Authorization to Discharge Under the Environmental Management Act

Any discharge of contaminants to the air, land, or water is illegal unless a Waste Management Permit or Approval is obtained from a Regional Waste Manager, or the discharge is exempted by the Act.

An Approval is issued where a discharge will not occur for longer than 15 months. A Permit is for a period in excess of 15 months.

A Permit or Approval may impose conditions on the discharge such as, but not limited to, limits on the contaminants that may be discharged and monitoring requirements for the discharge and the receiving environment.

If a Permittee believes that conditions have changed that affect the terms and conditions of an existing Permit, an amendment may be applied for. An application form is available for this, and the process is similar to that of applying for a new Permit. In addition, a manager may decide to amend a Permit if it is considered necessary to do so.