Dewatering Discharge Permits

You need to get a permit if you are doing construction or maintenance work on your property and want to temporarily pump surface runoff or groundwater into the City’s storm sewer system. 

All discharges to the municipal storm sewer system must meet the requirements in the Sewer Use Bylaw to protect the public, natural environment, and sewer infrastructure. 

Apply online through DASH (Development and Services Hub), our online portal that gives you 24/7 access to municipal development services and active development activity.   

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A dewatering discharge permit is required for the following activities: 

  • Construction dewatering: removing groundwater or rainwater from a construction site and releasing it into the City’s storm sewer system. 
  • Emptying tanks: releasing stored water into the City’s storm sewer system. 
  • Excess surface water: water that collects on private property that needs to be released into the City’s storm sewer system. 

Dewatering discharge permit guide 

Make sure you have all required documents ready to upload before starting your online application through the DASH portal. 

  1. Set up a DASH account   
    • Log in to DASH, and access the “Dewatering Discharge Permit Application” under the “Stormwater” section.  
    • You must check the box to accept the General Disclaimer before starting the application process. 
  2. Enter the address of the proposed dewatering discharge. You may only choose one civic address, even if the project spans several properties. Both methods will automatically fill in the property’s parcel and roll numbers:
    • Search by address: enter the street number and name, then click “Search” button. 
    • Select on map: click “Show Map”, choose the property, and click “Use Location”. 
  3. Add contact information: 
    • Select an existing contact or create a new one 
    • Required contacts: Applicant, Dewatering Contractor, Engineering Consultant, and Property Owner 
    • Optional contacts: Developer and/or Site Foreman 
    • All contacts must have DASH accounts to access application documents. 
  4. Enter dewatering discharge details. Fill in all required fields (marked with *). Once you do, more fields may appear for you to complete.
    • Required information: 
      • Estimated volume of water that will be pumped per day (litres/day). 
      • Maximum expected flow rate (litres/second), which cannot exceed 70 L/s. 
      • Whether the project has been registered in the Environmental Activity and Sector Registry (EASR) or has a Permit to Taker Water (PTTW). 
      • Estimated duration of pumping activity for the project in calendar days (1-20 days, 21-50 days, or 51-100 days). 
  5. Agree to terms and conditions, confirming that: 
    • Dewatering discharge operation will not obstruct vehicle or pedestrian traffic.  
    • Dewatering of the site will not be carried out during a significant rainfall event (a significant storm event is defined as a minimum of 25 mm of rain in any 24-hour period). 
    • No permit will be issued for dewatering systems with the following prohibited deposits or discharges to the municipal storm sewer system: 
      • Prohibited deposits or discharges listed in Section 5.1 “Deposit or Discharge of Sewage – Prohibited” of the Sewer Use Bylaw. 
      • Environmental remediation projects. 
      • Properties with a current or past site use as a retail fuel outlet, garage, bulk fuel/chemical storage facility, industrial manufacturing, or dry cleaner. 
      • Fuel storage decommissioning projects. 
    • Any dewatering discharge to the municipal storm sewer system that occurs prior to the Construction Dewatering Discharge Plan being approved by the City or in contravention of the issued Dewatering Discharge Permit may result in fines and/or charges in accordance with Part 17 of the Sewer Use Bylaw. 
  6. Refer to the required documentation section below for more information about the requirements for each document. 
    • Upload required documents (maximum file size 100 MB per document): 
    • Confirm document type from the drop-down menu and provide a brief description.  
      • Water Treatment System Flow Diagram 
      • Construction Dewatering Discharge Report 
      • Layout Plan 
      • Groundwater Quality Data 
  7. Review and submit 
    • Review all application details and uploaded documents. 
    • Use “Edit” to make changes or “Continue Application” to submit. 
    • After submission, you will receive an application number to track progress in DASH.

  1. Water Treatment System Flow Diagram 
    • A clearly labelled flow diagram of the proposed water treatment system. 
  2. Construction Dewatering Discharge Report. The report must be prepared by a qualified engineering consultant and stamped by a professional engineer licensed to practice in Ontario. It must include the following:
    • Pump information (e.g., size, quantity) and discharge flow rate. 
    • Flow calculations which demonstrate that the dewatering discharge rate will not exceed the capacity of the municipal storm sewer system (one existing pipe section downstream of the discharge point). City of Kingston storm sewer design standards (formulas, coefficients, specifications, etc.) can be found in Appendix 1G of the City of Kingston‘s Subdivision Design Guidelines & Technical Standards. Record drawings can be provided upon request by contacting Engineering Services at engineering@cityofkingston.ca. 
    • Estimated volume of water that will be pumped per day and the number of pumping days anticipated for the project. 
    • Confirmation that dewatering discharge operation will not obstruct vehicle or pedestrian traffic. 
    • Confirmation that dewatering of the site will not be carried out during a significant rainfall event (a significant storm event is defined as a minimum of 25 mm of rain in any 24-hour period). 
    • Copies of any Environmental Activity and Sector Registry (EASR) and/or Permit to Take Water (PTTW) documentation for the site. 
    • Details of the proposed water treatment system. 
    • Expected duration of dewatering discharge to the City’s storm sewer system. Note that applications for dewatering discharge to the City’s storm sewer system that exceed 70 L/s average daily flow will not be approved: 
      • 1 to 20 calendar days. 
      • 21 to 50 calendar days. 
      • 51 to 100 calendar days. 
    • We reserve the right to reject any application based on existing contamination conditions at the site. No permit will be issued for dewatering systems with the following prohibited deposits or discharges to the municipal storm sewer system: 
      • Prohibited deposits or discharges listed in Section 5.1 “Deposit or Discharge of Sewage – Prohibited” of the Sewer Use Bylaw. 
      • Environmental remediation projects. 
      • Properties with a current or past site use as a retail fuel outlet, garage, bulk fuel/chemical storage facility, industrial manufacturing, or dry cleaner. 
      • Fuel storage decommissioning projects. 
  3. Layout Plan. We require a clearly labelled layout plan showing the following: 
    • Connection to the municipal storm sewer system, including proposed discharge location(s), with nearby catch basins identified. 
    • Construction site boundaries. 
    • Location of the silt bag/filtration system. 
    • Location of the water treatment system. 
  4. Groundwater Quality Data. We require: 
    • Groundwater quality data for the site compared to “Schedule B - Limits for Storm Sewer Discharge” in the Sewer Use Bylaw. 

Application process

Once you complete your application, we will review it within 10 business days. If you need to resubmit anything, we will review it within 10 business days as well.

After we approve all required documents and receive the application fee, the application will move to the following steps: 

  • Install your dewatering discharge system in a loop configuration (i.e., not connected to the municipal storm sewer) until you receive preliminary approval. 
  • Collect a water sample downstream of your water treatment system with a City environmental technologist present. The water sample must meet the requirements in “Schedule B - Limits for Storm Sewer Discharge” of the Sewer Use Bylaw. 
  • Your Engineering Consultant may provide a rationale for excluding specific parameters listed in “Schedule B - Limits for Storm Sewer Discharge” of the Sewer Use Bylaw if those parameters are not a contaminant of concern for the site, but you must always test at a minimum for: 
    • PH 
    • Metals 
    • Benzene, Toluene, Ethylbenzene, Xylenes (BTEX) 
    • Petroleum Hydrocarbons (PHC) 
    • Total Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAH) 
    • Total Suspended Solids (TSS)  
  • We will review your plan, determine if discharge is permitted, and provide a list of conditions that must be met to continue dewatering.  
    • Note: approval to discharge does not replace other permits you may need from Conservation Authorities or Provincial/Federal governments. 
    • Once we approve the loop configuration and we receive the dewatering fee, you may connect your system to the City’s storm sewer and proceed to the operational approval phase.  
    • If the water sample fails to meet the Sewer Use Bylaw criteria, you must repeat sampling until it passes.

To receive operational approval: 

  • For the first three days of dewatering after preliminary approval: 
    • Take water samples for TSS and any other parameters requested by the environmental technologist. 
    • Submit results to the environmental technologist via DASH immediately after your engineering consultant receives them from the lab. 
    • If results exceed Sewer Use Bylaw limits, we will revoke preliminary approval until your engineering consultant demonstrates the water treatment system works correctly. 
  • If discharging to a catch basin, install a double layer of filter cloth as secondary containment. 
  • The dewatering contractor must: 
    • Clean accumulated sediment as needed 
    • Inspect the water treatment system at least twice daily 
  • Your engineering consultant must: 
    • Conduct weekly inspections during dewatering 
    • Take field turbidity readings to verify sediment control 
    • Record inspections in a logbook and submit it via DASH during decommissioning 
  • Record daily water pumping volumes in a logbook and submit it via DASH during decommissioning. 
  • Do not pump during a significant rainfall event (≥25 mm in 24 hours). Violation will result in immediate permit revocation. 

Once we accept your system startup analysis, we will grant operational approval and issue your dewatering discharge permit. 

  • The permit includes an expiry date based on the number of pumping days in your application. 

We reserve the right to change, pause, or cancel your dewatering discharge permit at any time if needed to make sure you are following the rules and to protect the city’s storm sewer system. 

To complete final decommissioning: 

  • Schedule an onsite meeting with the environmental technologist to confirm all equipment is disconnected from the storm sewer.
  • Ensure the work area is properly reinstated. Submit all requested documentation (e.g., logbooks) to the satisfaction of the engineering and environmental technologists.
  • We will invoice for any additional fees (extra site visits, additional dewatering days) beyond the dewatering fee collected during preliminary approval.
  • Once final payment is received, we will close your permit. 

Permit fees 

The permit fees listed below are set according to the Fees and Charges Bylaw.

*Please note that these fees do not include taxes. Applicable Harmonized Sales Tax (HST) will be added when you receive your invoice. 

You need to pay the application fee when you submit your permit application or immediately after.  

  • Your application will not move to the preliminary approval phase until the application fee has been paid in full. 
  • The application fee includes up to five hours of staff time.  
  • Additional hours will be charged at the rate noted under additional fees for environmental/engineering technologist services. 
Application fee description Unit Fee
Includes initial and final inspections  Flat rate $653.94 

You need to pay the dewatering fee at the end of the preliminary approval phase. 

  • The dewatering fee covers the estimated number of calendar days between operational approval and decommissioning as listed in your application. 
  • You will not move to the operational approval phase until the dewatering fee has been paid in full.  
Dewatering fee description Unit Fee
1 to 20 calendar days   Flat rate $1,193.80 
21 to 50 calendar days   Flat rate $2,984.50
51 to 100 calendar days   Flat rate $5,969.00

  • After you decommission the dewatering discharge system, restore the work area, and submit all requested documentation to the satisfaction of the City’s engineering and environmental technologists, we will invoice you for any additional fees incurred during the dewatering process that exceed the dewatering fee collected during the preliminary approval phase. 
  • The reinspection fee does not include initial or final inspections, since the application fee covers those inspections, and we calculate it based on 1.5 hours of staff time. 
  • We will apply the daily dewatering fee for each calendar day beyond the estimated number of days between operational approval and decommissioning as listed in your application submission. 
Additional fee description Unit Fee
Reinspection fee (excludes initial & final inspections)  Visit  $196.15  
Dewatering fee  Daily  $59.69
Environmental/engineering technologist services  Hourly $130.80

How to pay 

You can pay your permit fees using the following methods: 

Bring your permit number to one of the following locations: 

  • City of Kingston Payment Centre, City Hall (216 Ontario St.)
  • City Engineering Office (1211 John Counter Blvd.) 

We accept payment by credit card, debit card, cash, or cheque.

You must have a DASH account.  

  1. Log in to your DASH account and click “My Records.”
  2. Find the correct permit using the record number.
  3. In the “Action” column, click “Pay Fees Due” and follow the on-screen instructions. 

If someone else, like the property owner, is paying the permit fees instead of the applicant, they will need to use or create their own DASH account. Once they have set up the account, they should contact the City engineering technologist handling the permit, either directly or by emailing engineering@cityofkingston.ca, to connect the DASH account to the permit application and make payment possible. 

Bylaw violation penalties

Any dewatering discharge to the municipal storm sewer system that is done before the plan is approved by the City, or in violation of the approved permit, could lead to fines or charges as outlined in Part 17 of the City of Kingston’s Sewer Use Bylaw. 

Contact

Engineering
construction@cityofkingston.ca
Phone: 613-546-0000

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Today, the City is committed to working with Indigenous peoples and all residents to pursue a united path of reconciliation.

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