Drainage is the water runoff from rainfall, snowfall and snowmelt that is managed through the Municipal Sewerage and Drainage System. The drainage system consists of:
- storm sewer mains
- service connections
- ditches
- culverts
- drainage pump stations
- flow control devices
What We Do To Maintain Drainage Infrastructure
City crews maintain infrastructure by:
- Hydro flushing storm mains
- Inspecting culverts
- Removing debris and sediments from ditches and clearing street catch basins
- Inspecting and repairing drainage pumps
What You Can Do To Maintain Drainage Infrastructure
- Remove leaves from catch basins and ensure nothing is blocking it.
- Regularly inspect and clean your perimeter drainage system to ensure your system is working at full capacity. This includes checking open ditches and culverts along your property.
- Do not extend, narrow, or infill ditches and culverts without approval from the City Engineering and Public Works Department.
- Do not pour restrictive or prohibited waste down catch basins. This includes paint, engine oil, pesticides, cleaners, or other chemicals. Catch basins are for rainwater only.
Contact
Engineering and Public Works
Phone: 604-526-4691
Email: Public Works
Utilities Engineer
Phone: 604-527-4592
Email: Engineering Services
Account & Billing Inquiries
Phone: 604-527-4555
Ditch Enclosures
Ditches play an important role in the overall drainage system on Queensborough. Open ditches provide stormwater conveyance, flood management through detention/retention as well as other environmental benefits.
Through past public consultation, Queensborough residents have expressed a desire to upgrade their streetscape by enclosing open drainage ditches, installing sidewalks and streetlights, and improving the condition of their roads. These concerns have been magnified by the changing character of the neighbourhood transforming from rural/suburban to a more urban community.
In 2014, the City retained Parsons (formerly Delcan) to complete Phase 1 of the Queensborough Integrated Rainwater Management Plan (IRMP) which looked specifically into the impacts of ditch infill and proposed solutions to mitigate negative impacts to the overall drainage system. The study concluded that the existing open ditches along many local streets of Queensborough have potential to be enclosed with an engineered storm pipe system.
The enclosure of the open ditch will require the design and installation of a City approved storm pipe and manhole system.
Queensborough Functional Plan - Wood Street Catchment
The Queensborough Functional Plan provides engineered functional drainage designs for proposed ditch enclosures on Johnston Street, Fenton Street, Pembina Street and Boyne Street.
Please refer to the Queensborough Functional Plan (PDF) for more information.
Implementation Approach For Ditch Enclosures
The process to have ditch enclosures may be implemented through any of the following:
- Local Area Service Program (LASP);
- Subdivision Development;
- Building Permit Application; or
- Request by Property Owner(s)
To learn more, access the Implementation Approach for Ditch Enclosure (PDF).
Application Process
Any person wishing to enclose the roadside ditch fronting their properties or as required to do so under a Building Permit without a full Servicing Agreement must complete the application form and submit it to the Engineering and Public Works Department. If an applicant wishes to enclose the ditch fronting their properties, the cost to do so is borne by the applicant.
For more information or comment please contact Engineering and Public Works at 604-527-4592.
Queensborough Drainage
The drainage ditches in Queensborough collect rainwater from roads and properties, relying on gravity to move water to pump stations that discharge it into the Fraser River. However, the area's flat topography, high groundwater table, and obstructions like vegetation, sediment, and unauthorized structures reduce the system's capacity, leading to flooding. The City has worked to improve drainage by upgrading pump stations and removing blockages, but certain streets in Queensborough (such as Fenton Street) remain a problem due to its low elevation and slow drainage during heavy rainfall. When operationally feasible, City staff deploy mobile pumps to help, though this is challenging when the entire system is full.
Fenton Street Streetscape Project
The long-term solution for the Fenton Street Streetscape Project includes raising the road and private properties above flood construction levels and improving water movement by redirecting them beyond Boyd St and into the Wood St canal where the Wood St Pump Station drains. This solution is complex, has several risks, and affects all of the drainage in the Wood Street catchment area.
On November 18, 2024, staff prepared a council report titled Response to Motion: Options for Accelerating Sidewalks in Queensborough (PDF). Council approved the following motion:
- THAT Staff include funds to design the full build out of Fenton Street as presented in the staff report as part of the 2025 Capital Budget process;
- THAT Option 4: a quick-build treatment on the existing road right-of-way of the prioritized subset of streets, per the Queensborough Transportation Plan, be included in the 2025 Capital Budget process;
- THAT Staff explore options to increase regular maintenance funds in the operating budget;
- THAT the snow and ice response plan policy be revised to increase the priority of streets that do not have sidewalks; and
- THAT Staff hold a community conversation with translation services
Since the November council workshop, funds to design and construct the full build-out of Fenton Street Streetscape and quick-build treatments on prioritized subset of streets in Queensborough have been included in the 5-year financial plan adopted by Council on January 27, 2025. Engineering and Public Works have confirmed that the snow and ice response plan policy has been revised to increase the priority of streets that do not have sidewalks. Engineering and Public Works has also explored options to increase maintenance funds in the operating budget to increase maintenance frequency in areas with known issues to enhance level of service and scheduling Fenton Street for 2025 ditch and culvert cleaning.
Community engagement with translation services for Fenton Street residents for this project is planned for late May/early June 2025 starting with door-to-door outreach and invitations to in-person engagement sessions. A separate community engagement for Queensborough residents for quick-build treatments based on the prioritized street network as identified in the Queensborough Transportation Plan will be conducted following Fenton Street community engagement.
More information and details of the project and community engagement events can be found on the Projects on the Go project page.