Durham does not publish a rebate that you keep. It offers an interest-free loan of up to $3,000 for a sump pump and an approved backwater valve, after a sanitary sewer backup in an existing home. The loan is repaid in equal amounts on the quarterly water and sewer bill, within 3 years.
Covers Pickering, Ajax, Whitby, and Oshawa.
What the loan can cover
One loan per eligible flooding event, up to $3,000 combined for the sump pump and the backwater valve. It is advanced against original invoices after a municipal plumbing inspector approves the installation.
- Sump pump and backwater valve$3,000
| Eligible work | Share | Maximum loan |
|---|---|---|
| Sump pump and backwater valve | Up to the maximum | $3,000 |
Who can apply
- The home is an existing residential property in Durham, including Pickering, Ajax, Whitby, and Oshawa.
- You can show the basement flooded from a sanitary sewer backup.
- A municipal plumbing inspector has approved the installation.
- You submit original invoices for the eligible contracting work.
905-668-7711
How we handle the paperwork
- 1
Report the flood
Durham asks you to report basement flooding to the local Works depot so staff can look at the source.
- 2
Install only what the loan covers
The notice covers a sump pump and an approved backwater valve. We quote those as separate lines so the invoices match.
- 3
The loan is added to the water bill
There is no interest. Repayment is in equal amounts on the quarterly water and sewer bill, and the term is not more than 3 years.
Questions about this program
No. It is an interest-free loan of up to $3,000. You repay it on the water and sewer bill within 3 years. It is not a subsidy like Toronto's.
The loan notice says it is for owners who have had sanitary sewerage flooding in the basement. A house with no flood history is not described as eligible.
Amounts were checked against the Region of Durham Basement Flooding Loan Program on October 5, 2026. The loan terms are in the Region's sump pump loan notice (PDF), linked from that page. Sump pump loan notice (PDF).