Create a rain-event water map
During safe representative rainfall, mark where water first appears, the direction it travels and where it remains after the rain ends. Add times to the photos so the record shows persistence, not just presence. Include building downspouts, landscaped edges and neighbouring runoff where visible, while avoiding any conclusion about ownership or cause before a site review.
Inspect visible collection points
Locate catch basins, trench drains, curb openings, swales and edge outlets. Photograph visible debris, broken frames, settlement and the pavement immediately around each feature without opening covers or entering confined spaces. Ask who will confirm that the receiving system is functional and whether cleaning, adjustment or drainage construction is included in the paving estimate.
Record grade-sensitive interfaces
Show door sills, loading bays, ramps, curbs, concrete pads, utility lids and roadway connections. Even small elevation changes can affect drainage or create an awkward transition. Require proposals to state how milling, levelling and new asphalt thickness will meet these fixed points and who will check finished grades before the area is accepted.
Connect wet areas with pavement distress
Overlay the water map on the condition map and note where ponding aligns with cracking, deformation, edge failure or repeated patches. The relationship can guide questions about grades, drainage and base conditions, but it does not prove causation. Ask what investigation is needed before the bidder commits to a method, quantity or expected outcome.
Clarify private and public boundaries
Determine whether the proposed work stops within the private lot or affects a driveway crossing, boulevard, municipal drain or public road. Langley City and the Township publish separate engineering and permit information. The correct authority and requirements depend on the exact property and scope, so confirm jurisdiction before relying on a generic permit assumption.
Separate paving from drainage design
A paving company can price asphalt work, but a complex grade change, new collection system or connection may require survey, engineering or municipal review. Ask the estimate to name any design basis, elevations supplied by others and excluded professional services. Keeping responsibilities explicit avoids treating a surface proposal as a complete drainage design when it is not.
Set drainage checks for closeout
Before final acceptance, confirm that drains and utility covers remain accessible, transitions are safe, intended flow paths are unobstructed and visible defects are recorded. Where practical and appropriate, arrange a water-flow check or inspection defined by the project team. Retain before-and-after photos, elevation or testing records supplied, and written responsibility for any unresolved item.
The Township publishes development-servicing and engineering resources that include drainage-related documents. Langley City publishes its own engineering design criteria. The correct contact and review path depend on the civic address, ownership boundary and proposed drainage work.
Township of Langley — Development Servicing · Langley City — Engineering Design Criteria
Sources reviewed September 22, 2026. Confirm current requirements for the exact address and proposed work.