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Policy Id:

SPR/SPA:

Risk:

01-04

Grey Sauble, Northern Bruce Peninsula, Saugeen Valley

Significant

Implementing Body

Legal Effect

Policy Tool

Threat Type

Status

Comment

MECP – WDS – Hauled Sewage, Biosolids

Conform with

Prescribed Instruments

Future

Implemented

Since May 2015, the ministry screens all (including new and existing) hauled sewage, processed organic waste, and biosolids disposal site Environmental Compliance Approval applications in accordance with Source Water Protection Plans. This includes consideration of whether the proposed activity would be a drinking water threat as outlined in the relevant Source Water Protection Plan under the Clean Water Act. The ministry will not issue an Environmental Compliance Approval for a site deemed as a significant drinking water threat. For sites deemed as a low or moderate drinking water threat, the ministry will consider the application, but additional site restrictions may apply. The ministry’s review and approval process is included in the Standard Operating Procedure that can be found in Environmental Registry No. 012-2968 (https://ero.ontario.ca/archive/012-2968).

MECP - WDS - Landfilling and Storage

Conform with

Prescribed Instruments

Future

Implemented

At the secondary screening stage, ministry staff use the ECA application, other project-specific documents, the Source Protection Information Atlas online mapping tool, and the 2021 Technical Rules to determine if the proposed activity poses a significant drinking water threat (SDWT) activity. Where the proposed activity is assessed as posing a SDWT activity, the MECP’s Standard Operating Policy (SOP) related to the design and/or operational requirements and the applicable source protection plan (SPP) are referenced to inform the decision to be taken to ensure the new or amended ECA conforms with the applicable prescribed instrument (PI) policy to either manage or prohibit the activity.

Policy Text:

The policy applies in all vulnerable areas where the following waste disposal activities would be significant drinking water threats (future activity):

1. land disposal of petroleum refining waste within the meaning of clause (d) of the definition of "land disposal" in section 1 of Regulation 347 (General – Waste Management) R.R.O. 1990 made under the Environmental Protection Act
2. land disposal of hazardous waste, liquid industrial waste, or processed liquid industrial waste, within the meaning of clauses (a) and (b) of the definition of "land disposal" in section 1 of Regulation 347, R.R.O. 1990 (General – Waste Management) made under the Environmental Protection Act
3. land disposal of liquid industrial waste within the meaning of clause (c) of the definition of "land disposal" in section 1 of Regulation 347 (General – Waste Management) made under the Environmental Protection Act
4. land disposal of industrial waste or commercial waste within the meaning of clause (c) of the definition of "land disposal" in section 1 of Regulation 347 (General - Waste Management) made under the Environmental Protection Act
5. land disposal of municipal waste, within the meaning of clauses (a) and (b) of the definition of "land disposal" in section 1 of Regulation 347 (General – Waste Management) made under the Environmental Protection Act
6. storage, treatment and discharge of tailings from mines
7. storage of hazardous waste or liquid industrial waste
8. application of untreated septage to land

The policy applies to the following approvals from the Ministry of the Environment and Climate Change related to waste disposal activities as described in clauses (1) to (8) above :

A. approvals of waste disposal sites;
B. approvals of renewable energy facilities; and
C. approvals of sewage works

No new waste disposal sites as described in clauses (1) to (8) above shall be established (future activity).

For existing waste disposal sites, approval for an expansion or the renewal/updating of a previous approval may be given where:
i. the waste disposal site is one described by clauses (1) to (7) above; and
ii. the waste disposal site existed on the property as of the effective date of the Source Protection Plan; and
iii. the approval contains appropriate terms and conditions and requires adequate measures to be in place to ensure that the waste disposal activity ceases to be a significant drinking water threat.

Monitoring policy MP-03 applies.

Monitoring Text:

(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.