Sewers and Water Mains
The Mount Royal public sewer and water mains networks each total 90 km of conducts. In the event of heavy rain, make sure your home is well protected by following the tips listed in our folder, available below.
Throughout the year, the Town carries out regular maintenance work on its sewer and drinking water systems. This work is carried out either by Public Works or by the Technical Services - Engineering division, depending on the availability of crews and the nature and scope of the work.
How to protect your home from heavy rain
September 25, 2024 - The recent heavy rains in our region have unfortunately affected many homes in our community. A public information evening on September 19, 2024, at Town Hall, has been held to learn more about the actions taken by the Town and to benefit from experts' advice on protecting your homes.
Climate-related disturbances are contributing to more frequent intense rain events. These extreme downpours send huge volumes of water into the sewer system over a very short period, overloading the system and leading to potential backflows. To help you protect your home, we've prepared a few tips and best practices that you can start adopting right away.
The sewer system
Most of the Town’s sewer system was designed in the 1950s. It is a combined system, meaning it manages both rainwater and wastewater. Water in the Town of Mount Royal’s sewer system is discharged into the system of the Urban Agglomeration of Montreal.
Today, no one municipal system on its own can manage these torrential rains, which have become commonplace. That is why it is important to take the right precautions by properly protecting your home and complying with municipal by-laws, particularly Chapter III of the Quebec Construction Code currently in force.
Many residents affected by water damage during an extreme weather event may wonder why neighbouring houses were spared from similar damage. Installing check valves on all secondary lines is an excellent start, but there’s more you can do. Rainwater flows from many sources, including your gutters, French drains, runoff from your property and the pavement.
Replacing your main sewer line is not the solution to your backflow problem.
First, conduct a proper inspection of all your plumbing infrastructure, taking into account the six (6) points listed in our folder. Don’t forget to have your check valves inspected and serviced regularly at least once (1) a year by a professional who is a member of the Corporation des maîtres mécaniciens en tuyauterie du Québec (Corporation of Master Pipe-Mechanics of Québec).
Check valves
Properly installing a check valve is one of the most effective ways of protecting your property against backflow. Check valves should never be installed to the property's main line, but to all secondary lines. What's more, each check valve must be kept in good working order, clean, accessible and properly installed.
Why install check valves on secondary lines and not on the main line?
Installing a check valve on your property's main line can lead to self-backflow.
Check valve maintenance - Not to be neglected
It's important to ensure that all your check valves are accessible at all times, to enable regular maintenance. If your check valve is located in a wall or under the basement floor, an access panel is required.
Maintenance should be carried out at least once a year. However, we suggest twice a year. A little tip to help you remember this important maintenance: remember to do it in the spring and/or fall, at the same time as the time changes. It's a great way to not forget!
IMPORTANT: Never open the check valve during backflow.
Here's a guide you can use with your professionals when it comes to check valve maintenance:
French drains or foundation drains
What are French drains/foundation drains?
A foundation drain is a perforated pipe buried around the footings of a building, designed to capture groundwater and carry it away from the house.
How can it cause water infiltration into your property?
If the drain doesn't drain properly, water can accumulate in the soil adjacent to the foundation, eventually seeping through cracks and causing seepage flooding. So it's important to make sure your foundations are watertight and free from cracks.
To better understand how water infiltration occurs, here's an explanatory video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4uqRiGM5BPo
Gutters
Gutters that are directly connected to the foundation drain or to the main pipe that directs rainwater to an impervious surface, increase the amount of runoff that reaches the Town's combined sewer system and contribute significantly to system overload.
Disconnecting your gutters and properly landscaping your yard to accommodate this rainwater can divert an average of 100,000 liters of rainwater from the sewer system per year, per home.
Brochure : How can I protect my home from heavy rain?
Get tips on how to prevent sewer backup: consult our folder among the documents associated with this page.
In the event of a back-up, you have up to 15 days to submit a claim to the city if you believe the city is liable. Do so even before you know the extent of the damage and the associated costs.
Get tips on preventing sewer backup. See also the letterProtecting your home against water damage during extreme weather, updated in 2024.
Torrential rains of August 9, 2024
Following the heavy rains of August 9, TMR residents had many questions about flooding on the territory, which is why the Town of Mount Royal has prepared a document in which you will find answers to the most frequently asked questions on the subject. An information evening has also been held on September 19, 2024.
Sewer Back-Up Caused by a Problem With a Service Connection
In the case of obstructions caused by tree roots. Before contacting the Town, it is up to the homeowner to contract the services of a plumber to check his or her installations. A plumber can view the pipes with a camera to determine whether the problem is actually in the connection, either on the private or public side. Once the video has been received from your plumber, if you believe that the source of the problem is on the Town's side, it should be forwarded to Technical Services by e-mail at servicestechniques@ville.mont-royal.qc.ca.
In such cases, the municipality assumes responsibility for repairing the damage to the homeowner affected by the backflow. On the other hand, if the problem originates in the domestic network, which starts at the property line, the owner is notified.
Please make sure that your private system’s cleanout remains accessible at all times so it can be reached quickly in an emergency.
You have a window of fifteen days following a sewer back-up to submit a claim to the Town if you believe that the Town's responsibility is engaged. Do so before you even know the extent of the damage and the related costs.
Learn tips to protect your home against back-ups: consult the the folder in the documents associated to this page. See also the letterProtecting your home against water damage during extreme weather, updated in 2024.
Water Breaks
The aim of Public Works is to take charge of repair work within four to eight hours for water main break emergencies, from the time the break is reported.
The costs of repairs are assumed by Town of Mount Royal if the public system is found to be the source of the problem.
If the break is in a private line, the owner is given notice to have it repaired at his or her expense within a limited time.
Procedure to Follow for a New Sewer and/or Aqueduct Connection
To get a permit for the installation of a new sewer and/or water main connection; please fill our online form.
Contacts
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Public Works
Reception180 Clyde Road
Mount Royal, Quebec H3P 2N9 -
Engineering Division
Reception40 Roosevelt Avenue
Mount Royal, Quebec H3R 1Z4
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