Environmental Science & Engineering - www.esemag.com - September 2005
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Environmental News - November 2005

The 2006 Canadian Environmental Conference and Tradeshow (CANECT)

May 1-2, 2006, Metro Toronto Convention Centre
The Canadian Environmental Conference and Tradeshow (CANECT) will be held May 1-2, 2006 at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre. CANECT includes 10 workshops and a tradeshow. Now in its 14th year, CANECT typically attracts some 2,000 senior people responsible for environmental engineering, regulations and compliance issues.

CANECT 2006 will be co-located with Health & Safety Canada, an annual tradeshow of the Industrial Accident Prevention Association (IAPA) that attracts over 6,000 delegates. The close relationship between occupational health and safety inside the factory gates and environmental health and safety beyond corporate boundaries has long been recognized. By colocating CANECT 2006 with Health & Safety Canada 2006, exhibitors and attendees will have an exceptional opportunity to efficiently be part of the largest total gathering of all those who specify, or who influence the specification of environmental products and services.

Combined, the two shows are expected to attract some 500 exhibiting companies and 8,000 tradeshow visitors. Tradeshow badges from either show will allow attendees to have admission to both shows.

For further information please contact Denise Simpson, Show Manager,
Tel: 905-727-4666 or Toll Free: 1-888-254-8769 (Ext.21)
Email: denise@esemag.com. Or visit www.canect.net

Parkson Corporation wins top Ag new product award

Parkson’s Manure Sand Saver has been chosen as a 2006 World Ag Expo Top Ten New Product. A selection committee comprised of farmers and agribusiness professionals reviewed 136 nominations for the New Product award.

The Manure Sand Saver removes and washes bedding sand from sandladened dairy manure. Clean, dry, odourless, recovered sand is ready to be reused as replacement sand in stalls. Recycling bedding sand can mean a significant reduction in sand replacement costs. Typically, the savings in sand can justify the purchase of a Manure Sand Saver unit within one year, according to Parkson. Other savings from downstream equipment wear and the maintenance of sand-clogged lagoons can further shorten that payback period.
www.parkson.com.

Mequipco to represent UV Pure Technologies

UV Pure Technologies recently announced that Mequipco Ltd. has been appointed exclusive representative for their Western Canadian municipal water projects.

Mequipco Ltd. is a manufacturers' representative and equipment supplier. UV Pure Technologies Inc. develops and manufactures ultraviolet purification systems for drinking water and wastewater.
www.uvpure.com.

Contaminants found in sediment at mouth of river

Environment Canada has detected elevated levels of dioxins and furans in the sediments at a site in the mouth of the Trent River, in Quinte West. The Ontario Ministry of the Environment and Environment Canada have undertaken and plan to conduct further investigation to determine the significance of the contaminants and their source.

The elevated levels were discovered as part of Environment Canada’s investigation of sediment quality under the Bay of Quinte Remedial Action Plan. Other sites sampled under this study were found to have low levels of dioxins and furans.

As a precaution, the Ontario Ministry of the Environment has taken samples from all the Bay of Quinte area water treatment plants. Dioxins and furans have not been detected and are having no impact on drinking water quality in these communities. Consumption advice for fish in this area is provided in the 2005-2006 Guide to Eating Ontario Sport Fish published by the Ministry of the Environment.

For more information please visit www.ene.gov.on.ca

Maple Leaf Foods Inc. Hamilton Fined $682,500

Maple Leaf Foods Inc., carrying on business as Rothsay, has been fined a total of $682,500 after pleading guilty to charges under the Environmental Protection Act (EPA), Ontario Regulation 347 and the Ontario Water Resources Act (OWRA).

Rothsay recycles animal and poultry by-products, including bones, trim, fat, and offal into a broad range of commercial tallow and protein products at its plant in the City of Hamilton. The court heard that, on numerous dates during 2001, 2003 and 2004, odours emanating from various sources at the company led to complainants reporting nausea, loss of appetite, loss of sleep, terminated social events and inability to enjoy outdoor property.

The court also heard that on three occasions the company failed to provide to the Ministry shipping manifests for the transportation of wastes generated at its plant, as required by regulations under the Environmental Protection Act. In addition, it further failed to comply with its Certificate of Approval, Provincial Officer’s Orders and Orders of the Environmental Review Tribunal in a number of respects relating to storm water studies, lagoon decommissioning, liquid levels in lagoons, sampling and analysis of effluent, and maintenance of effluent quality.

Final amendments made to Ontario’s nutrient management regulation

Final amendments to Ontario’s Nutrient Management Regulation (O.Reg. 267/03) were filed on September 29, 2005. Key changes to the regulation include:

Increasing the number of farms practicing nutrient management;
Maintaining priority standards for the protection of streams and wells;
Refining requirements for the approval and registration of strategies and plans;
Simplifying regulations and streamlining the requirements for farmers by allowing more flexibility in the design of their nutrient management strategies and plans;
Applying the nutrient management regulation to smaller expanding farms;
Additional requirements for some farms under the regulation that are within 100 m of a municipal well; and,
Requiring approved plans for farms applying non-agricultural source material (eg. biosolids), with an exemption existing for smaller farms that have a valid certificate of approval, unless they are within 100m of a municipal well.

Further technical changes to the Regulation include:

Changes to some construction and siting requirements for small manure storages;
A general prohibition for phased-in farms for agricultural source material application on slopes 25% or greater and removal of rate restrictions for application of liquid agricultural source materials on lesser slopes;
An exemption to the prohibition on livestock access to water in outdoor confinement areas for dugout ponds;
Record keeping requirement to retain a nutrient management strategy and nutrient management plan (if required) on the farm for compliance purposes;
Removal of requirements relating to load bearing surfaces in outdoor confinement areas;
Exclusion of the requirement to use NMAN software;
Elimination of requirements for application of agricultural source materials on saturated soils;
Taking away requirements for sampling and analysis of soil and agricultural source material;
Removal of requirements for minimum distance separation from surface water based on slope, soil texture and application method, the P-Index and the N-Index;
Refined certification and licensing requirements for those who prepare plans and strategies

For more information, visit www.ene.gov.on.ca

New standards for BC’s private well owners

B.C.’s new Ground Water Protection Regulation came into full effect on Nov. 1, 2005, establishing standards to ensure wells are properly drilled, sealed, maintained and closed. Wells that are not properly constructed or closed pose a risk to drinking water quality.

Private well owners need to be aware of the new regulation and how it applies to them:

Water wells must now be constructed by qualified well drillers.
Pumps for water wells must be installed by qualified well pump installers.
Well drillers and well pump installers must register with the provincial government.

New water supply wells need to be constructed to at least the minimum standards in the Ground Water Protection Regulation. All new water supply wells must have:

A surface seal to prevent any contaminated surface water from entering the well;
A secure well cap;
A minimum clearance of one foot from the top of the well casing to the ground surface and grading to drain surface water away from the wellhead; and
A well identification plate.

Owners of existing wells must ensure a secure well cap, or well cap and cover, is installed by Oct. 31, 2007. A well cap prevents contaminants from getting into the well and reduces the danger of a child or animal falling into the well. If a well is not in use, the well owner is required to deactivate or close the well. More than 750,000 British Columbians get their drinking water from wells.

Water system upgrades coming to Rivière-Verte

The Village of Rivière-Verte is getting improvements to its water system, thanks to a $2,135,809 project funded under the Canada - New Brunswick Municipal Rural Infrastructure Fund

This project involves the installation of an ultra-violet (UV) disinfection unit, restarting the chlorination system, installation of a contact reservoir downstream of the chlorination and UV systems, installation of system instrumentation, upgrade of the pumping station, construction of a new 640 cubic metre reservoir, upgrading of the water intake and the installation of a lift station to deal with wastewater.

The Canada-New Brunswick Municipal Rural Infrastructure Fund Agreement, signed on December 3, 2004, will invest $99 million in communities across New Brunswick over five years. The governments of Canada and New Brunswick are each investing $33 million. The remaining $33 million will come from local governments whose projects win CNBMRIF support.

To date, four projects have been announced in New Brunswick under the agreement, for total funding of $16,908,683.

New Brunswick fish plant charged for effluent release

A Saint-Simon area fish plant has pleaded guilty to two charges under the Water Quality Regulation - Clean Environment Act. Pecheries G.E.M Ltee - G.E.M. Fisheries Ltd. was charged by the Department of the Environment and Local Government with failing to comply with two conditions of the company's Water Quality Approval to operate the fish processing plant. Between Jan. 28 and Feb. 3, 2005, the company was processing sea cucumber. The plant's contaminated process water treatment system was not functioning properly at the time, which resulted in a reddish coloured process water containing some solid fish wastes being released into the Saint-Simon River. The company's approval requires that when the plant is processing sea cucumbers, the contaminated process water must be screened in both a dissolved air flotation system and an ultraviolet system, neither of which were operational during this period.

The company was also charged with a similar offence that occurred between March 23 - 30, 2005. During this period, the company was again processing sea cucumbers and the plant's contaminated process water treatment system was not operational. This had resulted in a reddish coloured effluent being released into the Saint- Simon River and a noticeable odour in the area of the effluent pipe's outfall.

PEI to change its Pesticides Control Act and Regulations

The Government of Prince Edward Island is moving forward with a comprehensive plan to amend provincial laws governing the handling and use of pesticides.

Minister of Environment, Energy and Forestry, Jamie Ballem said proposed changes to the Pesticides Control Act and regulations address all aspects of pesticides in Prince Edward Island, from transportation and storage requirements to the sale and application of both domestic and non-domestic pesticide products.

Last year, a report entitled Recommendations for the Regulation of Pesticides in Prince Edward Island, was completed by the Environmental Advisory Council which is appointed under the Environmental Protection Act to advise the Minister on issues of environmental concern. The report, based on extensive consultations with Islanders, included 44 recommendations. Among the key amendments to be phased in between 2006 and 2007:

The Province will adopt a classification system for domestic class pesticides (similar to the one used in Quebec), which separates products into two categories based on their potential risk to human health and the natural environment.
A business selling higher risk (Category 2) domestic pesticides must be licensed, and the products sold through a dispensary system (behind the counter) by trained and certified staff.
For all landscape, structural, fumigation or soil fumigation applications of a non-domestic or Category 2 domestic pesticide, advance notification must be provided to the owners of property within 25 metres of a treated area, and signs must be posted on treated areas.
A protected zone, the width of the watercourse buffer zones, will be established around any open body of water as defined in the Pesticides Control Act; and the application of a pesticide within this protected zone will be prohibited.
The Minister will request voluntary compliance with the establishment of a protected zone of 10 metres from the boundary of all public areas such as schools, hospitals and parks; with the protected zone to be created through the efforts of both the agricultural community and the institutions involved. Pesticides would not be applied in the voluntary protected zones.
The maximum allowable wind speed for the application of a pesticide using ground application equipment will be reduced from 25 kilometres per hour to 20 kilometres per hour; and aerial application of a pesticide will be banned.
Fines for violations of the Pesticides Control Act or regulations will be increased to a minimum $1,000 and maximum $50,000 for individuals, and a minimum $5,000 and maximum $250,000 for a corporation.
The first amendments to the Pesticides Control Act Regulations will come into effect January 1, 2006 with further changes being phased in over the following year.

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