The policy applies in all vulnerable areas where the following activities related to the establishment, operation or maintenance of a system that collects, stores, transmits, treats or disposes of sewage would be significant drinking water threats (future activity):

1. industrial effluent discharge
2. sewage treatment plant bypass discharge to surface water
3. storage of sewage (e.g. treatment plant tanks)
4. sewage treatment plant effluent discharge (including lagoons)

The policy applies to approvals from the Ministry of the Environment and Climate Change related to approvals to establish, alter, extend or replace new or existing sewage works as described in clauses (1) to (4) above.

No new sewage works as described in clauses (1) to (4) above shall be established (future activity).

Approval for an expansion of an existing sewage works or the renewal/updating of a previous approval for an existing sewage works may be given where:
i. the sewage works is one described by clauses (1) to (4) above; and
ii. the sewage works existed on the property as of the effective date of the Source Protection Plan; and
iii. the approval is either:
a. a renewal of a previous approval related to a site as described by clause (i) and (ii); or
b. a new approval related to a site as described by clause (i) and (ii); and
iv. the approval contains appropriate terms and conditions and requires adequate measures to be in place to ensure that the sewage works ceases to be a significant drinking water threat.

Monitoring policy MP-03 applies.

(MP-03): The Ministry of the Environment and Climate Change should, by February 15 each year, provide to the local Source Protection Authority, a summary report for the preceding calendar year that gives information on the number of occasions where: a) approvals were provided in the affected vulnerable areas and b) approvals were denied as a result of these policies.