The Drainage Superintendents…

The Drainage Superintendents Association of Ontario have concerns as it relates to the creation of agricultural lot severances as the infrastructure established under the Drainage Act exists predominantly in rural agricultural areas. Often municipal drains are located adjacent to the roadway causing the potential that each additional entrance to service newly created lots would require an engineer’s report under Section 78 of the Drainage Act.

It is well known that there is a provincial shortage of drainage engineers that author reports under the Drainage Act and there already exists a problem to have drainage reports completed within a reasonable amount of time to often deal with failing infrastructure. To add this additional workload on top of an already heavy workload for the limited number of drainage engineers across the Province will create significant delays to completing other necessary projects.

In addition, the creation of additional residential lots on formerly agricultural lands may result in significant constraints on the ability to complete typical drain maintenance activities, as indicated within the Engineer’s report, involving work near proposed new residences, removal and spreading the accumulated sediment, etc. With new On-Site and Excess Soil Management regulation (O. Reg. 406/19), the challenges with dealing with additional trucking to deal with the excess soil are becoming increasingly costly to the landowners that pay into the drainage works.

The Drainage Superintendents Association of Ontario is not in support of the proposed creation of additional agricultural lot severances for the reasons outlined above.

Drainage Superintendents Association of Ontario