Ministry of Environment Environmental Protection Division

1. Provincial Liquid Waste Regulations • Sewage is regulated in British Columbia by the Environmental Management Act (EMA). • EMA provides two main mechanisms to authorize sewage discharges: • Municipal Sewage Regulation • Describes the technical standards that must be met, and the process for doing so. • Liquid Waste Management Planning Process • Sets out the Region's commitment to safeguarding its water quality, human health and the environment. Ministry of Environment Environmental Protection Division Presentation to CRD Sewage Forum, Sept. 26, 2005

2. Definitions • “Primary treatment"any form of treatment, excluding dilution, that consistently produces an effluent quality with a BOD5 not exceeding 130 mg/L and TSS not exceeding 130 mg/L; • “Secondary treatment"any form of treatment, excluding dilution, that consistently produces an effluent quality with a BOD5 not exceeding 45 mg/L and TSS not exceeding 45 mg/L, except for lagoon systems for which the effluent quality is not to exceed a BOD5 of 45 mg/L and a TSS of 60 mg/L; • “Initial Dilution Zone (IDZ)”the 3 dimensional zone around the point of discharge where mixing of the effluent and the receiving water occurs. Ministry of Environment Environmental Protection Division Presentation to CRD Sewage Forum, Sept. 26, 2005

3. The Liquid Waste Management Plan (LWMP) • Provides a long range mechanism for communities to achieve provincial standards in a manner takes into consideration: • the assimilative capacity of the receiving environment, • the ability to finance the upgraded sewage facilities, • public input to the waste management planning process • The purpose of the LWMP is to: • Involve the public • Define sewage issues and problems; • Identify and evaluate options; and • Prepare an action plan for implementation. Ministry of Environment Environmental Protection Division Presentation to CRD Sewage Forum, Sept. 26, 2005

4. The Goals of LWMPs: • Pollution prevention (3Rs) • reduce the toxic contaminants discharging to sewers and ultimately in the effluent; • reuse the municipal sludge beneficially; and • recycle the effluent economically as irrigation or industrial process water. • The principle of polluter pay • Allows a staged upgrading of facilities over time to achieve the goals. • Secondary sewage treatment best meets these goals and will satisfy the toxicity requirements of the Federal Fisheries Act. • Secondary treatment enables nutrients and water to be economically recovered and residuals to be beneficially managed. • Secondary sludge and effluent provides a good monitor on effectiveness of source control programs Ministry of Environment Environmental Protection Division Presentation to CRD Sewage Forum, Sept. 26, 2005

5. Waste addressed in a LWMP include: • municipal sewage; • urban storm water runoff; • combined sewer overflows; • septic tank pumpage; • pump station overflows; • sewage treatment plant sludge; • industrial or commercial wastes discharged to municipal sewers; and • septic tanks and other sewage disposal systems not connected to the community sewer system; • any other effluent specified by a manager. • Estimates of waste quantity and quality should be based on long-term growth projections. Ministry of Environment Environmental Protection Division Presentation to CRD Sewage Forum, Sept. 26, 2005

6. The LWMP is a three stage process: • A written record of a community's decisions and plans. • STAGE 1 • Develop realistic options • Includes provision for public input • STAGE 2. • Examine options and associated costs in detail • Includes provisions for public input • Results in a draft waste management plan • STAGE 3 • Select a final option, complete with discharge standards, implementation schedule, cost estimates and proposed financing • Includes provision for further public input Ministry of Environment Environmental Protection Division Presentation to CRD Sewage Forum, Sept. 26, 2005

7. Municipal Sewage Regulation (MSR): • The regulation spells out the rules for treating municipal sewage, reusing highly-treated sewage effluent and disposing of effluent that cannot be reused. • The regulation strengthens environmental standards to ensure protection of fish habitat, water supplies and recreational use of water. The regulation also encourages local governments to implement water conservation measures and liquid waste management planning to further protect the environment. Ministry of Environment Environmental Protection Division Presentation to CRD Sewage Forum, Sept. 26, 2005

8. Municipal Sewage Regulation (MSR): • Discharges to water • 11 (1) A person must not introduce effluent to water unless: • the effluent quality standards for discharges to water as set out in Schedule 3 or 5 are met, and • (b) an environmental impact study has been conducted in accordance with condition 8 in Schedule 1. Ministry of Environment Environmental Protection Division Presentation to CRD Sewage Forum, Sept. 26, 2005

9. Municipal Sewage Regulation (MSR): Effluent quality 7 (1) A person must not discharge effluent or provide reclaimed water that exceeds the effluent quality limits for use as reclaimed water or for discharge to the environment set out in Schedules 2 to 5. (2) Unless specifically stated otherwise, the effluent quality limits specified in Schedules 2 to 5 are maximum values not to be exceeded Ministry of Environment Environmental Protection Division Presentation to CRD Sewage Forum, Sept. 26, 2005

10. Municipal Sewage Regulation (MSR): • Initial dilution zone • 5 (1) If effluent is discharged into a water body, the initial dilution zone is the 3 dimensional zone around the point of discharge where mixing of the effluent and the receiving water occurs. • (2) For a lake or marine body of water, the following, measured from the point of discharge and from the mean low water mark, apply for purposes of calculating the initial dilution zone: • (a) the height is the distance from the bed to surface of the water body; • (b) the radius is either • (i) 100 m, or • (ii) 25% of the width of the body of water, whichever is less. • 6 The initial dilution zone must be located at least 300 m away from sensitive areas such as recreational areas, shellfish areas, domestic water intakes, agricultural water intakes, or any other sensitive area requiring protection as identified by the manager. Ministry of Environment Environmental Protection Division Presentation to CRD Sewage Forum, Sept. 26, 2005

11. CRD Core Area LWMP: • The Capital Regional District (CRD) completed a Liquid Waste Management Plan (LWMP) in July 2000 to serve the municipalities of Colwood, Esquimalt, Langford, Oak Bay, Saanich, Victoria and View Royal. • The plan provides a strategy for managing liquid wastes for the next 25 years, and has been approved by the provincial Minister of Environment. • The Core Area plan complements the Saanich Peninsula LWMP that serves the municipalities of Central Saanich, North Saanich and Sidney. Ministry of Environment Environmental Protection Division Presentation to CRD Sewage Forum, Sept. 26, 2005

12. CRD Core Area LWMP: • CRD Makes commitments for: • Source control • Managing inflow and infiltration • Wastewater and marine assessment • Stormwater quality management • Harbours environmental action • Management of trucked and liquid waste • Management of sewage system overflows • Wastewater treatment and disposal • Trigger process • Effluent monitoring and analysis • Surface water monitoring and analysis for human health risk • Water column investigations • Review and Reporting Ministry of Environment Environmental Protection Division Presentation to CRD Sewage Forum, Sept. 26, 2005

13. CRD Core Area LWMP: • 2003 Minister’s Approval of LWMP stipulated: • Set triggers (sediment and water column) that will result in provision of primary treatment within 3 years if exceeded: • acceptable to Ministry staff • Reflect requirements of the MSR • Discharges not cause water quality parameters outside the IDZ to exceed water quality guidelines Ministry of Environment Environmental Protection Division Presentation to CRD Sewage Forum, Sept. 26, 2005

14. CRD Core Area LWMP: • 2003 Minister’s Approval of LWMP stipulated: • Maintain MMAG (EC, MOE, DFO, UVic, RRU, CC). • Study: • Endocrine disruptors, pharmaceuticals, persistent organic pollutants, sediment transport • mechanisms. • Pilot test primary treatment technologies • Sludge management plan and siting. • Public input into the plan • Plan for elimination of sanitary sewer overflows • Plan for elimination of combined sewers (Oak Bay). Ministry of Environment Environmental Protection Division Presentation to CRD Sewage Forum, Sept. 26, 2005