City launches flood resilience campaign ahead of summer rainy season

By Staff

June 5th, 2025

BURLINGTON, ON

As the summer rainy season approaches, the City is sharing its latest investments to make Burlington more flood-resistant, along with tips to help residents prepare for potential flooding.What the City is DoingClimate change is a global problem with local consequences and solutions.

Recognizing the severity of our changing climate, City Council declared a climate emergency in 2019.

Since 2014, the City of Burlington has invested $20 million in stormwater infrastructure, which has made a positive difference in our ability to handle stormwater and reduce flooding. This year, the City is investing over $5 million in stormwater improvements to help protect homes, roads, and natural areas from flooding. Projects underway include replacing aging infrastructure to improve water flow, restoring eroded creek banks, and studying flood risks in the downtown area. Latest projects include:

• 

  Tuck Creek when it flooded

  

  Tuck Creek after major upgrades to the banks

• Lower Rambo Creek Flood Mitigation Environmental Assessment

The City is currently developing a city-wide Stormwater Master Plan, which will help guide the City in addressing climate challenges.

What Residents Can Do

Intense, short-duration downpours are becoming more frequent. While the City has strong stormwater management infrastructure in place, extreme rainfall can challenge the capacity of any system. Flood resilience depends on more than infrastructure, assessments, and maintenance – it depends on community participation through flood prevention programs and preparation. Residents are encouraged to learn more about the following flood preparedness programs:

Home Flood Protection Program

The City of Burlington offers a Home Flood Protection Program to help homeowners reduce their risk of basement flooding and minimize damage if flooding occurs. The program offers homeowners up to 50 per cent of the cost of Home Flood Protection Assessments which aim to find potential ways that water/sewage can enter your home.

Plumbing Permit Fee Grant Program

The City of Burlington offers a Plumbing Permit Fee Grant Program which covers the cost of a building permit associated with specific improvements done in homes or businesses to reduce the risk of basement flooding.Halton

Region’s Enhanced Basement Flooding Prevention Subsidy Program

In the last decade, there have been several flash floods. Parts of the city that never had flooding problems are suddenly seeing water more than six inches deep coursing down their street.

Halton Region’s Enhanced Basement Flooding Prevention Subsidy Program offers financial support for residents who make improvements to prevent stormwater from entering the wastewater system and reduce the risk of flooding from sewer backup. Available subsidies include backwater valve installation, downspout disconnection and more.

Significant ponding or flooded areas can be reported to Service Burlington by calling 905-335-7777 or emailing city@burlington.ca.

If your basement floods from sanitary sewer back-ups, please call 3-1-1.

Operators will help forward your concern to the appropriate specialists and make sure someone follows up with you, as needed.

Loads of programs, the backup and the ability to deliver when the water is rising in your basement.  The problem is that when the water is rising, the demand on city resources is more than they can handle.  We saw that last summer.