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Guidelines for Developing a Liquid Waste Management Plan Table of Contents Section 1.0: Introduction
Section
2.0: Outline of liquid waste management plans
Section 3.0: Discussion of Liquid Waste Management Plan aspects
Section 4.0: Implementation schedule Section
5.0: Liquid Waste Management Planning Process
Section 6.0: Implementation Director — A person employed by the Crown and designated in writing by the minister as a director of waste management, or as an acting, deputy or assistant director of waste management. Effluent — A substance that is discharged into water or onto land and that
Environment — The air, land, water and all other external conditions or influences under which man, animals and plants live or are developed Facility — Includes any land or building, and any machinery, equipment, device, tank, system or other works Land — The solid part of the earth's surface and includes the foreshore and land covered by water Manager — A person employed by the Crown and designated in writing by the Minister as a regional waste manager or an acting, assistant or deputy regional waste manager Municipal Liquid Waste — Defined in section 23 of the Environmental Management Act as
Municipality — A city, town or village incorporated by or under an act, and includes a district municipality, a regional district, an improvement district that has as an object the disposal of sewage or refuse, or the provision of a system for the disposal of sewage or refuse or both, and the Greater Vancouver Sewerage and Drainage District Officer — (a) A person or class of persons employed by the Crown or a municipality and designated in writing by the director as an officer, or (b) A person designated as a conservation officer under section 106 (3) of the Environmental Management Act Operational Certificate — Is defined under section l(l) of the Environmental Management Act as a certificate issued under section 28 of the Environmental Management Act for the design, operation, maintenance, performance and closure of sites or facilities used for the storage, treatment or disposal of recyclable material or waste Pollution — The presence in the environment of substances or contaminants that substantially alter or impair the usefulness of the environment The Environmental Management Act allows municipalities and regional districts to develop Liquid Waste Management Plans for approval by the Minister of Environment. The Liquid Waste Management Plan (LWMP) consists of operational certificates, which replace waste discharge permits; a strategy to ensure liquid waste disposal conforms with Ministry objectives; an implementation schedule; and measures to accommodate future development. An approved plan authorizes a municipality to discharge waste and store recyclable materials in accordance with Operational Certificates, other provisions of the waste management plan, and the Minister's requirements. In most cases, LWMPs will prove more economical and more effective than the permit system, and it is anticipated that municipalities and regional districts will develop plans voluntarily. The Environmental Management Act now allows the minister to direct a municipality to prepare or revise a waste management plan. LWMPs must be consistent with the ministry's long-term waste management objectives. These guidelines will help municipalities determine what should be addressed in a Liquid Waste Management Plan. In
accordance with the Ministry of Environment's
vision statement, the ministry's long-term goal is to achieve zero
pollution. The proactive strategy to achieve this goal includes:
The assimilative capacity of the receiving environment will be utilized only to allow time to upgrade to BACT. Receiving water quality standards will be used to determine where discharge criteria need to be more stringent than that provided by BACT. This strategy represents a major change in the traditional regulatory approach to environmental protection, which attempted to deal with pollution after it occurred. The future emphasis will be on pollution prevention and on involving all stakeholders in an open and consultative approach to environmental protection. Best
Available Control Technology (BACT) is determined based on optimum
capacity to promote pollution prevention using the 3Rs and resource
recovery and residuals management. For example:For sewage discharges,
pollution prevention using the 3Rs means that the ministry wishes
to:
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. Tertiary treatment can be readily applied to reduce specific contaminants when necessary. Secondary sludge and effluent can be routinely tested for toxicity and metals, and provide a good monitor on toxic discharges to the sewer and the effectiveness of source control programs. BACT for sewage discharges has therefore been determined to be secondary treatment. Over the next few years, BACT will be determined for combined sewer overflows, pump stations, sludge treatment, source controls, septic tank pumpage and urban storm water runoff. Specific BACT criteria will be developed for all types of liquid waste discharges.
The
strategy to achieve zero pollution applies to existing facilities
with primary treatment or no treatment, and can be implemented in
stages, taking into account the assimilative capacity of the receiving
environment, the ability to finance the upgraded sewage facilities,
and public input to the waste management planning process. This
means that raw sewage discharges to the ocean could be upgraded
first to primary treatment and ultimately to secondary treatment
over a period of time. Liquid Waste Management Plans (LWMP) will
be used to determine the schedule for upgrading to secondary treatment.
Liquid Waste Management Plans will be consistent with this strategy
and include:
1.4 Relationship between official community land-use plans and Liquid Waste Management Plans There is a clear link between land-use planning required of local governments in the Municipal Act (sections 944, 945) and waste management plans in the Environmental Management Act (part 3, section 24).An official community land-use plan is a statement of objectives and policies regarding future land-use patterns in incorporated municipalities or in designated areas of regional districts. The official plan provides a clear statement to the public and the province about local government's growth management objectives and provides the rationale for subsequent land-use regulations. In most cases where official land use plans are in place, the local government planning statement (bylaw) will form the basis of waste management plans. The Liquid Waste Management Plan minimizes the adverse environmental impact of the official plan and ensures that development is consistent with Ministry of Environment waste management objectives. Local government land use planning is essentially a process of anticipating changes in land use and determining how to manage or influence these changes for the benefit of the community or region. In their official land use plans, local governments:
Wastes to be addressed in the Liquid Waste Management Plan should include, but are not necessarily limited to:
Estimates of waste quantity and quality should be based on long-term growth projections. For waste management planning areas where official land use plans are not in place or where it is deemed the background information of a land use plan is inadequate, growth projections must be developed. The location of a treatment facility or point of discharge can be most important in:
The collection system and trunk sewers can be the major cost of sewage disposal works. Their location and design should be selected with care to avoid unnecessary expenditures. The use of satellite treatment plants can in some cases reduce costs and provide flexibility for the construction of other works. Sewage works — including collection and storm sewers, trunk sewers, pump stations, treatment plants, industrial pretreatment facilities, sludge treatment and handling works, and outfalls — should be considered as a complete, interrelated system. A change in the design or location of one part can affect the other parts of the system. To avoid costly future changes, facilities should be located where long-term land use conflicts will be minimized and where there is ample room for additions and alterations. As the location of waste treatment is also a land-use issue, local governments are encouraged to incorporate waste treatment infrastructure considerations in the official planning process. These should address the location of trunk sewer services, as defined in the technical guide for the preparation of official plans. Section 2.0: Outline of Liquid Waste Management Plans A Liquid Waste Management Plan (Stages 1, 2 and 3) is a written record of a community's decisions and plans for the management of liquid wastes. The final document with attendant drawings should include but not necessarily be limited to the following.
2.2 Projected population and industrial growth — sewered and unsewered
2.3 Source control and waste volume reduction
For a secondary treatment process to operate correctly, a good source control program is essential. Infiltration and inflows must be controlled. Failure to do so will result in process upsets, toxic effluent and contaminated sludges. 2.4 Waste recycling and utilization
Secondary treated effluent can be economically reused or recycled as irrigation water, industrial process or cooling water, and to develop wetlands, ponds, etc. Sewage sludge recovers nutrients and organics which can be used as fertilizer and organic soil conditioner, and to produce top soil for disturbed lands.
2.5 Estimated waste quantities as per growth projections
2.6 Capacity of water bodies and land to accept waste
2.7 Options for treatment and disposal of waste
Section 3.0: Discussion of Liquid Waste Management Plan aspects To determine the environment's capacity to assimilate waste, Ministry of Environment water quality objectives should be consulted where available. Close consultation with the ministry should be established to obtain all current applicable criteria and policies. In most cases, additional studies will be required to fill information gaps. Some studies may need to extend beyond the planning phase to determine how much waste may he discharged without significantly affecting the environment. The options for discharging waste to surface waters and land and the possible effects on groundwater should be thoroughly investigated. In areas where non-communal systems are used, the total combined effect of the individual discharges on the environment will need to be considered. The lack of suitable soil or high permeability can lead to ground and surface-water contamination, and possibly eutrophication of surface waters. 3.2 Source control and pre-treatment The possibilities of using source control to reduce the organic load, toxicity and volume of industrial commercial waste should be fully explored. Bylaws to control quality of discharge to sewers may be required. Load reduction can mean significant cost savings in constructing and operating the treatment plant and in sewage sludge reuse or disposal. 3.3 Reduction, reuse and recycling — The 5Rs The Ministry of Environment has adopted the "5Rs" as guiding factors in its approach to waste management. The 5Rs entail Reduction, Reuse, Recycling, Recovery, and Residual management.
The first 2Rs, Reduce and Reuse, are the most important, and should be given the highest priority. Recycling and utilizing waste materials can have long-term economic and social benefits. For instance, it may be preferable to treat the sewage in satellite plants for reuse as irrigation water on surrounding forests, farm land, or community facilities such as parks, golf courses and boulevards, even though this may incur additional costs. Similar arguments can be made for recycling sewage effluent for its nutrient content, or recycling sludge for its humus and nutrient content. The Liquid Waste Management Plan should address the potential for recycling and utilizing waste materials with particular attention paid to timing — what might not be possible now may well be possible in the future. The final implementation costs of such programs will be lower if flexibility is considered when designing waste treatment works. 3.3.1 Reduction All options to reduce the amount of waste, particularly toxic waste, entering a disposal system should be explored. Measures should be taken to ensure that the system is in good order and that infiltration or inflow to sewers is minimized. Public education campaigns can promote conservation, minimize consumption, prevent toxins from entering the system, curtail the use of garburators, etc. Source control programs can significantly reduce the toxicity of sewage.
3.3.2 Reuse, Recycling and Recovery The greatest potential environmental, and to some extent economic, benefits can be achieved through the reuse, recycling and recovery of waste sewage and sludge. Options that can be explored include the use of treated effluent for irrigation, wetland development, industrial process or and cooling water. Treated sludge can be used for fertilizer and soil conditioner, and in the production of topsoil for disturbed lands. 3.3.3 Residual management Sewage residues include sewage, sludge, grit and scum. Provided the sludge is not unduly contaminated, it can be reused in a beneficial manner. Normal practice in the past has been to bury the grit and scum. Treatment processes which can recover these as useful materials should be explored. 3.4 Alternative methods of waste treatment and disposal The Liquid Waste Management Plan should thoroughly review the alternatives for waste treatment and reuse or disposal.
Options to be investigated should include:
Some disposal options may be rejected by some government agencies. Approval-in-principle for all options should be obtained from government agencies in the early stages of the planning process, prior to any public involvement. When the plan is presented to the public for review, it is prudent to present all alternatives in an easy-to-understand format clearly showing advantages and disadvantages of each option. Cost information should be broken down to individual households and industrial/commercial taxpayers. Alternatives worthy of further investigation should be determined after evaluating public concerns, economic aspects, input from other agencies and environmental assessments.
All cost effective alternative waste treatment and disposal methods should be fully evaluated. Monetary costs should be calculated in terms of present dollar values or equivalent annual values over the planning period. Monetary costs include capital construction costs and annual operating and maintenance expenses, including routine replacement of equipment and parts. Such factors as use and recovery of energy and scarce resources, and the value of recycling water and nutrients should be included in the monetary cost analysis. Annual revenues generated by the system through energy recovery, crop production or other outputs shall be deducted from annual costs. Communal systems can often minimize costs, while providing the necessary flexibility for alternative disposal methods, water reuse and future expansion. Non-monetary factors should be broadly defined to show their significance and impact. Non-monetary factors include social and environmental effects, implementation capability, operability, performance reliability and flexibility and some aspects of recycling/reuse opportunities.
Section 4.0: Implementation Schedule Ideally, the Liquid Waste Management Plan should forecast a period of 20 to 40 years. It is expected that waste treatment facilities will be built in stages, perhaps in increments of five to 15 years, depending on the type of system, economies of scale, interest rates, population growth rates, etc. Therefore it is important to include a preferred implementation schedule of the proposed works. Ongoing environmental studies may indicate that upgraded or modified treatment works or systems are needed ahead of schedule. The preferred implementation schedule can serve only as a guide to when expenditures may be required. Section 5.0: Liquid Waste Management Planning Process This section describes the procedural requirements to be met and the steps to be followed by municipalities in preparing and adopting a Liquid Waste Management Plan or undertaking a major amendment to an existing plan.
5.2 Initiation of the Liquid Waste Management Planning Process Normally a Liquid Waste Management Plan is initiated with a resolution by the municipal government. In most cases, the community will hire a consultant to develop liquid waste management options in cooperation with liquid waste advisory committees. 5.3 Notification of senior and local governments A copy of the municipal resolution and staff report is sent to the Regional Environmental Protection Manager, with copies and a covering letter going to:
The covering letter will ask if and how the above parties wish to participate in the planning process, and solicit any additional concerns or comments. The letter will request that each recipient respond directly to the municipal government within 60 days, and that a copy of the response be sent to the Regional Environmental Protection Manager. The letter will also request that any relevant information be sent to the municipality, and that copies be sent to the Regional Environmental Protection Manager. 5.4 Establishment of liquid waste advisory committees The next step is to set up advisory committees comprising representatives of various interest groups, geographic areas, stakeholders, and senior government agencies. There should be at least two committees — one emphasizing community/stakeholder interests, and the other representing technical interests. Both should report to a municipal government steering committee. The steering committee should include a representative of the Regional Environmental Protection Manager. The establishment of an advisory committee structure allows for the required public involvement process. The committee structure should include mechanisms for referring matters to, and receiving reports from, the committees and linkages between committees to maximize cooperation and prevent feelings of isolation.
5.4.1 Technical Liquid Waste Advisory Committee (TLWAC) A Technical Advisory Committee should include municipal staff and representatives of various government agencies, particularly those who expressed an interest in response to the letter of notification and those which will play a role in approval of the plan. Government agencies to be represented on the TLWAC include:
In addition, the TLWAC should include at least one non-government representative and one elected municipal official. The TLWAC will provide technical evaluation and advice throughout the plan's development, and identify options to be considered.
5.4.2 Local Liquid Waste Advisory Committee (LLWAC) Establishing a Local Liquid Waste Advisory Committee is the first step in the public consultation process, and the committee should include representatives of a wide range of interests. The committee should include a member of the Technical Advisory Committee, municipal technical and planning staff; the Regional Environmental Protection Manager or his designate; elected officials; and representatives of local environmental and recycling groups; business, labour, rate-payer and consumer groups; school districts; large commercial, institutional and industrial generators; and owners/operators of private liquid waste collection, processing and disposal facilities. 5.5 Public participation process The Environmental Management Act states that where the Minister of Environment "is satisfied that there has been adequate public review and consultation with the public with respect to the development, amendment and final content of the waste management plan," he may approve the plan. Adequate public consultation during the plan's development is essential as there is no mechanism to appeal a plan once approved by the Minister. The public participation process will depend on the unique blend of population characteristics and information channels in the municipality. Public participation should foster acceptance and a feeling of ownership among the residents of the municipality.
A meaningful public participation process that meets the above objectives must fulfill the following criteria:
5.6 Organization of planning studies The planning process is divided into three stages.
STAGE 1
STAGE 2.
STAGE 3
Following approval of Stage 3, the plan will be implemented through Operational Certificates issued by the Regional Environmental Protection Manager. These certificates establish the operating standards, which reflect the concepts approved at Stage 3, monitoring requirements and construction of works. 5.7 STAGE 1: Identify liquid waste management system options Stage 1 involves the description of the existing liquid waste management system and identifies various options for liquid waste management. It also recommends those options deemed suitable for detailed evaluation in Stage 2. Stage 1 begins with the submission of correspondence to the Regional Environmental Protection Manager requesting that the liquid waste management planning process be initiated. The subsequent process is as follows:
The result of Stage 1 is a detailed list of liquid waste management options. 5.8 STAGE 2: Evaluation of options A meeting with the Regional Environmental Protection Manager is held to prepare draft terms of reference for Stage 2. The completed documents are reviewed by the Technical Liquid Waste Advisory Committee and the Local Liquid Waste Advisory Committee. The steps to a draft Liquid Waste Management Plan are as follows:
The result of Stage 2 is a report with a recommended set of fully evaluated options. 5.9 STAGE 3: Plan preparation and adoption In Stage 3, the Liquid Waste Management Plan (LWMP), will be produced, containing the intended waste treatment and disposal facilities plan, draft operation certificates for specific facilities, discharge standards, the implementation schedule, more detailed design and cost estimates and, as far as possible, the proposed financing arrangements. When this plan is approved by the Minister, construction may commence. The final draft waste management plan is prepared by the following process:
The result of Stage 3 is a Liquid Waste Management Plan. Following approval of the Liquid Waste Management Plan, the Regional Environmental Protection Manager will issue Operational Certificates for each treatment facility, and the municipality can proceed with implementation measures contained in the plan. The manager will confirm by letter that any existing discharge permits are automatically cancelled once the operational certificate is signed by the manager.
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