Mississauga Launches Stormwater Home Visit Pilot Program

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Published May 31, 2017 at 7:13 pm

Stormwater charges to increase this year for Mississauga and Brampton residents

Do you want to know how at risk your home is when it comes to flooding?

Now, it looks like the city can help. 

The issue of stormwater management in Mississauga has been on the minds of not only city officials and policy makers, but homeowners as well. Last year, the City of Mississauga implemented a stormwater charge on residential and commercial property in order to use the money collected to upgrade and maintain stormwater infrastructure. 

While some homeowners’ concerns were centered more on the fairness and implementation of the charge (some sought legal advice), the other important issue was the risk of flooding and how residents should manage stormwater effectively in order to minimize the charge that gets levied at them.

Some residents who have been living in their houses a long time may not have had the foresight to examine their homes to see if they fit today’s standards of stormwater management. 

Now, if you want an inspection of your home to see how you should manage stormwater properly, you’re in luck. Besides the stormwater charge, the City of Mississauga has also launched the Stormwater Home Visit Pilot Program, which was made available starting last Friday, May 26 at 11 am. 

Previously a number of residents had indicated interest in a residential stormwater pilot program during public information sessions. As a result, the City of Mississauga’s “Stormwater Team” emailed the following notification of the program launch. The Stormwater Home Visit Pilot Program includes the following features:

  • At the homeowner’s request, a qualified consultant will make an appointment to come to your home. They will identify potential outdoor flood risks on your property, as well as opportunities for managing stormwater that fit in with your interests and priorities for your home. 

  • Following your home visit, you will receive a short follow-up report summarizing the consultant’s recommendations and providing information resources to help you take action. 

  • If you are interested, you will receive a free rain barrel. If you don’t want the rain barrel, it can be provided to a family member or friend of your choice who resides in Mississauga.

Since this is only a pilot program, they only have 100 spaces available at this time and registration will be on a first come, first serve basis. For residents interested but were unable to get a home visit spot, they will be able to have their names added to a program wait list, should additional funding become available in the future. Which means, if enough people use it, the city will keep it and provide the money to keep it going.

You can register for a Stormwater Home Visit through one of two ways:

  • Call 311 (or 905-615-4311 outside Mississauga’s city limits) and ask to be registered for the Stormwater Home Visit Pilot Program. 311 operates between 7:00 am and 7:00 pm, Monday to Friday. 

  • Send an email to [email protected], and include your full name, address, phone number during the day and your email address. 

Once Mississauga city staff have reviewed your registration, residents will be contacted by phone to let you know whether you have received a spot in the Stormwater Home Visit Pilot Program. 

Please note that you will not be registered until you have received a phone call from City staff. If you have been placed on the waitlist, you will receive either a phone call or email informing you as well. You will be contacted within 10 business days after your initial call or email. 

So will you take advantage of this program to get your home up to standards to protect yourself from floods and manage your stormwater? If it’s going to save you some money, I’m betting that you will. 

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