Reporting a sewer blockage
If you think there’s a blockage in your sewer lateral (the underground pipe that connects your home to the main sewer line):
- Immediately suspend running any water within your house
- Contact a local plumber capable of rodding your sewer lateral to clear the blockage
- If the plumber believes that the blockage is on the City-side, please contact us at 613-392-2841 ext. 4912 or email publicworks@quintewest.ca, and we will come to investigate the location and cause of the blockage
- The City will use a CCTV camera to inspect the pipe and determine the cause of the blockage
- The homeowner will be responsible for all expenses if it is determined the blockage originated from their personal practices, pipe deterioration or trees/shrubs roots growing into their pipe on their private property
- If there is damage to the property, the homeowner should contact their insurer to file a claim
Repairing a sewer lateral
If the property owner needs to complete repairs or replacements to the sewer lateral on private property, follow this process:
- Gather quotes for the repair from qualified plumbers and/or contractors
- Review the location of the property line
- Review the scope of repair with the city staff. Repairs may also be required on city property, or work may encroach onto city property
Wastewater reports
The wastewater system annual performance reports are created for each facility as a condition of environmental compliance approval. The reports contain a general description of the wastewater system, operational information recorded throughout the year, flow information, and information pertaining to its biosolids management program.
- Trenton WWTP annual report 2022 (PDF)
- Batawa WWTP annual report 2022 (PDF)
- Frankford WWTP annual report 2022 (PDF)
- Stonecrest WWTP annual report 2022 (PDF)
- Young’s Cove WWTP annual report 2022 (PDF)
- Trenton WWTP annual report 2021 (PDF)
- Batawa WWTP annual report 2021 (PDF)
- Frankford WWTP annual report 2021 (PDF)
- Stonecrest WWTP annual report 2021 (PDF)
- Young’s Cove WWTP annual report 2021 (PDF)
Wastewater system bypass and overflow notices
| Location | Type of event | Cause | Start/end | Volume |
| Frankford Wastewater Treatment Plant | Planned partial tertiary bypass | Scheduled Maintenance | January 16-19, 2023, 65 hours | 1,788 cubic metres |
| Frankford Wastewater Treatment Plant | Planned partial tertiary bypass | Scheduled repair | March 14, 2023, 5 hours | 126 cubic metres |
| Frankford Wastewater Treatment Plant | Partial tertiary bypass | Wet weather event | March 25-31, 2023, 6 days 1 hour | 6,351 cubic metres |
| Frankford Wastewater Treatment Plant | Partial tertiary bypass | Wet weather event | April 17-18, 2023, 25 hours, 15 mins | 808 cubic metres |
| Frankford Wastewater Treatment Plant | Partial tertiary bypass | Wet weather event/planned maintenance | April 30-May 6, 2023, 5 days, 9 hours, 21 mins | 7078 cubic metres |
| Trenton Wastewater Treatment Plant | Partial tertiary bypass | Wet weather event/bridge failure | July 16, 2023, 4 hours | 71 cubic metres |
| Trenton Wastewater Treatment Plant | UV disinfection fail | PLC failure | July 20, 2023, 16 mins | 158 cubic metres |
| Trenton Wastewater Treatment Plant | Partial tertiary bypass | Wet weather event | July 27, 2023, 2 hours, 40 mins | 570 cubic metres |
| Trenton Wastewater Treatment Plant | Partial tertiary bypass | Wet weather event | Aug. 12-13, 2023, 13 hours | 1880 cubic metres |
Sewage overflows and bypasses FAQ
A bypass can occur when a sewage Tteatment plant cannot treat all of the wastewater coming into a facility. A portion of one, or several, treatment processes are then ‘bypassed’ by an operator so that we can either minimize the environmental effects on the Bay of Quinte and Trent River, or protect the sewage treatment plant operations from being negatively impacted.
While an overflow is similar to a bypass, in some cases, the discharge may not receive any treatment. These events are extremely rare in Quinte West.
Every time we have a bypass or overflow event in Quinte West, final effluent is disinfected with UV irradiation. Further, operators take samples of the final effluent, or overflow discharge, to give us a better understanding of how it could be impacting the environment. In the event our treated effluent does not meet prescribed limits, the City reports this to the Ministry of Environment and the Health Unit.
In some cases, this cannot be avoided. Severe rain events are the main cause for Quinte West sewage treatment facilities to facilitate a bypass or overflow. There are some areas within the city that have residential sump pumps and roof leaders connected to the sewer system, which add extraneous water to the sewer system. Also, while the City has an active capital wastewater system replacement program, aging infrastructure can allow groundwater to infiltrate the collection system, which adds even more extraneous water to the system that requires treatment.
More information can be found in the annual wastewater reports posted above.