The proposal is to amend the Regulations to make transitional authorizations that will expire at the end of 2030 or 2040 available for owners of wastewater systems that do not currently have one and are eligible. The proposal will be based on the existing eligibility criteria of the Regulations and the existing system of points in Schedule 2, and where applicable, Schedule 3. Any deposits that are not authorized under the Regulations remain subject to the general prohibition in subsection 36(3) of the Fisheries Act.
Timeline: Environment and Climate Change Canada will be consulting interested parties on this proposal throughout 2020. The proposed amendments are intended to be published in the Canada Gazette, Part I, in the fall of 2021.
Background: The Wastewater Systems Effluent Regulations came into force in 2012. National effluent quality standards, achievable through a secondary level of treatment, came into effect in 2015. The Regulations provide an authorization under the Fisheries Act to release effluent into water, as set out in the Regulations, for communities who are in compliance with the regulatory requirements. Communities not in compliance with the Regulations are subject to the general prohibition of the Fisheries Act, and potential enforcement actions. The Regulations apply to any wastewater system that is designed to collect an average daily volume of 100m3 or more (which is equivalent to a community of approximately 250 people).
CWWA has already sent this information to our Wastewater and Stormwater Committee, and are prepared to discuss and comment on the proposal when it is published. This will also be a topic addressed at our Window on Ottawa webinar in October.
Access Gazette Notice at:
http://gazette.gc.ca/rp-pr/p1/2020/2020-06-27/html/notice-avis-eng.html#na3
Canadian Water and Wastewater Association