Municipal Drains

The Drainage Act provides for the construction and management of many of the communal drainage systems in rural Ontario. "Municipal drains" are vital to the communities, roads and surrounding lands in rural Ontario. They reduce flooding, improve safety and reduce property damage.

New Drain

Landowners in an area requiring drainage can sign a Petition for Drainage, which will set in motion a project to create a new municipal drain. This falls under Section 4 of the Drainage Act.

Repair & Improvement

If an existing drain requires significant repair and as a result the repair includes changing the original drain's infrastructure in a way that is different from the original engineered plans, a Petition for Drainage under Section 78 - Repair & Improvement must be filed with the municipal clerk. Examples of this include widening, lengthening, deepening a drain, etc.

Maintenance & Repair

Basic maintenance and repair work falls under Section 74 of the Drainage Act. This usually includes work such as clean outs, removal of beavers/dams, repairing/replacing tile and generally repairing the existing drain in a way that does not detract from the drain's original construction. Please contact us for a Drain Maintenance Request Form.

General Drainage information

You should:

• If you know there is a municipal drain on your property, find out how the municipal drain affects your property. How much is your property assessed?
• If you notice any problems with the municipal drain, immediately notify the Clerk's Department
• Before purchasing a property, investigate how municipal drains may affect it.

You should not:

• Obstruct access. Along every municipal drain is an unregistered work space that the municipality has the right to use to maintain or repair the drain. Please keep this work space accessible.
• Store materials (i.e., brush or other floatable material) near the drain. During storm events and spring runoff this material may block the drain.
• Perform the work yourself. Notify the Clerk to arrange for maintenance on a municipal drain.
• Direct septic system waste, milkhouse waste, barnyards and manure storage runoff or other pollutants directly to these drains.

Ministry of Agriculture Food and Rural Affairs provides drainage forms and information about Municipal Drains.

Tile Drains

Installing tile drainage is a very common land improvement practice among farmers in Ontario. Corrugated plastic tubing, clay and concrete drain tile are installed beneath the surface of agricultural land to drain excess water from the crop root zone. The benefits of tile drainage for crop productivity, farm efficiency and even for reducing environmental impacts have been studied and are generally well known to farmers.

Tile Drain Loans

Landowners in South Huron planning to install a tile drainage system on their agricultural land may be eligible for a tile loan. All tile loans have 10-year terms, and repayments are made annually.

What are the terms of the loan?

• All loans have a 10 year term and are invoiced annually.
• The current interest rate is 6%, set by the provincial government. This rate is fixed for the full term of the loan, regardless of changes in market interest rates.
• Landowners are eligible for a loan of 75% of the cost of the drainage work, up to $50,000.
• The loan can be repaid in full at any time.

How can I apply for a loan?

Complete the Application for Tile Loan and return to the Deputy Treasurer.

For more information on the tile loan program, visit the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs (OMAFRA) 

Is Your Farm Tiled?

OMAFRA provides the Agricultural Information Atlas where you are able to zoom in to your property and see the random and systematic tile that exists.

Please note that this map is not provided by the Municipality of South Huron, so if you have any questions about the map or that website, please contact OMAFRA at 1-877-424-1300.