Sewer Back Up

If you are having a residential sewage back up and it is causing flooding inside your home or building, please contact your local Region of Durham Works Department depot. 

Residential properties

The Region is responsible to operate, maintain and repair sanitary service connections from the sewer main to the property line. Where it has been determined that a backup is not on private property, the Region will provide a free, 24 hour cleaning service for sanitary sewer connections from the sewer main to the property line. This service is available for single family, semi-detached and street townhouses and link houses with separate direct connections to the sanitary sewer.

There must be a readily accessible 100 millimetre (4 inch) diameter wye cleanout available for this service.

Industrial and commercial properties

We only clean from the property line manhole or cleanout to the main sewer.

Reduce your risk of basement flooding

Durham Regional Council has reversed recent changes, related to the limits of responsibility for repairs on private property related to sanitary sewer service connections within the Sewer User Rate By-law, which came into effect on July 1, 2022.
Effective immediately, the Region of Durham will continue to carry out repairs to sanitary sewer service connections, on private residential property to within one metre of the structure, in accordance with By-law #90-2003.

Are there sewer odours in your basement?

If you are experiencing sewer odours in your basement, it could be possible that the odours are entering through your basement floor drain.

Your basement floor drain has a water trap under the drain. When the trap is filled with water, it creates a seal which prevents odours from entering your basement. Over time, this water in the trap can evaporate, which causes the odour.

Pour a pitcher full of water down the floor drain to ensure that the water trap is full.