Public Information Centre

The City of Niagara Falls has retained Kerry T. Howe Engineering Limited to plan and design the reconstruction of the following streets:

  • Elm Street from Stanley Avenue to Homewood Avenue
  • Maple Street from Stanley Avenue to East Limit of Hydro Corridor
  • Homewood Avenue from Bridge Street to Maple Street

This project will include the decommissioning of existing combined sewers and the construction of new separate storm and sanitary sewers, new watermains, and full road reconstruction, including new concrete curbs, sidewalks and asphalt paving.

Sewer Separation

A primary objective and driver of this infrastructure project is the need to separate the existing combined sewer systems where stormwater and wastewater and handled in the same pipe. Separating these two sewage types into their own distinct sewer systems offers several advantages, including:

  1. Reduced Overflows: In a combined system, heavy rainfall or snowmelt can overwhelm the sewer, causing untreated sewage and stormwater to overflow into rivers and lakes. By separating stormwater from wastewater, this risk is minimized, protecting water bodies from pollution.
  2. Improved Water Quality: With separate systems, stormwater can be filtered or treated through natural processes like wetlands before reaching water bodies. This helps prevent pollutants such as oil, debris, and sediments from entering waterways.
  3. Enhanced Treatment Efficiency: Wastewater treatment plants are designed to process sewage, not the large volumes of water from storms. By separating stormwater, treatment plants can focus on treating sewage more efficiently without the added burden of managing stormwater flows.
  4. Flood Mitigation: Storm sewer systems can be designed specifically for managing rainwater, which helps reduce the risk of urban flooding during heavy rainfall.
  5. Adaptation to Climate Change: With increasing rainfall intensity due to climate change, separating sewers allows cities to better manage larger and more frequent stormwater events, preventing environmental damage and infrastructure overload.

Overall, separating combined sewers helps protect ecosystems, improves public health, and reduces the long-term costs of maintaining wastewater infrastructure.

Questions & Comments

Frequently Asked Questions

Contact the City’s Project Manager and mark the location of the irrigation piping or electrical wiring with white paint and/or stakes prior to the start of construction. The City will not be held responsible for any damage to unmarked systems.

During construction, the Contractor will provide advanced notification when access to your property is blocked and you will be provided an alternate location to park your vehicles. Where driveway access overnight is unavailable, typically during concrete restoration works, overnight on-street parking will be permitted.

A replacement tree can be requested through the City’s forestry program at the conclusion of the project; however, replacement trees, and requested tree species, cannot be guaranteed. The replacement tree will not be provided until at least one year after the project is completed or the conclusion of the project warranty period.

Should your property be damaged during construction please contact the City’s Project Manager. You will be provided a copy of the City’s Construction Related Claim Form. Furthermore, prior to construction, you will be provided information about a third party precondition survey firm who will be conducting inspections on the interior and exterior of all structures.

The purpose of this inspection is to determine and document the condition of your property prior to the commencement of construction. This information can then be used to determine the extent of the Contractor’s responsibility in the unlikely event that damages to your property occur during construction. Inspections are free of charge for all properties within 30m of the construction limits.

During the replacement of municipal servicing, underground telecommunication services to your home, such as Bell or Cogeco, may be damaged. Should damages occur, the Contractor will notify you; however, individual service repairs must be requested by the customer directly. There will be no charge to you for the required repairs.

There is no credit applied for watering of new sod on capital construction projects. The Contractor will be responsible for the watering of the sod initially and residents will be provided an informational flyer for new sod upkeep.

When a new connection to the watermain is made you may experience brown or discoloured water. Please run the tap until the water runs clear. Should the water remain discoloured after continuous flow for greater than 20 minutes, please contact the Project Manager or the City’s Environmental Services Department.

New water services and sewer laterals will be provided to each property from the mainline pipe in the road allowance to the property line, not to the home. If an issue is noted at the property line such as the observation of a lead water service or a black tar sewer lateral, the resident will be provided a letter of notification. Replacement or repair from the property line to the home is the responsibility of the homeowner.

The installation of new sanitary and dedicated storm sewers will decrease the likelihood of future sewer backups and basement flooding; however, backups and flooding can be caused by many issues that may not be addressed by the proposed construction work. Additional information can be obtained by visiting the City’s website, specifically the Weeping-tile Removal Assistance Program page at https://niagarafalls.ca/living/environment/wrap.aspx.