Sanitary Sewer Connections

A Sanitary Sewer Service Connection connects a building or private sanitary sewer system to the municipal wastewater system to move wastewater to the municipal wastewater system. Property owners are responsible for the maintenance of the sanitary sewer service connection from the building connection or private sanitary system to the mainline sanitary sewer.

New connections

If a municipal sanitary sewer is available in your area, residents can contact the County of Brant Public Works division to discuss the possibility to connect.

Sewer backups

Sometimes, a sanitary sewer backs up. The most common causes of sewer backups are:

• Solids and debris – Typical solids that build up in the pipe and cause backups include fat, oil, grease, dirt, hair, bones, paper towels, kitty litter, diapers, broken dishware, garbage, concrete and debris.
• Tree root infiltration – Tree roots can cause backups. Tree roots take advantage of leaks, breaks and fault pipe joints in the service line piping and may infiltrate the pipe system plugging the wastewater flow.
• Structural defects in pipes – Significant sags in the service line, cracks, holes, protruding laterals, misaligned pipe, offset and open joints, and collapsing pipe material are all possible causes of backups.

How you can help prevent a sewer backup

There are several things you can do to prevent a sewer backup. View our Do's and Don'ts below:

What to do in the event of a sewer backup

If you suspect a backup is coming from the sanitary sewer outlet, contact a licensed plumber to investigate. It is recommended that at least two (2) pieces of information should be recovered by a licensed plumber and provided to the property owner:

1. What the cause of the block is
2. Where the problem is located

We also suggest that a Closed-Circuit Television Inspection be completed and recorded by the licensed plumber for the property owners' records.

If a property owner wishes to make a claim that the issue is the responsibility of the County of Brant, a copy of the Closed-Circuit Television Inspection report and location of the issue must be submitted.

If the problem causing the back-up is determined to be in the property owner's sewer connection line and is not due to the property owner misuse of the service (ex. grease build up, obstruction due to material flushed down toilet)  but beyond the property line or in the sewer main, the County of Brant's Public Works division should be contacted.

Please provide as much information on the issue as possible. A County representative will be dispatched to the area to inspect the mainline sewer and discuss the problem from the property owner. If the problem is the result of the property owner's improper use, the property owner will be responsible for the cost of the repair.