Wastewater Systems Effluent Regulations

Marginal note:Average daily volume deposited annually

• 7 (1) The owner or operator of a wastewater system must, for each calendar year, calculate the average daily volume of effluent deposited via all of the system’s final discharge points by

  • (a) determining, in accordance with subsection (2), for each day during that calendar year when effluent was deposited, the volume of effluent deposited via each of the final discharge points, expressed in m³;

  • (b) calculating the sum of the daily volumes of effluent of all of the discharge points referred to in paragraph (a); and

  • (c) dividing that sum by the number of days in that calendar year.

• Marginal note:Daily volumes

  (2) The volume of effluent during each day referred to in paragraph (1)(a) must be determined

  • (a) for an intermittent wastewater system,

    • (i) by using monitoring equipment referred to in section 9 that provides

      • (A) a continuous measure of the volume of influent, or effluent deposited via the final discharge point, during that day, or

      • (B) a measure of the rate of flow of the influent or that effluent upon which that daily volume may be estimated, or

    • (ii) by using a method of estimation in accordance with subsection (4);

  • (b) for a continuous wastewater system,

    • (i) by using monitoring equipment referred to in section 9 that provides

      • (A) a continuous measure of the volume of influent, or effluent deposited via the final discharge point, during that day, if the average daily volume of effluent deposited via all final discharge points during the previous calendar year was more than 2 500 m³, or

      • (B) a continuous measure of the volume of influent or effluent deposited over this day, or a measure of the rate of flow of that influent or effluent, that allows for the daily volume of effluent to be estimated, if the average daily volume of effluent deposited via all final discharge points during the previous calendar year was 2 500 m³ or less, or

    • (ii) by using a method of estimation in accordance with subsection (4) if

      • (A) a transitional authorization has been issued under subsection 26(1) in respect of the continuous wastewater system, and

      • (B) the average daily volume of effluent deposited via all final discharge points during the previous calendar year was less than 2 500 m³.

• Marginal note:Daily volume estimate — rate of flow

  (3) For the purpose of paragraph (1)(a), if the owner or operator estimates the daily volume of effluent deposited via the final discharge point based on the measured rate of flow referred to in clause (2)(a)(i)(B) or (b)(i)(B), the estimation is to be done as follows:

  • (a) measure the rate of flow of influent, or effluent deposited via the final discharge point, in any chosen unit of volume for any chosen unit of time; and

  • (b) calculate that volume based on that rate of flow for the duration of the deposits of effluent made on that day and, if applicable, convert it to m³.

• Marginal note:Method of estimation

  (4) The owner or operator of a wastewater system who has established a method of estimation of the volume of effluent must ensure that it is based on generally accepted engineering practices and use it to estimate the daily volume of effluent deposited via the final discharge point with a margin of error of ±15%.