ERO Number 019-3682 Ministry…

ERO number

019-3682

Comment ID

58155

Commenting on behalf of

Corporation of the Township of Whitewater Region

Comment status

Comment approved More about comment statuses

Comment

ERO Number 019-3682
Ministry Reference Number 410-C25LTL
Site Address 168 Davidson Road, Whitewater Region ON K0J 1C0
MacGregor Concrete Products (Beachburg) Limited

On behalf of the Township of Whitewater Region, we request that the following comments be considered as part of the Ministry of the Environment, Conservation and Parks (MECP) review of the proposal for the issuance of an Environmental Compliance Approval for the aforementioned hauled sewage disposal site:

Official Plan
The County of Renfrew Official Plan provides General Development Policies relating to Hauled Septage Disposal which is summarized as follows:

(a) Hauled septage means waste removed from a septic tank. Hauled septage disposal sites may be located in the Rural or Agricultural designations on Schedule ‘A’ in accordance with the policies below.

(b) All new hauled septage disposal sites shall require an amendment to the implementing Zoning By-law.

(c) The local municipality, shall establish minimum distance separation requirements in the implementing zoning by-law for the location of new hauled septage disposal sites from existing or proposed residential, commercial, institutional and recreational uses and associated wells as well as public roads and surface waters. Requirements for the location of new residential uses from existing hauled septage disposal sites shall also be established in the implementing zoning by-law.

(d) Hauled septage disposal sites shall be located so that pollution of any watercourse or ground water does not occur.

(e) Hauled septage disposal sites shall be adequately screened, fenced and posted and such screening, fencing and posting shall apply to all open storage areas and disposal site operation.

(f) The operation, maintenance and closing of a hauled septage disposal site shall be in accordance with the standards and regulations of the Ministry of the Environment and Climate Change.

There are also General Development Policies relating to Nutrient Management and the land application of septage as regulated by the Nutrient Management Act and the Environmental Protection Act.

The concerned parcel is primarily situated within the Rural designation with a portion located within the Mineral Aggregate designation.

Zoning By-law
The Township of Whitewater Region Westmeath Zoning By-law No. 98-13 establishes the following definition and separation distances:

- HAULED SEWAGE means untreated sanitary waste from a septic tank, privy or holding tank.

No disposal of hauled sewage shall be permitted unless the disposal site has been approved by the Renfrew County and District Health Unit (former Approval Authority) and no disposal site shall be located within:

(i) Two hundred (200) metres of any dwelling on another lot;
(ii) Seven hundred fifty (750) metres of any subdivision or land zoned for residential development;
(iii) One hundred fifty (150) metres of any uncased well;
(iv) Seventy-five (75) metres of any well with a casing depth of six (6.0) metres or less;
(v) One hundred eighty (180) metres of any surface water;
(vi) Sixty (60) metres of the right-of-way of any road;
(vii) Sixty (60) metres of any land used for livestock pasturing;

We would also like to bring to the attention of the MECP’s Client Services and Permissions Branch that the spreading of hauled sewage has received public attention over the last (10) months with staff and Council having received inquiries relating to hauled sewage spreading sites located in the Township and more particularly west of Beachburg in Westmeath.

Since the first inquiry, a group has formed called Whitewater Raw Sewage to advocate against the spreading of hauled sewage. In the fall, an anonymous letter was distributed to landowners and more recently, a letter was provided to Council in February 2021, an article was published in the Eganville Leader (May 19) and an email was sent to the Honorable Jeff Yurek, Minister of Environment, Conservation and Park (MECP) on May 28.

The Township has been corresponding with Greg Davis, Environmental Officer, Ottawa District Office, since receiving the first inquiry and have generally directed residents to Greg for any technical questions on this matter.

Staff have presented a report to Council at its Regular Meeting held on June 16, 2021, which provides a background of the existing sites in the Township, a summary of the inquiries received and the Provincial, regional and local land-use policies. After receiving the report, Council passed the following motion:

“That Council of the Township of Whitewater Region ask that MOE to not allow septage trucks from outside of the township to dump in our region.”

A copy of the report and motion are attached.

The Township understands the role of MECP in reviewing and approving Environmental Compliance Approvals and provides these comments for consideration purposes.

We hope that you will consider this information and would be glad to correspond further. Thanks in advance for your time and consideration.

Ivan,
Ivan Burton, MCIP, RPP
Planner/Economic Development Officer
Manager of Community Development
Township of Whitewater Region
44 Main Street, P.O. Box 40
Cobden ON K0J 1K0
Tel. 613-646-2282 ext.124
Email. iburton@whitewaterregion.ca