Installation of backwater valves and other solutions to prevent sewer backup
due to heavy rain

MONTREAL, June 22 /CNW Telbec/ - The Ville de Montréal has recently published a brochure titled "Sewer Backup Due to Heavy Rain". This free brochure, which was developed in cooperation with the Régie du bâtiment du Québec (RBQ) and the Corporation des maîtres mécaniciens en tuyauterie du Québec (CMMTQ), suggests simple actions homeowners can take indoors and outdoors to reduce the risks of sewer backup.

Our climate is changing and heavy rainstorms are becoming increasingly frequent. During these downpours, large amounts of water flow into the sewage system in record time and may cause sewer backup. That is why it is very important to take action now and to install the devices or fixtures that are best suited to your type of home (flat or sloping roof, gutters that are connected or not to the sewage system, etc.) to prevent wastewater from backing up in your home.

There are simple and inexpensive ways to reduce the risk of sewer backups. They include installing a mainline backwater valve or safety valve, sump pump in the basement, disconnecting the gutters from the sewage system, building a rain garden, recovering rainwater and designing a driveway with the right slope.

In accordance with Chapter III (Plumbing) of the Québec Building Code, and the National Plumbing Code, it is mandatory to install a backwater valve. In accordance with article 257 of Appendix C of the Charter of Ville de Montréal, "no action against the city for damages shall be admissible for damage resulting from the flooding of an immovable built after 28 April 1939, unless the plaintiff alleges and proves that at the time of the flooding safety valves in good working order had been installed according to accepted practice, to prevent back-flow from city sewers into the cellars or the basement of that immovable."

The brochure "Sewer Backup Due to Heavy Rain" is available free of charge, in French and English, at all borough and Accès Montréal offices as well as on the Montréal website at ville.montreal.qc.ca/eaudemontreal

Note : A high-resolution version of the visual is available.

For further information: Relations avec les médias: François Goneau, 514 868-5859; Source: Direction de l'eau