Wastewater Systems Effluent Regulations

Marginal note:Definitions

1 The following definitions apply in these Regulations.

Act

Act means the Fisheries Act. (Loi)

acutely lethal

acutely lethal, in relation to effluent, means that the effluent at 100% concentration kills, during a 96-hour period, more than 50% of the rainbow trout subjected to it. (létalité aiguë)

aquatic species

aquatic species[Repealed, SOR/2024-97, s. 1]

authorization officer

authorization officer, in respect of a province set out in column 1 of Schedule 1 and for each type of owner set out in column 2 of a wastewater system located in the province, means the holder of the position set out in column 3. (agent d’autorisation)

authorized representative

authorized representative means

• (a) in respect of an owner or operator who is an individual, that individual or another individual or an entity that is authorized to act on their behalf;

• (b) in respect of an owner or operator that is a corporation, an employee of the corporation, or another individual or an entity that is authorized to act on behalf of the corporation; and

• (c) in respect of an owner or operator that is an entity other than a corporation, an individual or entity that is authorized to act on its behalf. (représentant autorisé)

blackwater

blackwater means used water from sanitary appliances that contains human fecal matter or human urine. (eaux-vannes)

bypass

bypass, in relation to wastewater, means

• (a) the diversion of wastewater to an overflow point; or

• (b) the circumvention or the removal of one or more treatment steps normally applied to the wastewater before it is deposited as effluent, in any water or place referred to in subsection 36(3) of the Act, via a final discharge point. (dérivation)

carbonaceous biochemical oxygen demanding matter

carbonaceous biochemical oxygen demanding matter or CBOD matter means carbonaceous matter that consumes, by biochemical oxidation, oxygen dissolved in water. (matières exerçant une demande biochimique en oxygène de la partie carbonée ou matière exerçant une DBOC)

combined sewer

combined sewer means a sewer that is designed to collect surface runoff and stormwater in such a manner that it mixes with wastewater referred to in any of paragraphs (a) to (c) of the definition wastewater or any combination of wastewater referred to in those paragraphs. (égout unitaire)

composite sample

composite sample means

• (a) a composite sample as defined by the government of the province where the wastewater system is located, or under an Act of Parliament, if the definition applies to the wastewater system;

• (b) a quantity of effluent consisting of not less than three equal volumes or three volumes proportionate to the rate of flow that have been collected at approximately equal time intervals over

  • (i) the period during which effluent is deposited, if effluent is deposited only during part of the day, or

  • (ii) a sampling period of not less than seven hours and not more than 24 hours, if effluent is deposited throughout the day; or

• (c) a quantity of effluent collected continuously at a constant rate or at a rate proportionate to the rate of flow of the effluent over

  • (i) the period during which effluent is deposited, if effluent is deposited only during part of the day, or

  • (ii) a sampling period of not less than seven hours and not more than 24 hours, if effluent is deposited throughout the day. (échantillon composite)

effluent

effluent means wastewater that is deposited from a wastewater system. (effluent)

final discharge point

final discharge point means any point of a wastewater system, other than an overflow point, beyond which the owner or operator of the system no longer exercises control over the quality of the wastewater before it is deposited as effluent in water or a place. (point de rejet final)

greywater

greywater means used water, other than blackwater, from sanitary appliances or from other appliances in a kitchen or laundry. (eaux grises)

hydraulic retention time

hydraulic retention time, in relation to a wastewater system, means the average period during which wastewater is retained for treatment and storage prior to release from that system. (temps de rétention hydraulique)

influent

influent means wastewater entering a wastewater system. (affluent)

licensed professional

licensed professional means a licensed member of an engineering or scientific professional organization who has technical expertise in the field in question. (professionnel agréé)

overflow point

overflow point means a point of a wastewater system via which excess wastewater may be deposited in water or a place and beyond which its owner or operator no longer exercises control over the quality of wastewater before it is deposited as effluent. (point de débordement)

point of entry

point of entry, in relation to the final discharge point or an overflow point of a wastewater system, means

• (a) the point where effluent is deposited in water frequented by fish via the final discharge point or the overflow point, as the case may be; or

• (b) any point where the effluent enters that water from the place where it was deposited via the final discharge point or the overflow point, as the case may be. (point d’entrée)

previous calendar year

previous calendar year, in respect of a given period and a wastewater system, means the most recent calendar year during which effluent was deposited via the system’s final discharge point that ended before the given period. (année civile précédente)

previous month

previous month, in respect of a given period and a wastewater system, means the most recent month during which effluent was deposited via the system’s final discharge point that ended before the given period. (mois précédent)

previous quarter

previous quarter, in respect of a given period and a wastewater system, means the most recent quarter during which effluent was deposited via the system’s final discharge point that ended before the given period. (trimestre précédent)

Procedure for pH Stabilization EPS 1/RM/50

Procedure for pH Stabilization EPS 1/RM/50 means the Procedure for pH Stabilization During the Testing of Acute Lethality of Wastewater Effluent to Rainbow Trout (EPS 1/RM/50), March 2008, published by the Department of the Environment, as amended from time to time. (Procédure de stabilisation du pH SPE 1/RM/50)

protected aquatic species

protected aquatic species means an aquatic species as defined in subsection 2(1) of the Species at Risk Act that is

• (a) a species at risk as defined in that subsection or a species that is listed in Schedule 1 to that Act; or

• (b) a species that is protected — or classified as an endangered species or threatened species as defined in that subsection — under the laws of a province. (espèce aquatique protégée)

protected species

protected species[Repealed, SOR/2024-97, s. 1]

quarter

quarter, in respect of a year, means a period of three months that begins on the first day of January, April, July or October. (trimestre)

Reference Method EPS 1/RM/13

Reference Method EPS 1/RM/13 means the Biological Test Method: Reference Method for Determining Acute Lethality of Effluents to Rainbow Trout (EPS 1/RM/13 Second Edition), December 2000 with May 2007 amendments, published by the Department of the Environment, as amended from time to time. (Méthode de Référence SPE 1/RM/13)

sanitary sewer

sanitary sewer means a sewer that is designed to collect wastewater referred to in any of paragraphs (a) to (c) of the definition wastewater or any combination of wastewater referred to in those paragraphs. (égout sanitaire)

suspended solids

suspended solids or SS means any solid matter contained in effluent that is retained on a filter that has a nominal pore size of 1.5 micrometres or smaller. (matières en suspension ou MES)

total residual chlorine

total residual chlorine means the sum of free chlorine and combined chlorine, including inorganic chloramines. (chlore résiduel total)

wastewater

wastewater means

• (a) blackwater;

• (b) greywater that is mixed with blackwater;

• (c) used water — other than blackwater and greywater — from an industrial, commercial or institutional facility that is mixed with blackwater; or

• (d) surface runoff and stormwater that is mixed with blackwater. (eaux usées)

wastewater system

wastewater system means any work or undertaking, at least part of which is located on land, that is used for the collection and deposit of wastewater, whether or not the wastewater is treated, and includes a site that contains a wastewater lagoon. (système d’assainissement)