Nobody thinks about the sewer under the street until the basement is wet or a new development is asking that same system to carry more. By then, the cost is personal.
WHAT I WOULD PUSH FOR
Before approving growth, test whether downstream sewer capacity can actually carry it. Keep Greenway and other flood-protection work on a public date-and-cost file until construction is actually complete. Treat wastewater rates the same way as water rates: show the asset residents are paying to renew.
WHAT SHOULD BE DIFFERENT
Fewer repeat flooding locations, completed protection work, and growth files that name the downstream capacity before Council votes.
EVIDENCE THAT MATTERS
City project material says Greenway Wastewater Treatment Plant flood-protection construction is underway and expected to be completed in 2027. The 2026 wastewater business plan also identifies Greenway Section 1 capacity restoration and downtown sanitary-capacity work as active infrastructure priorities.
Why it matters: These are not abstract future files. Growth, flood resilience and downtown intensification already depend on wastewater projects that need public dates, costs and delivery reporting.
City of London — Greenway flood protection / 2026 Wastewater Business Plan ↗THE CAPACITY FILE
Wastewater treatment, sewer capacity, stormwater, basement flooding and flood protection all depend on infrastructure that is easy to ignore until it fails.
ON THIS PART
Keep wastewater treatment capacity tied to the assets, dates and capital work residents are paying for.
CAPACITY / DELIVERY
For sewer capacity, a growth file should identify downstream capacity, known constraints and any required upgrades before Council approves additional demand on the system.
ON THIS PART
Maintain stormwater systems and catch basins as prevention work rather than waiting for the flooded floor.
ON THIS PART
Make basement-flooding response and the municipal claim path understandable and track repeat locations.
CAPACITY / DELIVERY
Keep flood-protection work on a dated, costed public file and show which body is responsible for each piece.
CAPACITY / DELIVERY
Keep Greenway flood-protection work on its public schedule through completion; City project material currently shows construction underway with completion expected in 2027.
The City operates municipal wastewater infrastructure and Council sets rates and capital priorities. Conservation authorities and the Province hold additional flood-management and regulatory roles.
Require the capacity question to appear in the growth and capital file before approval: what pipe, what available capacity, what renewal is scheduled and who owns the flood-protection work. Then track the date and cost until completion.
FORMAL ACTION
The issue page gives the position. These records show the proposed Council instrument, current status, evidence state and next procedural step.
Motion requesting a public information report and resident notice, coordinated with the conservation authority.
Open full motion record