Drainage & Sanitary

The City of White Rock’s Engineering & Municipal Operations department manages the construction, maintenance and connection of stormwater and sanitary sewer connections.

Sanitary Sewers

Sanitary connections connects drains from bathtubs, laundry, sinks, toilets, and disposes it to the City’s pipe system and conveys the flows to the Greater Vancouver Regional District treatment plant.

The costs associated with treating the sanitary flows are based on volume, therefore, the Engineering and Municipal Operations is actively working to limit storm water from entering the sanitary sewer system.

Stormwater Sewers

Stormwater is the collection of rain and melted snow that runs off of roofs, driveways and roads from impermeable surfaces. The storm sewer system consists of:

Catch basins - are grated inlet structures installed on the right-of-way to receive storm water and direct the flow into the storm main.
Manholes - a structure that may have a solid or grated lid that allows access to the sewer main.
Open systems - ditches and streams.
Sewer mains - pipes that collect storm water from various sources and convey the water to receiving waters.
Storm Service - an owner's service from the home / building to the storm main in the roadway.

Catch Basins & Fish Habitat

We ask our residents to help prevent road flooding by regularly clearing leaves and debris from catch basin grates.

The storm sewers can lead to fish habitat; therefore, the public must be aware that only storm water is intended for this system. Please report any observation of someone dumping other materials into this system.

Reporting a Problem: Submit a Request for Service online or call the Engineering & Operations Department at 604-541-2181, Monday to Friday, 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

Home Owner's Responsibility

Most homes are connected to the storm sewer main with a pipe called a storm water service connection. Home owners are responsible for this connection. Good preventative home owner maintenance would involve checking and cleaning:

Building perimeter drains
Driveway drains
Roof down spouts
Roof gutters
Storm pumps
Storm sumps

Also check your insurance for water damage coverage. Should a problem occur with the storm sewer system on your property, have a qualified contractor investigate before calling the City.

Connection Fees

The owner or owners agent is required to complete an application for sanitary and storm sewer service. This application is available from either the Engineering Department or Permits and Licences. Once completed please present the application with payment to the Permits and Licence Department for processing.

Storm Sewer Service

Connection Fee - $8,160

The owner of a single family lot is required to have a new Storm Sewer Service installed, complete with inspection chamber at property line, when constructing a new single family home or addition to an existing house. The fee for the installation and connection is $8,160. If a storm sewer main extension is required to service the lot, an additional fee for those works would also be the responsibility of the owner.

Sanitary Sewer Service

Connection Fee - $8,160

The owner of a single family lot is required to have a new sanitary sewer service installed, complete with inspection chamber at property line, when constructing a new single family home or addition to an existing house. The fee for the installation and connection is $8,160. If a sanitary sewer main extension is required to service the lot, an additional fee for those works would also be the responsibility of the owner.

Capping of Service Connections

Prior to demolition for scheduling of storm and sewer cap-offs, notify the Engineering & Operations department within 48 hours by calling 604-541-2181.

When existing sewer exposed at the property is ready for cap-off, contact the Engineering & Operations department at 604-511-2181. A building permit will not be issued until confirmation of sewer cap-off.

New storm and/or sanitary sewer connection installation

Contact the Engineering & Municipal Operations Department 604-541-2181 to confirm location, cost, and scheduling. Additional charges may apply when a main extension is required.

Locating Your Existing Services

Use the White Rock Online Mapping System (WROMS) and select City Map

Zoom in or out to the area of interest
On the left side menu, choose the “Layers & Legend” to view all options
Select ‘Infrastructure’ and choose the water folder to see all water layer options (water hydrant, water mains, water tanks, etc.) The map will populate the features as selected.