Municipal Drains | County of Brant

Municipal drains remove excess water collected by residential lots and agricultural, industrial or commercial lands. Municipal drains can be in the form of a ditch or buried underground with a closed pipe or tile system. They can also include pumping stations, grassed waterways, buffer strips, culverts, bridges or even creeks and small rivers.

Municipal Drains Map

To find out if your property is within a municipal drains catchment area, please refer to this online municipal drain map at Municipal Drains Map to check your address.

Municipal Drains Map

Municipal Drains Maintenance

The County of Brant conducts maintenance on municipal drains as needed.

Property owners may be responsible for a portion of the maintenance costs for municipal drains located on their property. Municipalities are permitted to accumulate these costs for up to five years or until the total reaches $5,000. As a result, you may receive a bill for maintenance work completed before you took ownership of the property.

To help minimize maintenance costs and protect your property during storms, please:

Remove debris from catch basins located on your property.

Keep the area around municipal drains clear and accessible.

Avoid storing materials or planting trees near the drain.

If you have any questions or believe maintenance is needed on a municipal drain on your property, please contact the County of Brant.

Municipal Drains Development

Landowners experiencing drainage issues may file a petition under the Drainage Act to request the creation of a municipal drain.

If the petition meets certain requirements, the County’s engineering department will begin developing a proposed solution. This process includes several public appeal opportunities to ensure community input and approval.

Once all appeals are resolved, the municipality passes a bylaw to adopt the engineer’s report, and the project costs are assessed to the affected landowners.

The municipal drain is then constructed and becomes part of the County of Brant’s infrastructure. Ongoing maintenance of the drain is the County’s responsibility.

View the Drainage Act online.