Every CalgarySewers.ca guide, by topic
Explore CalgarySewers.ca by topic. Start with a symptom, understand the options, or prepare a clearer request for help.
Search titles and descriptions, or browse the topics below.
Civics
5 guides
Calgary's drainage bylaw, lot grading rules and drainage permits, explained from the City's own pages
Calgary's drainage bylaw (Stormwater Bylaw 37M2005), the Lot Grading Bylaw and drainage permits: downspouts, swales, sump water, fines and when a permit is needed.
Calgary sewer bylaws and 311: what the rules cover and how to report a problem
Calgary's Wastewater Bylaw 14M2012, the Stormwater Bylaw and related rules in plain language, plus how to report sewer problems to 311 so they get acted on.
Calgary sewer maps: what is free, what is licensed, and what only a locate can show
Where to find a Calgary sewer line map: the City's free service line open data, licensed sanitary utility maps, free utility locates and private locates.
Calgary water and sewer rates in 2026: what each line on the utility bill pays for
Calgary's 2026 water, wastewater and stormwater rates as published by the City, how the 88% sewer rule works, and worked bills at three levels of water use.
Who owns the sewer line in Calgary? The City's published ownership split, explained
Who owns the sewer line in Calgary: the City's published split at the property line, what City crews check after a backup, and how to raise it with 311.
Communities
4 guides
Calgary's 1950s communities: cast iron, the TP code and the first clay tile
What City sewer records show for Calgary's 1950s communities: cast iron in Rosscarrock and Bowness, the TP code in Wildwood and Kingsland, and heavy relining.
Calgary's 1980s to 2020s communities: what the City's records show in the PVC era
Calgary sewer records for communities built since 1980: PVC shares, the 1990s blank-material cluster, label mismatches and what goes wrong in newer lines.
Calgary's clay tile belt: what the City's records show for 1960s and 1970s communities
Calgary communities built on the City's clay tile (TIL) code: 1960s–70s areas like Rundle, Lake Bonavista and Varsity, with shares, dates and what they mean.
Calgary inner-city sewers: century-old records, the OTHER code and the infill effect
Calgary inner-city sewer records: lines dated back to 1901, the unexplained OTHER code, infill-driven PVC, and some of the most relined communities in the city.
Data
5 guides
Sewage leaks into the Bow River: the 2025 Bonnybrook leak, the river data and how releases are reported
What happened in Calgary's March 2025 sewage leak into the Bow River, what City river data show upstream and downstream, and how sewage releases are reported.
Calgary sewer history and renewal: 120 years of records and the recent relining surge
A short history of Calgary sewer service lines from City records, and the CIPP relining surge since 2017: where, how many, and what it means for homeowners.
A Calgary sewer scope and the City's service line record: how to line them up
How to read a Calgary sewer scope with the City's service line record: matching lengths and materials, finding the property line, and reporting to 311.
Calgary wastewater data: treatment results, flows and virus monitoring, and how to read them
Calgary wastewater data explained: City effluent quality and flow records, COVID, flu and RSV wastewater monitoring, and sewer service line records.
How to read Calgary's sewer service line records: every field, code and caveat
A field-by-field guide to Calgary's sanitary service line data: material codes like TIL, CI, TP and CIPP, installed dates, diameters, lengths and limits.
Standards
2 guides
City of Calgary sanitary and storm sewer design standards, in plain language
City of Calgary sewer specifications and design guidelines explained: minimum cover, slope, pipe size and separation, and what they mean for homeowners.
How deep are sewer lines and other utilities buried in Calgary?
How deep sewer lines and other utilities are buried in Calgary: City minimum cover, frost, clay till and gravel, and how to find the depth on your own lot.
System
6 guides
The Airdrie–Calgary wastewater pipeline, and how Calgary treats its neighbours' sewage
The Airdrie–Calgary wastewater pipeline: a 7 km, $114 million line to Calgary's treatment system, plus how Calgary's regional wastewater servicing works.
Sewer smell in Calgary: tracing it to the house, the street or a City facility
Where a sewer smell in Calgary comes from: dry traps at home, manholes and lift stations outside, or plants and the Shepard area, and how to report it to 311.
Calgary's three wastewater treatment plants, measured: flows, process and published results
Calgary's Bonnybrook, Fish Creek and Pine Creek treatment plants compared with City data: daily flows since 2008, what each stage removes and the upgrades.
How the City of Calgary maintains its sewers: emergency calls, inspection, lining, replacement and bypass pumping
How City of Calgary sewer maintenance works: backup calls, camera inspection, lateral lining, main replacement, break repairs and bypass pumping rules.
How Calgary's sanitary sewer system works, from your floor drain to the Bow River
What a sanitary sewer is and how Calgary's works: service lines, mains, pump stations and three treatment plants, with numbers from the City's own records.
Sanitary vs storm sewers in Calgary: two pipe systems, two destinations
Calgary's sanitary and storm sewers compared: where each goes, what may enter, design depths, ponds and outfalls, and why storms still cause basement backups.
Tools, costs & reference
6 pages
Calgary sewer line costs: what the City record, the ownership split and length mean for the bill
Calgary sewer line costs for 2026: camera and locate costs, replacing 30 feet (9 m) of line, who pays on each side of the property line, and why era matters.
Community Sewer Atlas: compare the City-side sewer record of 218 Calgary communities
Search and sort 218 Calgary communities by City-side sewer service line age and material: clay tile, cast iron, PVC, relined and pre-1960 shares.
Calgary Service Line Lookup: read the City's record for your sewer connection
Look up the City of Calgary's record for your sanitary service line: material code, install year, diameter and public-side length, straight from open data.
Calgary communities by sewer era: what the City's records show, community by community
Calgary's 218 communities grouped by sewer era from City open data: clay tile, cast iron and PVC shares by structure class and sector, plus local conditions.
Calgary sewer glossary: the City's codes, data fields and system terms
Plain definitions of Calgary sewer terms: the City's material codes (TIL, TP, CI, CIPP, OTHER), data fields, ownership terms, treatment plants and bylaws.
Calgary sewer questions, answered from the City's own records and rules
Answers to common questions about Calgary's sewers: who owns the line, what the City's records mean, where sewage goes, sewer depth, maps, bylaws and 311.
Describe the problem once. Get a straight answer.
Send the symptoms and anything you already know — age of the house, what a camera found, what you have been quoted. The HAUSE Sewer desk replies with next steps and, where available, a local contractor for the job.
Sewage backing up right now? Stop using water, keep people away from the water, and do not touch electrical equipment near it.