Water, Wastewater & Waste Services In Ontario

Services

Water & Wastewater Waste Services

Whether it’s treating your own process water, operating a stormwater pond, handling waste or cleaning up contaminated sites, SONAIR can assist your company in obtaining the required approvals and/or performing the required testing so your company can continue focusing on what your company does best.

Our professionals have years of experience in the consulting industry, creating relationships with government officials and obtaining the required compliance approvals for our client’s activities and operations. If your activities involve handling and/or treating water, wastewater, or waste, your facility may be subject to one or more of the following Environmental Compliance Approvals (ECA):

Waste Disposal Site
Sewage Works
Waste Management System
Cleanup of Contaminated Sites

Each approval can be further streamlined. For instance, Waste Disposal Sites are divided into Transfer Sites and/or Processing Sites. Depending on the nature of your operations, different types of approvals may be applicable to your facility.

Understanding and complying with the EASR in Ontario can be crucial to streamlining your environmental compliance efforts.

Waste Disposal Sites ECA

If your facility involves waste handling, including transfer, processing, storage etc, chances are an Environmental Compliance Approval will be required for your activities and operations. Depending on the category of your waste disposal site, different requirements and information may need to be provided as part of your application. In general, the facility must define its operations, site capacity and provide the quantities and the types of waste being handled, along with supplementary information to be included as part of a Waste Disposal Site ECA. These supporting documents may include, but are not limited to:

Design and Operations Report
Stormwater Management Report
Hydro-geological Report or Assessment or Physical and Water Use Conditions
Waste Analysis Plan
Odour Impact Assessment
Odour Management and Control Plan

Sewage Works ECA

This type of Environmental Compliance Approval can be categorized into Industrial, Municipal, and Private. An Industrial Sewage Works Environmental Compliance Approval is a requirement for facilities that plans to collect, treat, transmit, or dispose of sewage produced from industrial activities and operations, such as an onsite stormwater management pond. All other sewage works not involving industrial activities can be referred to as municipal or private sewage works. Minimum requirements and supporting documents in support of an ECA application may vary depending on the types of sewage works the applicant is applying for. Although requirements are different, the following are some technical documents that may be required in support of your ECA:

Municipal Responsibility Agreement (For Municipal)
Design Report
Stormwater Management Plan
Stormwater Management Report
Preliminary Engineering Report
Environmental Impact Analysis
Surface Water and Groundwater Impact Assessment
Site Plan
Sewage Quantity and Quality Characteristics
Sewage Works Engineering Drawings and Specifications
Detailed Description of Proposed Works

Waste Management System ECA

Waste Management System Environmental Compliance Approvals are commonly obtained for the transport or mobile treatment of waste. What and how the waste is being handled will dictate the types of ECAs the applicant should be seeking. Four different types of Waste Management System ECA can be selected as part of the application, which includes:

General Waste Management System
Hauled Sewage (Septage)
Soil Conditioner for Transport to a Site for Application on Land
Mobile Waste Processing

Each of the aforementioned types of Environmental Compliance Approvals comes with different requirements and supporting information required as part of the application. Generally, apart from a fleet list with vehicles involved in the waste handling, transporting, and processing, proof of vehicle ownership and liability insurance for all vehicles must also be provided. If your operations consist of the transportation of biomedical or PCB wastes, additional technical information must be provided in order to demonstrate the proper protocols and procedures are in place to safeguard the public and the environment. These supporting documents may include, but are not limited to:

Location of where vehicles will be stored and disinfected
Driver’s training manual
Operation plan, detailed packaging, and waste handling methods of biomedical waste
Contingency and Emergency Procedures Plan

ECA for the Cleanup of Contaminated Sites

If your activities include the cleanup of a site that is contaminated or has existing contaminants, one of two types of Environmental Compliance Approvals must be obtained. The ECA for the Cleanup of Contaminated Sites is further streamlined into mobile and site specific (stationary). Depending on whether your cleanup is considered a mobile activity or site specific, stationary activity, the appropriate type of ECA must be selected to avoid providing the incorrect information and requirements. In general, a Design Report is required for both types of ECA.

Selecting the appropriate Environmental Compliance Approval for your activities and operations can be tricky as each type of ECA has its own requirements and technical documents that must be provided in support of the application. Incorrectly selecting the ECA type for your activities may cause delays, financial harm, and even rejection of your application by the Ministry.

SONAIR’s engineers are well-versed with the requirements of an ECA with countless submissions completed for our clients. If you are in need of a Waste Environmental Compliance Approval and require guidance selecting the appropriate ECA for your activities and operations, contact one of our professionals today for a free consultation.

In addition to our comprehensive services, SONAIR offers expert preparation of the acoustic assessment report, vital for evaluating and mitigating noise impacts of your operations.