Water & Sewer Rates

The 2023 Stormwater Fee for Residential Properties will be an annual flat fee of $102.20 per property, payable in monthly instalments of $8.52.  This is based on an average impervious area of 188 m² per property.  “Impervious Area” refers to the area on a property covered by artificial structures such as buildings, asphalt, concrete, brick, stone and rooftops, which do not allow infiltration of stormwater into the underlying ground.

For Multi-Residential or Non-Residential Properties, the Stormwater Fee is based on the “Impervious Area Equivalent”. Impervious Area Equivalent means an estimation used by the City of the Impervious Area on a property based on the rooftop area and property type and size.

The Impervious Area Equivalent shall be calculated based on double the rooftop area to account for impervious areas on lots.  If this calculation results in a value greater than the total property area, the total property area shall be used.  For parking lots, the entire property area is used as impervious. 

The 2023 Stormwater Fees for Multi-Residential and Non-Residential Properties are based on the following six tiers:

To encourage implementation of on-site stormwater reduction or improvement measures a Stormwater Fee Credit Program has been implemented.  These credits are available only to Multi-Residential or Non-Residential Properties. The credit application must be accompanied by a Professional Engineer’s report identifying and confirming that the on-site stormwater reduction or improvement measures meet the requirements of the credit program.  A manual for the credit program application is available. The credit program will provide up to a 50% credit on stormwater fees, based on the following evaluation criteria:  

What did I pay last year?

The fee schedules for stormwater fees for residential, non-residential and multi-residential properties are the same for 2022 as they were in 2021.  Non-residential and multi-residential properties may have an altered fee at any time if they are reclassified into a new tier.  Properties which have changed status (e.g., are no longer classified as “vacant”) will have an applicable stormwater fee applied to the property.

Why is there a new fee structure?

Previously, all of the non-residential and multi-residential properties in the City paid the same flat fee, regardless of their impact on the stormwater system.  This meant that small properties that had a minimal impact on stormwater paid the same as large properties with a significant impact on the stormwater.  The new fee structure is intended to charge stormwater fees more equitably across the City, so properties with a larger impact on stormwater pay higher stormwater fees, and properties with lower impact on stormwater pay lower stormwater fees.

Residential properties (three residential units or less on a single property) continue to pay a flat fee.

How are the stormwater fees calculated?

The fees are calculated based on the estimated amount of impervious area (such as roof tops and parking lots) on a property.  Impervious areas force stormwater into the City stormwater infrastructure.  The estimate of impervious area is calculated based on twice the total rooftop area on the property.

Stormwater is the rain and melted snow that flows from your property, onto the streets and into the storm drains. Along the way, the stormwater picks up debris, chemicals and other pollutants from rooftops and paved surfaces that enter the storm drains and watercourses.

What is the Stormwater Fee?

The stormwater fee is a user fee that will be used to help fund Orillia’s Stormwater Management program. The stormwater fee came into effect in 2017. Prior to 2017, stormwater management was funded through property taxes.

What is Stormwater Management?

The City provides stormwater management services to protect the community and environment from stormwater runoff. Stormwater runoff is water that flows off properties mostly due to rain and snow events. Hard surfaces like roofs, driveways, and parking lots increase the amount of runoff from each property. Stormwater management controls water flow quantity in order to help prevent flooding and water flow quality in order to protect the environment.

What will the Stormwater Fee contribute to?

The stormwater fee will be used to continue to fund stormwater management infrastructure, maintenance and projects for Orillia.

Where does the stormwater currently go?

Stormwater from rain and snow melt naturally soaks into the ground in a process called infiltration. With Orillia being an urbanized community with houses, roads, parking lots and other hard surfaces, these factors prevent water from infiltrating into the ground. The disruption to the water cycle means that stormwater runs off to other areas, such as lakes and watercourses, which can lead to flooding, and other environmentally damaging effects.

What is the difference between the stormwater fee and the water and wastewater fee?

The stormwater fee is a fee that will be used to fund Orillia’s Stormwater Management program. The water and wastewater fees are used to fund the maintenance of water and wastewater infrastructure and separate from the stormwater infrastructure.

Stormwater from my property does not flow into the City storm drains, can I forgo paying the stormwater fee?

Properties that don’t directly use the City stormwater system have uncontrolled discharge to the local environment and waterways.  The City needs to put in control measures in other areas to make up for these discharges, so they also need to contribute to the fees.