Metal and Diamond Mining Effluent Regulations

1 (1) The following definitions apply in these Regulations.

Act

Act means the Fisheries Act. (Loi)

acute lethality test

acute lethality test[Repealed, SOR/2018-99, s. 2]

acutely lethal

acutely lethal, in respect of an effluent, means that the effluent at 100% concentration kills

• (a) more than 50% of the rainbow trout subjected to it for a period of 96 hours, when tested in accordance with the acute lethality test set out in section 14.1;

• (b) more than 50% of the threespine stickleback subjected to it for a period of 96 hours, when tested in accordance with the acute lethality test set out in section 14.2;

• (c) more than 50% of the Daphnia magna subjected to it for a period of 48 hours, when tested in accordance with the acute lethality test set out in section 14.3; or

• (d) more than 50% of the Acartia tonsa subjected to it for a period of 48 hours, when tested in accordance with the acute lethality test set out in section 14.4. (létalité aiguë)

acutely lethal effluent

acutely lethal effluent[Repealed, SOR/2018-99, s. 2]

authorization officer

authorization officer[Repealed, SOR/2018-99, s. 2]

commercial operation

commercial operation, in respect of a mine, means an average rate of production equal to or greater than 10% of the design-rated capacity of the mine over a period of 90 consecutive days. (exploitation commerciale)

composite sample

composite sample means

• (a) a quantity of effluent consisting of not less than three equal volumes or three volumes proportionate to flow that have been collected at approximately equal time intervals over a sampling period of not less than seven hours and not more than 24 hours; or

• (b) a quantity of effluent collected continuously at a constant rate or at a rate proportionate to the rate of flow of the effluent over a sampling period of not less than seven hours and not more than 24 hours. (échantillon composite)

Daphnia magna monitoring test

Daphnia magna monitoring test[Repealed, SOR/2018-99, s. 2]

deleterious substance

deleterious substance[Repealed, SOR/2018-99, s. 2]

diamond mine

diamond mine means any work or undertaking that is designed or is used, or has been used, in connection with a mining or milling activity to produce a diamond or an ore from which a diamond may be produced. It includes any cleared or disturbed area that is adjacent to such a work or undertaking. (mine de diamants)

effluent

effluent means any of the following:

• (a) hydrometallurgical facility effluent, milling facility effluent, mine water effluent, tailings impoundment area effluent, treatment pond effluent or treatment facility effluent other than effluent from a sewage treatment facility; or

• (b) any seepage or surface runoff containing any deleterious substance that flows over, through or out of the site of a mine. (effluent)

final discharge point

final discharge point, in respect of an effluent, means an identifiable discharge point of a mine beyond which the operator of the mine no longer exercises control over the quality of the effluent. (point de rejet final)

grab sample

grab sample[Repealed, SOR/2018-99, s. 2]

hydrometallurgical facility effluent

hydrometallurgical facility effluent means effluent from the acidic leaching, solution concentration and recovery of metals by means of aqueous chemical methods, tailings slurries, and all other effluents deposited from a hydrometallurgical facility. (effluent d’installations d’hydrométallurgie)

hydrometallurgy

hydrometallurgy means the production of a metal by means of aqueous chemical methods for acidic leaching, solution concentration and recovery of metals from metal-bearing minerals other than metal-bearing minerals that have been thermally pre-treated or blended with metal-bearing minerals that have been thermally pre-treated. (hydrométallurgie)

metal mine

metal mine means any work or undertaking that is designed or is used, or has been used, in connection with a mining, milling or hydrometallurgical activity to produce a metal or a metal concentrate or an ore from which a metal or a metal concentrate may be produced, as well as any cleared or disturbed area that is adjacent to such a work or undertaking. It includes any work or undertaking, such as a smelter, pelletizing plant, sintering plant, refinery or acid plant, if its effluent is combined with the effluent from a mining, milling or hydrometallurgical activity whose purpose is to produce a metal or a metal concentrate or an ore from which a metal or a metal concentrate may be produced. (mine de métaux)

milling

milling means any of the following activities for the purpose of producing a diamond, metal or metal concentrate:

• (a) the crushing or grinding of ore or kimberlite;

• (b) the processing of uranium ore or uranium enriched solution; or

• (c) the processing of tailings. (préparation du minerai)

milling facility effluent

milling facility effluent means tailing slurries, heap leaching effluent, solution mining effluent and all other effluent deposited from a milling facility. (effluent d’installations de préparation du minerai)

mine

mine[Repealed, SOR/2018-99, s. 2]

mine under development

mine under development[Repealed, SOR/2018-99, s. 2]

mine water effluent

mine water effluent means, in respect of mining activities, water that is pumped from or flows out of any underground works, solution chambers or open pits. (effluent d’eau de mine)

monthly mean concentration

monthly mean concentration means the average value of the concentrations measured in all composite or grab samples collected from each final discharge point during each month when a deleterious substance is deposited. (concentration moyenne mensuelle)

new mine

new mine[Repealed, SOR/2018-99, s. 2]

operations area

operations area[Repealed, SOR/2018-99, s. 2]

operator

operator means any person who operates, has control or custody of or is in charge of a mine. (exploitant)

placer mining

placer mining means a mining operation that extracts minerals or metals from stream sediments by gravity or magnetic separation. (exploitation des placers)

recognized closed mine

recognized closed mine[Repealed, SOR/2018-99, s. 2]

Reference Method EPS 1/RM/10

Reference Method EPS 1/RM/10 means Biological Test Method: Reference Method for Determining Acute Lethality Using Threespine Stickleback, published in December 2017 by the Department of the Environment, as amended from time to time. (méthode de référence SPE 1/RM/10)

Reference Method EPS 1/RM/13

Reference Method EPS 1/RM/13 means Biological Test Method: Reference Method for Determining Acute Lethality of Effluents to Rainbow Trout (Reference Method EPS 1/RM/13), July 1990, published by the Department of the Environment, as amended in December 2000, and as may be further amended from time to time. (méthode de référence SPE 1/RM/13)

Reference Method EPS 1/RM/14

Reference Method EPS 1/RM/14 means Biological Test Method: Reference Method for Determining Acute Lethality of Effluents to Daphnia magna (Reference Method EPS 1/RM/14), July 1990, published by the Department of the Environment, as amended in December 2000, and as may be further amended from time to time. (méthode de référence SPE 1/RM/14)

Reference Method STB 1/RM/60

Reference Method STB 1/RM/60 means Biological Test Method: Reference Method for Determining Acute Lethality Using Acartia tonsa, published in June 2019 by the Department of the Environment, as amended from time to time. (méthode de référence DGST 1/RM/60)

reopened mine

reopened mine[Repealed, SOR/2018-99, s. 2]

surface drainage

surface drainage[Repealed, SOR/2018-99, s. 2]

suspended solids

suspended solids means any solid matter contained in an effluent that is retained on a 1.5 micron pore filter paper when the effluent is tested in compliance with the analytical requirements set out in Table 1 of Schedule 3. (matières en suspension)

tailings impoundment area

tailings impoundment area[Repealed, SOR/2006-239, s. 1]

total suspended solids

total suspended solids[Repealed, SOR/2018-99, s. 2]

transitional authorization

transitional authorization[Repealed, SOR/2018-99, s. 2]

treatment facility effluent

treatment facility effluent means water from a polishing pond, treatment pond, settling pond or water treatment plant or from any mine effluent treatment facility. (effluent d’installations de traitement)

(2) Every reference in these Regulations to column 1, 2, 3 or 4 of Schedule 4 shall be read as

• (a) a reference to column 1, 2, 3 or 4 of Table 1 of Schedule 4, in the case of a mine to which subparagraph 4(1)(a)(i) applies; or

• (b) a reference to column 1, 2, 3 or 4 of Table 2 of Schedule 4, in the case of a mine to which subparagraph 4(1)(a)(ii) applies.