Sewers + wastewater

Report a sewer blockage and learn what to do if pipes need to be repaired—additional info on rebates for wastewater diversion.

Reporting a sewer blockage

If you think there’s a blockage in your sewer lateral (the underground pipe that connects your home to the main sewer line):

  1. Immediately suspend running any water within your house
  2. Contact a local plumber capable of rodding your sewer lateral to clear the blockage
  3. If the plumber believes that the blockage is on the City-side, please contact us at  613-392-2841 ext. 4912 or email publicworks@quintewest.ca, and we will come to investigate the location and cause of the blockage
  4. The City will use a CCTV camera to inspect the pipe and determine the cause of the blockage
  5. The homeowner will be responsible for all expenses if it is determined the blockage originated from their personal practices, pipe deterioration or trees/shrubs roots growing into their pipe on their private property
  6. If there is damage to the property, the homeowner should contact their insurer to file a claim

Repairing a sewer lateral

If the property owner needs to complete repairs or replacements to the sewer lateral on private property, follow this process:

  1. Gather quotes for the repair from qualified plumbers and/or contractors
  2. Review the location of the property line
  3. Review the scope of repair with the city staff. Repairs may also be required on city property, or work may encroach onto city property

Wastewater reports

The wastewater system annual performance reports are created for each facility as a condition of environmental compliance approval. The reports contain a general description of the wastewater system, operational information recorded throughout the year, flow information, and information pertaining to its biosolids management program.

Wastewater system bypass and overflow notices

The City of Quinte West is required to notify the public when a sewage treatment facility experiences a bypass or overflow. Below are status updates on current bypasses and/or overflows ongoing in the city.
 
LocationType of eventCauseStart/endVolume
Frankford Wastewater Treatment PlantPlanned partial tertiary bypassScheduled MaintenanceJanuary 16-19, 2023, 65 hours1,788 cubic metres
Frankford Wastewater Treatment PlantPlanned partial tertiary bypassScheduled repairMarch 14, 2023, 5 hours126 cubic metres
Frankford Wastewater Treatment PlantPartial tertiary bypassWet weather eventMarch 25-31, 2023, 6 days 1 hour6,351 cubic metres
Frankford Wastewater Treatment PlantPartial tertiary bypassWet weather eventApril 17-18, 2023, 25 hours, 15 mins808 cubic metres
Frankford Wastewater Treatment PlantPartial tertiary bypassWet weather event/planned maintenanceApril 30-May 6, 2023, 5 days, 9 hours, 21 mins7078 cubic metres
Trenton Wastewater Treatment PlantPartial tertiary bypassWet weather event/bridge failureJuly 16, 2023, 4 hours71 cubic metres
Trenton Wastewater Treatment PlantUV disinfection failPLC failureJuly 20, 2023, 16 mins158 cubic metres
Trenton Wastewater Treatment PlantPartial tertiary bypassWet weather eventJuly 27, 2023, 2 hours, 40 mins570 cubic metres
Trenton Wastewater Treatment PlantPartial tertiary bypassWet weather eventAug. 12-13, 2023, 13 hours1880 cubic metres
 

Sewage overflows and bypasses FAQ

A bypass can occur when a sewage Tteatment plant cannot treat all of the wastewater coming into a facility. A portion of one, or several, treatment processes are then ‘bypassed’ by an operator so that we can either minimize the environmental effects on the Bay of Quinte and Trent River, or protect the sewage treatment plant operations from being negatively impacted.

While an overflow is similar to a bypass, in some cases, the discharge may not receive any treatment. These events are extremely rare in Quinte West.

 Every time we have a bypass or overflow event in Quinte West, final effluent is disinfected with UV irradiation. Further, operators take samples of the final effluent, or overflow discharge, to give us a better understanding of how it could be impacting the environment. In the event our treated effluent does not meet prescribed limits, the City reports this to the Ministry of Environment and the Health Unit.

In some cases, this cannot be avoided. Severe rain events are the main cause for Quinte West sewage treatment facilities to facilitate a bypass or overflow. There are some areas within the city that have residential sump pumps and roof leaders connected to the sewer system, which add extraneous water to the sewer system. Also, while the City has an active capital wastewater system replacement program, aging infrastructure can allow groundwater to infiltrate the collection system, which adds even more extraneous water to the system that requires treatment.

More information can be found in the annual wastewater reports posted above.

Last Updated: 7 months ago

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