Verify Where Collected Drainage Water Can Go

Start with accessible cleanouts, perimeter branches, sumps, pumps, gravity lines, catch basins and documented connections. Use property plans, previous invoices and inspection evidence to distinguish confirmed routes from assumptions. A surface observation at one location does not prove the buried outlet. Mark every unknown transition and identify what evidence could resolve it. Keep sanitary, storm and surface-water systems distinct in the drawing so a later estimate does not treat an unverified connection as an approved discharge path.

• Separate storm, sanitary and surface routes
• Label confirmed and assumed connections
• Keep unknown transitions visible

If a sump is present, document accessible chamber condition, pump identity, controls, alarms, backup provisions and visible discharge route using current records and qualified inspection. Do not bypass a switch, energize damaged equipment or enter the chamber. Ask how capacity and redundancy will be evaluated for the actual inflow and site conditions. A running pump does not confirm the legality or performance of the downstream route, and an inactive pump during dry weather does not establish how it will behave during a prolonged storm.

• Retain equipment and service records
• Do not alter controls for testing
• Review downstream route separately

Private perimeter drainage may connect to other private components before reaching a City system, but the route must be established from property evidence and applicable approvals. The City's catch-basin page describes public surface-drain maintenance and notes that many catch basins discharge to sensitive fish-bearing streams. It does not grant permission to connect or pump a private system into a catch basin. Ask the City about the proposed connection or change with the property address and accurate scope rather than relying on nearby infrastructure as proof.

• Do not treat a nearby catch basin as an approved outlet
• Confirm connection records and responsibility
• Use the actual property address in City questions

Port Coquitlam states that storm drains are for rainwater runoff and that material entering them can flow untreated into local streams and rivers. Inspection water, sediment, cleaning chemicals and construction runoff therefore need an appropriate handling plan. Do not direct unknown or contaminated water into a storm drain, ditch or watercourse based on a website checklist. Ask the responsible contractor how discharge will be contained, filtered, transported or otherwise managed under applicable requirements and keep that method in the written scope.

• Keep sediment and chemicals out of storm drains
• Define inspection and construction water handling
• Retain the approved method in writing

The City's watercourse development page says designated areas can include ponds, rivers, creeks, ditches, wetlands and surface drainage, and that land disturbance or drainage-system development may require review. It also explains that the City can confirm whether an exemption applies. Map nearby water features and the proposed disturbance, then ask the City about the actual property. Do not infer permit status from distance alone or begin excavation while a watercourse requirement remains unresolved.

• Map nearby ditches and water features
• Ask the City about permit or exemption status
• Resolve requirements before disturbance

Port Coquitlam's plumbing page lists installation or replacement of a private-property storm sewer among work requiring a plumbing permit, with limited exceptions for minor leaks, fixture replacement and blockage removal through cleanouts. Describe the proposed drain, sump, service or connection accurately and ask which applications, drawings and inspections apply. A permit page is a starting point, not approval. Keep responses, application numbers and inspection stages with the scope and update them if the outlet or replacement boundary changes.

• Describe the proposed connection accurately
• Retain City responses and application records
• Recheck after a material scope change

The final file should show the completed collection and outlet route, pump and control information, applicable permits and inspections, approved changes, testing, photographs and any ongoing maintenance requirements. Record inaccessible or unverified sections rather than describing the entire path as confirmed. Link the discharge record to the source checklist, inspection report, replacement scope and selected quote. This gives future owners and reviewers a clear account of what was changed without promising that one outlet decision removes every flood or moisture risk on the property.

• Map the completed route
• Retain permits, inspections and product records
• List remaining unknowns and maintenance needs