Streetlights
The Operations and Infrastructure Department appreciates the assistance from residents in reporting streetlight outages.
Outage and repairs
Report outages by telephone to Service Georgina at 905-476-4301, ext. 3001. You can also report outages or repairs through our online tool.
When reporting a streetlight outage, be prepared to provide a detailed description of the streetlight location or municipal address when possible.
Note that once reported, streetlight repairs are generally completed on a monthly basis, depending on the severity or requirements of the repair.
Street sweeping
Spring street sweeping operations take place each spring to remove winter sand from Town roads.
Residents are asked to sweep unwanted sand from their driveways and sidewalks over the curb and onto the edge of the road before the last week of March for removal by the street sweeper.
More information
Weather permitting, the Town of Georgina Street Sweeping Program will begin the week of March 25.
Street sweeping occurs weekdays from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.
Residents are asked to sweep unwanted sand from their driveways and sidewalks over the curb and onto the edge of the road by March 25 for removal by the street sweeper.
Avoid parking on Town streets when sweepers are working in the area to allow the equipment to properly sweep the roadway in its entirety. Your cooperation is appreciated.
For more information on spring street sweeping operations, contact Service Georgina at 905-476-4301, ext. 3001.
Spring load restrictions
During each spring, with the warmer weather and the frost coming out of the ground, the roads become soft and any large vehicles have the potential to cause serious damage.
From March 1 to May 15, half-load restrictions (5 tonnes per axle) are in effect on all Town-owned roads.
Year-round load restrictions
Certain roads within the Town have year round load restrictions. These roads have been determined to be susceptible to heavy loads throughout the year and have a permanent load restriction of 5 tonnes per axle.
Affected Roads
- Clarlyn Drive between Metro Road (YR 78) westerly to Lake Drive
- Hedge Road between Lake Drive easterly to Park Road (YR 18)
- Lake Drive between Church Street northerly to Metro Road (YR 78)
- Lake Drive between Metro Road (YR 78) easterly to Dalton Road (YR 9)
- McDonough Avenue between Baseline road (YR 8A) to Dalton Road (YR 9)
- Old Shiloh Road between Victoria Street (YR 82) to Park Road (YR 18)
- Prout Road between Ravenshoe Road (YR 32) to Old Shiloh Road
- Queen Street between St. James Street northerly to King Street
- Riveredge Drive between Woodbine Avenue (YR 8) westerly to The Queensway (YR 12)
- Riverglen Drive between Woodbine Avenue (YR 8) westerly to The Queensway (YR 12)
- St. James Street between River Street easterly to Queen Street
Ditching and culverts
Ditches are a form of stormwater infrastructure designed to direct surface runoff flow to acceptable locations for the purpose of minimizing flooding and erosion risk to surrounding properties.
Ditches rely on gravity to move stormwater towards catch basins and culverts, which carry the stormwater to a stormwater management pond or other receiving location. Ditches provide no water quality improvement, however, the addition of plant life can increase the infiltration rate.
There are no mechanical or chemical components related to the operation of ditches within the stormwater collection system. Ditches function through natural physical processes.
Frequently asked questions
There is a lot of water in my ditch, should I be concerned?
If water is in the ditch after a rain event, that is normal but the water should not be still. It should be slightly moving or flowing at a minimum. Ditches are designed to capture runoff and convey it to a natural outlet.
Ditches can capture and/or hold water up to 48 hours after a significant rainfall. Water continues to enter the ditch from the adjacent land for a period after rainfall/snowfall and it can give the appearance the water level is not lowering.
After 48 hours there should be a difference in water depth, but it does take time to flow out and/or infiltrate, and is very dependent on how much rainfall there has been, or the amount of snow that has melted due to sudden increased temperature.
Some of the questions, staff may ask you:
- Is the water flowing in the ditch?
- Is there something blocking your culvert?
- Is there vegetation in the ditch?
- How often is water in your ditch? (is there water in it in the drier months?)
- Has there been a consistent increase/change in water level?
- Where is your proximity to the lake? (understanding of high water mark relative to Lake Simcoe)
- Is the water also present in your neighbours ditch?
If the ditch is overflowing and there is personal property damage due to flooding
Contact your insurance company
Contact Service Georgina at 905-476-4301 ext. 3001 and they will create a PSR ticket for the Roads Division to attend the property to relieve the flooding
If the ditch is not overflowing and there is no personal property damage but the culvert is blocked
Contact Service Georgina at 905-476-4301 ext 3001 and staff will create a public service request ticket for the Roads Division to attend the property to relieve the blockage.
There is stagnant water in my ditch it is not moving
A good way to tell if the water is moving is to throw a leaf in the ditch and see if it starts to slowly travel indicating the water is moving or not.
If the water is not flowing or flowing very slowly
Call Service Georgina at 905-476-4301 ext. 3001 and an associate will create a PSR ticket to have staff from the Roads Division to attend the property to evaluate the situation.
There is always water in my ditch
In some locations, the ditches carry water from large upstream areas. Water may continue to flow in the ditches for several days after a rainfall.
In locations near Lake Simcoe or adjacent to wetlands, the water level in the lake or wetland may back up into the nearby ditches.
The ditches will not drain out until the lake level is lowered. Lake levels are controlled seasonally as part of the Trent-Severn Waterway system.
What about mosquitoes?
If water is moving, then the mosquitoes will not breed in moving water. It takes up to five days on average for mosquitoes to start to breed. If you do the leaf test and it doesn’t move, call Service Georgina at 905-476-4301 ext. 30011 and staff will create a public service request ticket.
I have been cutting the vegetation in my ditch, however, I am now unable to cut or mow the vegetation. Whose responsibility is it to keep the ditch cut?
The Town’s current service level is to cut ditches in rural areas two times a year. The Town will not mow grass in ditches in urban areas in front of residential properties.
It is common for rural areas to have vegetation in the ditches. This is acceptable unless the vegetation impedes the flow of water.
The Town’s Road Patrol identifies these locations and prioritizes the locations for vegetation removal.
If your ditch is blocked, contact Service Georgina at 905-476-4301 ext 3001 and they will create a PSR ticket for investigation of ditch blockages and flooding.
Can I add river rock to my ditch or any other decorative material?
Residents are not permitted to add river rock or any other decorative material in ditches.
Residents are not permitted to fill in or cover up a roadside ditch. This is a contravention of Bylaw 2002-0046 (TR-1)
When a ditch is filled or altered, stormwater management benefits will be compromised for the entire system. Additionally, when the ditch is filled in the road base will not drain properly leading to damage to the road.
What are some of the reasons they cut one ditch but not another, outside of the two seasonal cutting programs?
Sightline: At times vegetation is removed to improve driver sightlines at intersections. This may occur separately from the seasonal cutting.
Does the Town spray weeds in ditches?
The Town only applies herbicide spray on invasive weed species and harmful weeds such as Giant Hogweed, poison ivy and the European common reed (Phragmites).
The Town sprays once a year in late summer and if someone calls Service Georgina at 905-476-4301 ext. 3001 then we will put them on a list (map) to spray. We ask residents not to cut as this leads to growth and spread.
The European common reed (Phragmites australis) is an invasive weed species which is an aggressive plant that spreads quickly and out competes native species for water and nutrients. It releases toxins from its roots into the soil to hinder the growth of and kill surrounding plants. While it prefers areas of standing water, its roots can grow to extreme lengths, allowing it to survive in relatively dry areas.
The European common reed is different from the native North American reed. Although these plants look very similar, staff will generally not cut the native phragmites. So you may see staff cutting reeds in some ditches but not others.