Charlottetown wants residents to remove water-powered sump pumps

The City of Charlottetown is reminding people to remove water-powered sump pumps from their homes.

The city cautioned against using the pumps a few years ago, but officials said many are still in use. 

Joshua McInnis, manager of Charlottetown's water and sewer utility, said the city wants residents to remove the pumps as soon as possible because they draw water from the city's supply.

"Typically, it's a two-to-one ratio with these pumps. Some of them are a little bit different, but it'll use a litre of water to pump out two litres of water," McInnis said. 

"If it's an extremely heavy kind of rain event and you're having a lot of water within your basement, [the pump] could consume a significant amount of water." 

The city said this type of sump pump became more popular after post-tropical storm Fiona because it doesn't rely on electricity when the power is out. 

The pump uses municipal water to create a vacuum that pulls water out of the flooded area before pumping it out of the house. 

If the municipal water supply is depleted, McInnis said it can affect the day-to-day lives of residents. 

"That's our drinking water, that's our potable water," he said.

"If you want to go to the tap and take a drink or if you need to have a shower, if we're shy on water, that limits what we can do and what we can supply."  

Pumps can increase water bills

McInnis said water-powered sump pumps can also cause a spike in residents' water bills since they use water to pump out water.

"Typically, they'll come to us to reason out why their bill is so high, and we'll go through a process of elimination," he said.

"If it comes to light that this is the cause in the house, then we'll ask them to have it uninstalled, and that should decrease their water bill." 

McInnis said if residents don't see any electrical wiring coming out of their sump pump, there's a chance it's water-powered. He recommends calling a plumber to install a sump pump that meets the needs of your home. 

The city said it does not plan to issue fines to anyone still using a water-powered sump pump.