in the following amounts: $69,240 for Lot 1, $161,850 for Lots 18-19, $110,820 for Lots 26-27 and $69,240 for Lot 36 for a total of $441,150, to the satisfaction of the General Manager, Toronto Water. The City acknowledges that the applicant may request a reduction in the amount of cash payment, on the basis of engineering plans showing a more efficient plan for maintenance, repair and replacement, which request is to be determined in the sole discretion of the General Manager, Toronto Water.