Sewer Use By-Law

The Regional Municipality of Durham invites you to comment on proposed changes to the Sewer Use By-Law No. 43-2004 as amended.

The Regional Municipality of Durham is in the process of updating the Sewer Use Bylaw which establishes limits for various pollutants that are being discharged into the sanitary and storm sewers, while specifying provisions to control the discharge of otherwise prohibited wastes. 

The proposed changes will provide the municipality the ability to regulate discharges from restaurants, service centers and car washing facilities which have shown to represent a burden on the sanitary sewer collection system.

Residential homes as well as commercial and institutional facilities, draining chlorinated and salt water pools to sanitary and/or storm sewers on Regional Roads, will be regulated under the proposed revisions in order to protect our water ways and the natural environment.

Under the new by-law, new installations of food waste grinders otherwise known as garburators will be prohibited within the Region of Durham.

The new by-law will strengthen current by-law prohibitions harmonizing areas of the by-law with York and Peel Regions , while allowing certain by-law activities not currently covered under the previous by-law to be incorporated.

To learn more about the proposed Sewer Use By-law visit our frequently asked questions section.

Click here to read a copy of the proposed Sewer Use By-law (PDF).

If you would like to provide comments on the proposed changes to the by-law, please send an email to seweruse@durham.ca or mail your comments to Sewer By-law Office, 2400 Forbes Street, Whitby, ON L1N 8M3 the comment period closes on September 30, 2012.