Water and Stormwater

The City of Burlington has the Niagara Escarpment, a UNESCO world biosphere reserve, in our backyard and Lake Ontario in our front yard. It's our responsibility to maintain these invaluable natural resources for future generations.

We have several water related programs with our local, regional, provincial and federal government partners to ensure our water is drinkable, swimmable and fishable for generations to come.

Drinking water

Halton Region is responsible for protecting and treating Burlington's drinking water. They monitor our water to make sure that it's safe and readily available.

Tap water or bottled water?

Our tap water is safe to drink and is a more inexpensive, convenient and sustainable way to drink. Our Thirsty Campaign restricts the sale of bottled water in City facilities to encourage people to refill reusable bottles with tap water.

Well water

Learn how to keep your drinking water safe if you live in a rural area with access to well water.

Beach water monitoring results

Halton Region monitors public beaches to help ensure safe water quality for swimmers. Find beach water monitoring results and learn about testing procedures and how you can help keep our beaches clean for everyone's enjoyment.

Pool and hot tub maintenance

Both saltwater and chlorinated pools and hot tubs contain chemicals that keep them clean and safe. However, these chemicals are harmful to fish and organisms that live in the creeks across Burlington and Lake Ontario. There are different ways you need to manage and drain chlorinated and saltwater pools and hot tubs.

Chlorinated pool and hot tub drainage

Follow these instructions for draining chlorinated water from your pool or hot tub:

Super chlorinate to get rid of the bacteria, algae and organic matter
Place a dechlorination tablet in the water and let it sit for one week or longer to allow the chlorine to dissipate before draining
Run the pump to circulate the water and help the chlorine dissipate. Sunlight also helps
Filter backwash water and dechlorinate
Test the water to ensure that chemical levels are as close to zero as possible
Drain the water across your lawn towards the storm sewer, so your lawn can absorb most of the water and reduce the flow
Report any spill of untreated pool water if it has gone into a stream, river, lake or storm sewer system:
- Ministry of Environment and Climate Change Spills Action Centre - 1-800-268-6060
- City of Burlington's Roads, Parks and Forestry Department - 905-335-7777
- Halton Region Industrial Waste Team - 311

Saltwater pool and hot tub drainage

You must always drain saltwater to the sanitary sewer due to the high level of chlorides. Report any spill if the saltwater has gone into a stream, river, lake or storm sewer system.

Follow these instructions for draining saltwater from your pool or hot tub:

Drain saltwater to the sanitary sewer system connection on your property (i.e., sink, toilet, etc.) using a small hose during non-peak times, or
Drain onto your lawn surrounding your home, only if it can be properly absorbed into the ground without flowing onto your neighbour's property, or
Have the water hauled by a Ministry of the Environment and Climate Change approved and licensed hauler if you cannot discharge it into the sanitary sewer system or solely onto your lawn

Pool and hot tub drainage tips

In addition, please follow these tips to safely drain your pool and hot tub water:

Don't add chemicals to your pool or hot tub for one week or longer before draining. Draining chlorinated water into the storm sewer are harmful to fish and organisms that live in Burlington's creeks and Lake Ontario.
Never drain your pool or hot tub water on a rainy day because it will make it harder for your lawn to absorb the water and will overwhelm the storm sewer system
Never drain into a ravine. It can cause erosion and kill vegetation
Dispose of expired or leftover pool chemicals properly. Take them to the Halton Waste Management Site

Water conservation

Halton Region provides water conservation programs and resources. Their Outdoor Water Use program limits outdoor water use in the summer months if necessary during extended periods of hot, dry weather. Check out other ways you can conserve water and improve water efficiency in your household.

Randle Reef cleanup on Burlington Bay

Due to industrial and urban development, the Hamilton Harbour, also known as Burlington Bay, was identified as an area of concern in 1985 under the Canada-United States Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement due to poor water quality. As part of the Hamilton Harbour Remedial Action Plan, the Randle Reef Project is working to clean up the industrial corner of the harbour.

Located in the southwest corner of the harbour, Randle Reef is about 60 hectares in size. Sediment at the site is contaminated with polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) and other chemicals and is described as a "spill in slow motion." We are working with our federal and provincial partners, the City of Hamilton, Halton Region, the Hamilton Port Authority and U.S. Steel Canada to clean up Randle Reef. Learn more about the Randle Reef Project.

Educational resources and programs

Check out our environmental programs to find water related educational programs for students.

Learn ways you can minimize stormwater pollution and reduce your flooding risk with Take Action Burlington's educational blog posts:

Stormwater

Stormwater comes from rain, snowmelt or excess water from residential and commercial properties. This water is discharged into Lake Ontario from different drainage channels throughout the city. Learn how our stormwater management reduces the risk of flooding by properly managing these drainage channels.

View Stormwater Management Projects

Stormwater safety

Stormwater ponds are designed to collect excess stormwater and can be dangerous. Learn more about stormwater safety around these ponds.

Flooding and erosion threats

Excess stormwater can cause flooding. Learn how to avoid flooding and what to do if it happens by visiting our Home Flood Prevention page.

Learn about the dangers of flooding and erosion of our natural landscapes.

Stormwater vs. wastewater

Wastewater is water that has been used in a household for washing and flushing, or in a manufacturing process. Because it contains waste products, wastewater is treated in a sanitary sewer system before being safely discharged back into Lake Ontario. Unlike wastewater, stormwater is discharged directly into Lake Ontario without being treated. Avoid putting anything other than clean water into stormwater drains to reduce the amount of pollutants entering into our environment.

Stormwater drainage systems

Our city infrastructure provides stormwater drainage in two types of interconnected systems.

Minor system

The minor drainage system is made up of:

Building drains (i.e., foundation drains, eavestroughs and downspouts)
Catch basins
Inlet grates
Storm sewers

Major system

The major drainage system, also known as overland flow routes, includes:

Bridges
Creeks
Culverts
Ditches
Flood channels
Lot grading
Roadways
Swales (v-shaped ditches designed to carry water away from properties)