WCW26

In several Saskatoon neighbourhoods built after 2004, homeowners have raised concerns with the perpetual operation of foundation drainage sump pumps. Continuous pumping to the surface has created year-round issues such as algae growth, ice buildup and drainage onto driveways, sidewalks, lanes and adjacent parks.
The current workaround permits discharge of sump pump effluent into the sanitary sewer system during the winter months, resulting in reduction of sanitary sewer capacity and water being unnecessarily treated by the WWTP at additional cost. This does not address the summer discharge concerns and enforcement is lacking for switching back to surface discharge in the summer.


This has been an issue in Saskatoon for many years with previous mitigation strategies producing limited or short-term success. To address this, the City of Saskatoon launched a comprehensive review project in 2025. The project has completed a review of how other municipalities manage the issue, conducted a residential survey and completed an internal multi-departmental workshop to brainstorm solutions. 
Ongoing work includes feasibility assessments for the preferred options and once completed, engagement with the land development and home building industry will occur to understand the impacts of the preferred options. 


The presentation will provide a history of how this multi-decade issue was created, the results from the municipal scan and the residential survey. The preferred options will be presented and their positives and negatives discussed. If industry engagement is completed before the conference, these results will also be shared along with the project’s next steps towards a long-term resolution.