Stormwater is rainwater and snowmelt that flows over roads, driveways, parking lots, and other surfaces. Lincoln's stormwater system is designed to collect and safely move this water through a network of catch basins, storm sewers, ditches, culverts, and stormwater management facilities. The system helps reduce flooding risks, protect properties, and support local waterways.
The Town of Lincoln maintains and inspects stormwater infrastructure throughout the year and conducts an annual catch basin cleaning program each spring. Before significant rainfall events, staff also monitor weather forecasts and inspect high-priority drainage areas to help ensure infrastructure is functioning as intended.
Why Flooding Can Still Happen
Even well-maintained stormwater systems can be challenged by extreme weather. Intense rainfall occurring over a short period of time can generate more water than drainage systems are designed to convey at once, resulting in localized flooding, ponding on roads, and temporary drainage issues. Stormwater infrastructure is designed to manage significant rain events, but exceptionally high rainfall totals and rainfall intensity can overwhelm drainage systems.
For example, on July 21, 2026, Lincoln received more than 110 mm of rainfall in just over an hour. Rainfall of this magnitude can exceed the capacity of municipal drainage systems and create flooding impacts throughout a community.
Building for Future Resilience
The Town continues to invest in stormwater infrastructure and requires stormwater management measures for new residential, commercial, and industrial developments in accordance with provincial and industry standards. These measures are intended to help control runoff, reduce flood risks, and protect existing neighbourhoods and downstream properties.
The Town also works closely with Niagara Region and other partners to identify opportunities to strengthen infrastructure and improve resilience to increasingly frequent and intense weather events.
How Residents Can Help
Did You Know?
Stormwater systems are designed to manage rain and snowmelt, but during severe weather events, rainfall can fall faster than water can be conveyed through drainage systems. This is why localized flooding can still occur even when infrastructure is functioning properly.
New Development and Stormwater Management
Managing stormwater is a key part of the development approval process in the Town of Lincoln. Before a new residential, commercial, or industrial development can proceed, detailed engineering studies must demonstrate that the proposed development will not negatively impact surrounding properties or increase downstream flood risks.
New developments are required to include stormwater management measures that meet provincial regulations and industry design standards. These systems are designed to control the quantity and rate of runoff leaving a site, helping to ensure that post-development drainage conditions are comparable to, or better than, those that existed before development occurred.
Stormwater management facilities may include:
- Stormwater management ponds
- Underground storage systems
- Enhanced drainage infrastructure
- Controlled outlet structures
- Water quality treatment features
- Low-impact development measures such as infiltration and runoff reduction systems
These systems are carefully engineered to temporarily store runoff during rainfall events and release it at controlled rates, helping to protect nearby properties, waterways, and municipal infrastructure.