Wastewater generated by the city flows through over 45 kilometres of sewers before it reaches York Region's Duffin Creek Treatment Plant located just east of the Pickering Nuclear Generating Station.

To request this service, a discharge approval from the City and York Region is required before dewatering begins.

A dewatering discharge approval is required for:

The By-law was updated in 2016 due to Vaughan’s growing population and growing industry. Please see below for the updated By-law and additional related resources.

• View the Sewer Use By-law 025-2024  (PDF)
• View the Sewer Use By-law FAQS

What is inflow and infiltration?

Inflow happens when stormwater enters the sewage system through sump pumps or downspouts still connected to the sewage system instead of the storm sewer.

Infiltration happens when water or groundwater from beneath the earth’s surface enters the sewage system through damage or defects such as holes and cracks in manholes and sewer pipes.

How to disconnect a downspout

Materials needed:

• hacksaw
• tape measure
• hammer
• screw driver
• pliers
• sheet metal screws
• downspout elbow
• downspout extension
• splash block (optional)
• rubber cap

Water supply

Water is supplied to the City of Vaughan from the City of Toronto and the Region of Peel. Toronto and Peel use water from Lake Ontario which is treated for domestic consumption. York Region purchases water from Toronto and Peel, the wholesale suppliers to Vaughan. The City of Vaughan is the retail supplier of water to the consumer.

See where the new water sampling stations will be installed with an interactive map.

To meet the requirements for water quality sampling based on the Safe Drinking Water Act, 2002, the City must complete a certain number of water samples to maintain quality and ensure the safety of the City’s drinking water.