Waite Municipal Drain Under Review: Local Impact Looms for Fenelon Falls Landowners

BRANDON CLARK The Standard

KAWARTHA LAKES: As the City of Kawartha Lakes considers the future of the Waite Municipal Drain, property owners and residents in the Fenelon Falls area are watching closely. The Drainage Board met on October 30th, to review an engineer’s report under the Ontario Drainage Act, putting potential changes to drainage infrastructure on the community’s agenda.

The meeting raises important questions about how drainage improvements could affect farmland, roadways, and residential properties around Fenelon Falls. What is certain is, the project is proceeding through formal city processes, and the decisions made here could significantly shape how water moves through rural and semi-rural areas in and around the village.

The engineer’s report, central to the conversation, outlines recommendations under the Act, but detailed financial and design plans are not yet fully disclosed in publicly available meeting materials.

For Fenelon Falls residents, concerns about water management are not new. In March 2025, the city's wastewater system, at Colborne Street, bypassed during heavy rain, discharging raw sewage into the Fenelon River. Meanwhile, City of Kawartha Lakes flood-plain mapping, conducted by Kawartha Conservation, has shown, overland drainage pathways already play a critical role in managing excess water upstream of the village.

Three reviewing agencies have participated in the process: Kawartha Regional Conservation Authority, concerned with sediment and erosion control; Fisheries and Oceans Canada, emphasizing, specifically, aquatic species at risk; and the Ministry of Environment, Conservation, and Parks, focusing on all species at risk.

The project is estimated at $780,000, with construction and engineering being $395,760 and $290,000 respectively. Landowner allowances are $14,050 and sundry and other costs are $80,190.

With the Waite Drain project now under formal review, locals who rely on well-drained land or live near ditches and drains may find the outcomes profoundly important. The Drainage Board’s recommendations will go to City Council, with potential long-term implications for property and environmental management, and, while not yet publicly voiced, the community impact could be significant.

Residents interested in the next steps can follow further meetings and reports, on the City’s official YouTube channel and the Kawartha Lakes municipal calendar, online.