Brant County landowners could face drainage bill of up to $50K
Some property owners in Brant County could face a bill of up to nearly $50,000 for the expansion and upkeep of a municipal drain.
Currently, the Bennett municipal drain spans more than 4,000 metres in the Middle Townline Road area of Harley, between Ninth and Tenth Concession roads.
Because stormwater managed through the provincial drainage act is a user-pay system, more than 60 property owners whose runoff water flows into the drain are responsible for a portion of the cost of improvements.
The lowest assessment is quoted at $345, with the highest around $47,000, based on property size and which parts of the drain are involved, Robert Walton, general manager of operations for the county, told The Spectator.
Despite the cost, landowners have largely spoken in favour of the project at on-site meetings over the past couple years, according to an engineer’s report prepared in December 2023 by R.J. Burnside & Associates Limited.
Standing water has been an issue for multiple residents, in some cases leading to damaged farm equipment, unfarmable areas of land, and “riverlike conditions” after heavy rain, according to the report.
At a public meeting on Feb. 20, resident Brian Van Doormaal voiced his support for the drain revitalization, calling his backyard “a swamp.”
The Bennett municipal drain was originally constructed 1911, and updated in 1968.
Though an additional $70,000 in repairs have been made since 2010, the system is in “poor condition,” according to the report.
A pair of local property owners petitioned for major improvements through the drainage act in August 2021.
Two additional requests followed, including one from the county’s roads department, according to the report.