Facts. Not Fiction: That Ditch Has a Job

“Why are there still ditches along some Whitby roads?”

Fair question.

Some Whitby roads have open ditches along the roadside, and they can look like leftover space that nobody has gotten around to doing anything with.

But that ditch may actually be doing an important job.

It’s part of the drainage system.

Roadside ditches and swales can collect and direct rainwater and snowmelt, while the culvert - the pipe beneath your driveway - allows water to pass through without blocking the drainage route.

Whitby’s drainage requirements are designed to keep water moving through the neighbourhood and help protect homes and properties from flooding. Property owners are also responsible for ensuring changes to their property don’t interfere with the proper functioning of a swale, ditch, culvert, catch basin or other drainage system.

So, can you fill in a ditch?

Sometimes. But you can’t simply fill it in and forget about the water.

Whitby has an Engineering Standard for ditch infill (Drawing No. 515). In some circumstances, an open ditch can be replaced with a properly designed culvert or other drainage system.

The important part is that the drainage still has to work.

The Town’s standards set requirements for things such as the replacement culvert, drainage grades and elevations, and how the infill is designed. If a ditch fronts two properties, written consent from the adjacent property owner may also be required.

Changing the grade of your property or altering a drainage route can affect where water goes - potentially affecting your property or neighbouring properties. Depending on the work, a site alteration or other permit may also be required.

If you’re adding a culvert to your property or development, Whitby may also require a site alteration permit for this type of work.

So that ditch that looks like an outdated strip of grass? It may be doing exactly what it was designed to do.

And if you’d rather not have it there, there may be a way to change it -  but it’s an engineering question, not simply a landscaping decision.

Knowing how the system actually works beats the comments section. Every. Time.

🟦 Share facts. Not fiction. Straight from the source.

Learn more about Drainage and Grading 

Learn more about Road and Culvert Permits 

For more Town updates: whitby.ca/News

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