Stormwater Management

The Norfolk County urban stormwater management system consists of five independent systems serving the urban communities of Delhi, Port Dover, Port Rowan, Simcoe, and Waterford.

The purpose of an urban stormwater system is to collect, convey, and discharge stormwater runoff to the natural environment. It plays an important role in reducing the risk of water accumulation, minimizing flooding, and maintaining public safety. It also helps prevent erosion and the contamination of water bodies from pollutants carried by runoff. Norfolk County is taking steps to sustainably manage stormwater throughout our urban areas. Read our 2023 Annual Report.

Understanding stormwater

Stormwater is rainfall and melted snow that flows across the land and hard surfaces before entering drainage systems like storm sewers, ditches, and waterways. When water is not absorbed into the ground, it runs off properties and into stormwater systems.

Urban areas have more impervious (hard) surfaces, such as pavement and buildings. Runoff water cannot easily be absorbed into the ground through these hard surfaces, resulting in more water and pollutants entering the stormwater system.

Too much water in the stormwater system can overwhelm it, leading to flooding and reduced water quality in our local waterways. Proper stormwater management is important to control erosion, prevent flooding, improve water quality, and protect our natural environments.

Urban stormwater infrastructure

A stormwater system is a network of underground pipes, ditches, channels, outlets, and structures that manage and control stormwater runoff. Components such as ditches, catchbasins, culverts, and manholes collect the water from impervious (hard) surfaces and move it into the system. The water then flows through a network of underground pipes, directing it toward stormwater management ponds or natural watercourses.

Norfolk County maintains an extensive stormwater infrastructure network, including:

176 kilometers of storm sewers
5,605 catchbasins
2,151 manholes
23 stormwater management ponds

Maintaining our storm network

Norfolk is responsible for ensuring the storm sewer network is working properly. Regular maintenance, such as cleaning, inspection, and repair of storm network infrastructure, helps prevent blockages, ensure smooth water flow, and extend the system’s lifespan.

Get involved

Together, we can make a difference in managing stormwater runoff:

Report any issues or concerns about flooding, erosion, or water pollution.
Attend public meetings to learn about upcoming projects and provide input.
Reduce your runoff impact by using rain barrels, minimizing fertilizer/salt use, and choosing native landscaping.
Remove debris like leaves and snow from storm sewer covers.
Ensuring downspouts run away from your home and to your lawn or garden.

Low-impact development

Low-impact development (LID) uses techniques that mimic the natural environment and allow rainwater to be absorbed where it falls. These practices help filter, infiltrate, and store stormwater on-site, decreasing runoff volume and pollutant loads.

Norfolk County is looking to integrate innovative LID techniques that mimic natural water movement, such as:

Bioretention areas and rain gardens
Permeable pavements
Green roofs and rainwater harvesting systems
Infiltrating Storm Sewers

Investing in stormwater

Norfolk County is committed to investing in sustainable stormwater management through initiatives like:

Implementing a new Stormwater Team in 2024 to facilitate the new CLI-ECA for Norfolk County.
Replacing aging infrastructure through capital projects.
Expanding our stormwater facilities network and maintaining our existing facilities.
Implementing erosion control measures along waterways.
Enhancing flood monitoring and emergency preparedness.

Norfolk County will review a stormwater utility rate in 2024. In many other municipalities, stormwater projects are funded through a dedicated user-fee program, ensuring a resilient and efficient system that safeguards our communities and natural resources.

Rural stormwater

Much of Norfolk County’s rural stormwater is managed using the Drainage Act. Read more about municipal drains.

Norfolk County – CLI-ECA

The Consolidated Linear Infrastructure Environmental Compliance Approval (CLI ECA) program allows Municipalities to approve low-risk infrastructure on behalf of the Ministry of the Environment, Conservation and Parks (MECP). CLI ECA will streamline the ECA approval process and give Norfolk County the authority to approve stormwater infrastructure.

Following the Environmental Protection Act, Norfolk County’s CLI ECA allows the County to approve additions, modifications, replacements, and extensions to the County’s Stormwater Management System. This includes all connected stormwater management works within land owned and/or operated by Norfolk County, including storm sewers, stormwater management ponds, water quality treatment devices, and low-impact development (LID) infrastructure.

A CLI ECA SWM Permit from the County is required if a project proposes an alteration to the system, including:

An extension of the system
A replacement or retirement of part of the system or
A modification of, addition to, or enlargement of the system

A CLI ECA SWM Permit is NOT required by the County for:

Exceptions identified in the County’s CLI ECA Schedule D, Sections 3.1, 4.3, 5.3 & 6.3
Private Stormwater Infrastructure
LID on Residential Properties

Design guidelines

Stormwater Management Design Guidelines (Guidelines) have been created for developers, engineers, and architects preparing development plans in Norfolk County. The goal of the Guidelines is to provide the technical tools and guidelines necessary to comply with our stormwater management requirements and infrastructure design standards.

View our current Stormwater Management Design Guidelines.

Contact us

Contact the Stormwater Management Team during regular business hours, call 519-426-5870 or 226-NORFOLK. For after-hours emergency water and sewer concerns, please call 1-877-298-5888