At its regular meeting on April 16, Canora town council adopted a new sewer blockage policy.
Michael Mykytyshyn, chief administrative officers, said it will affect many residents and is a significant change from the previous policy.
“The Town will still reimburse 50 per cent of sewer root cleaning and frozen sewer clearing expenses, but there is now a $150 cap per reimbursement and a limit of two repayments in a 12-month period. Previously there were no limits on either,” said Mykytyshyn.
He added that if property owners require more than two root cleanings per year, it’s possible the line is damaged or roots are not being cut back properly. Residents with chronic problems may consider replacement or relining as a solution.
“Public Works has the ability to examine the line with a camera to assess this,” explained Mykytyshyn. “Relining sewer lines is a relatively new option that does not involve digging up your lawn or the street and the Town is planning to explore this further in 2019. This can reduce the overall cost of sewer repairs by eliminating the need to replace curb and gutter and repave over repair trenches in the street.
“Sewer contractors will now have to ensure that lines are cleared with suitable equipment. For example, if a residence has a four-inch sewer line, a contractor must use a four-inch cutter or tool. It is hoped this will ensure that roots are cut back properly and avoid repeat or frequent blockages.”
The Town will no longer reimburse for mileage, business licence or other fees that are commonly associated with hiring out-of-town contractors to clean sewer lines.
“Property owners are responsible for the entire sewer line from their building to the main, as this line benefits only that property,” Mykytyshyn said. “To offset the financial impact of some of these changes, any repair work, regardless of where it occurs (on private or town property) will now be shared 50/50 between the property owner and the Town. Previously, the property owner paid for work on his or her property and the Town paid for work on Town property.”
The cost of sewer root clearing has long been a contentious issue because it is not uncommon for the problems to be caused by mature trees situated on municipal property.
“Every municipality handles it differently,” Mykytyshyn reported. “Some do not pay for any root clearing, some pay the entire cost and some actually have municipal staff carry out root clearing or any combination of those things. Roots in sewer reimbursement totals vary, but cost the Town of Canora up to $30,000 per year.”
He concluded that council is not prepared to cut down many of the trees in town, which in itself comes with large financial and aesthetic costs.
