This consultation was open from:
August 5, 2020
to September 19, 2020
Decision summary
On August 21, 2023 we issued an Environmental Compliance Approval No. 0999-C3TJP3 to H & D Properties Ltd. to process solid and liquid organic waste at a waste disposal site (processing) located at 1336 County Road 2 Rd, Augusta Township, United Counties of Leeds and Grenville, Ontario.
Location details
Site address
1336 County Road 2
Augusta,
ON
K0E 1P0
Canada
Site location map
The location pin reflects the approximate area where environmental activity is taking place.
View this location on a map opens link in a new windowProponent(s)
H & D Properties Ltd.
10839 Van Camp Road
Mountain,
ON
K0E 1P0
Canada
Decision details
This Environmental Compliance Approval No. 0999-C3TJP3, dated August 21, 2023, is for a 6.3-hectare waste disposal site (processing) to receive, temporarily store and process in an anaerobic digestion facility, up-to a maximum of:
- 600 tonnes of the organic waste per day
- 219,000 tonnes of the organic waste per year
The anaerobic digestion facility will produce:
- the renewable natural gas at a maximum rate of 26,000 cubic metres per day for injection into the natural gas distribution infrastructure
- the digestate at a maximum rate of 540 tonnes per day for use as a soil nutrient or a fertilizer
The waste disposal site comprises the following receipt, storage and processing areas:
- reception building comprising the following processes, working areas and equipment:
- feedstock receiving area, including a wheel wash area and two fast-acting bay doors equipped with air curtains
- forklift dumping area
- dry storage area
- one 40 cubic metres liquids receiving tank
- a roll-up door between the broadcast floor and the feedstock receiving area
- broadcast floor
- processing area, encompassing:
- two separators
- one sedi tank
- one 2 m3 surge tank
- one residual waste conveyor
- one residual waste compactor and bin
- ventilation system, that maintains negative air pressure in the reception building and collects the odourous air from the source extraction points that include, as a minimum, the following sources:
- feedstock receiving area
- forklift dumping area
- broadcast floor
- processing area
- activated carbon filter to treat the contaminated air collected through the ventilation system
- Outdoor tanks and vessels:
- one 4,000 cubic metres liquid storage tank equipped with an activated carbon filter
- two 7,870 cubic metres Hybrid Hydrolyzer/Anaerobic Digester/Pasteurizer Vessels, each vessel consisting of a 1,430 cubic metres hydrolyzer section, a 6,050 cubic metres anaerobic digestion section, and a 390 cubic metres pasteurizer section, to process organic waste at a maximum rate of 300 tonnes per day
- one 1,000 cubic metres partially below grade level, liquid storage tank equipped with an activated carbon filter
- three 200 cubic metres, each, starch silos
- one 10 cubic metres starch mix tank
- biogas management system comprising the following processes, working areas and equipment:
- one biogas pre-treatment system consisting of an activated carbon system
- one biogas upgrading system, used to produce renewable natural gas from biogas, using pressure swing adsorption
- one biogas flare, operating as a stand-by biogas or a renewable natural gas combustion control device
to be used for processing of the following types of waste generated in the Province of Ontario:
- solid non-hazardous Organic Waste
- liquid non-hazardous Organic Waste
all derived from plants or animals, from residential (domestic), industrial, commercial and institutional sources and all readily biodegradable.
The approval allows a maximum of:
- 2,690 cubic metres of unprocessed solid organic waste
- 5,082 of unprocessed liquid organic waste
- 7,870 cubic metres of in-process organic waste
- 38 cubic metres of solid residual waste
to be stored at the site at any one time.
The service area is the the Province of Ontario and the Province of Quebec.
The chemical reagents are approved to be received and the digestate to be shipped from the site only between the hours of:
- Monday to Saturday 24 hours per day
- Sunday 7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m.
Organic waste deliveries are approved to occur Monday to Saturday 24 hours per day. Organic Waste processing/management activities at the site are approved to be carried out at the site 24 hours per day, seven days per week.
Effects of consultation
The ministry considers all comments and determines whether the comments are in-scope for issuance of an Environmental Compliance Approval (ECA) for a waste disposal site.
Comments considered in-scope and reviewed by the ministry
Use of railway
The proposal does not include the use of a railway. The relevant supporting documentation is included in Schedule 1 of the ECA.
Odours from digestate truck loading and impact from odours during transport
The proposal includes a provision that the digestate trucks will be equipped with activated carbon filters to abate emissions from loading of the trucks and during transport.
Leaks into groundwater and river, spills and leaks during transport
The ECA includes conditions requiring H & D Properties Ltd to inspect the incoming waste vehicles and take action with the owners if vehicles are found the be leaking. The ECA also prohibits leaking on municipal roads. The proposal includes a secondary spill containment to prevent leaks from tanks and vessels at the site into groundwater.
Training
The proposal includes provisions for operator training. Furthermore, the ECA includes conditions that require training relevant to the waste management activities at the site.
Impacts of wastewater disposal to river or groundwater
The proposal does not include any wastewater disposal to St. Lawrence River or the groundwater. Furthermore, the proposal includes provisions to prevent leaks from the operations at the site, including a secondary spill containment under the in-ground outdoor tanks. Any further considerations of the discharges from the site will be carried out during the review of a separate application for a stormwater management at the site.
24x7 operation and process supervision
The ECA requires trained operators to supervise waste processing at the site. However, some processes are automated, and these processes are to be equipped with alarms. The ECA requires the operators to be notified if any processing parameters are out of range from the values required in the ECA.
Waste types, (medical waste, sewage) and service area
Ministry reviews of waste disposal sites are site specific and are based on the information provided in the application for approval. This proposal includes the proposed waste types and the service area. The ministry considered the proposed waste types and approved only the types suitable for anaerobic digestion and the subsequent end-use of the digestate on agricultural land. The ECA does not allow processing of any hazardous waste or waste containing human body waste which would include sewage waste.
Odours capture and treatment, impact on air and noise impacts
The proposal included equipment and operational practices for effective odour capture and treatment. The technical review was carried out by the ministry’s air unit reviewer.
The proposal included equipment and operational practices for effective capture and treatment of other emissions from the process, including noise emissions. The technical reviews of the impacts were carried out by the ministry’s air and noise reviewers.
Impact on soil
The proposal does not include any wastewater disposal to the groundwater. Furthermore, the proposal includes provisions to prevent leaks from the operations at the site, including a secondary spill containment under the in-ground outdoor tanks.
The outdoor waste storage will be in contained tanks and vessels, so no leachate is expected to be generated and leaking into the ground. Any further considerations of the discharges from the site will be carried out during the review of a separate application for a stormwater management at the site.
Future expansions
The ECA approves the processing capacity as proposed in the current application. Any future expansion of the site will require an amendment to the ECA, which will trigger new public and municipal consultation and a new ERO posting.
Lack of information to neighbours and concern regarding how residents can be involved to actively voice their concerns
The ministry required H & D Properties Ltd to carry out an enhanced public notification and to hold a public meeting to ensure that the neigbhours are aware of the proposal and can voice their concerns and provide comments. Furthermore, the ECA requires an establishment of Public Liaison Committee for the site to ensure that in the future the members of the public continue to have access to information on the operation of the site. The ECA also requires that H & D Properties Ltd creates a website for the site and posts the required documentation listed in the relevant condition.
Concern about trucks lined up and idling waiting to unload
The ECA prohibits queuing or parking of vehicles that are waiting to enter the site on any roadway that is not a distinct part of the site. The proposal includes parking of vehicles on the site’s driveway. Emissions from idling are not a part of the waste application review.
Concern about delivery truck containers not being airtight and leakproof
The ECA includes conditions that prohibit leaking or dripping waste during transport. The ECA also includes conditions that require trucks to be covered appropriately.
Concern about impacts from power failure
The proposal includes an installation of a generator for power failure situations. Furthermore, the ECA includes a requirement for H & D Properties Ltd to prepare a Contingency Measures and Emergency Situation Response Plan for any emergency situation, including a power failure.
Concern about possible non-compliance with ECAs
The ministry uses a variety of compliance tools to ensure that facilities are operated in accordance with the applicable ministry requirements, including ECAs, to ensure no impact on the environment and public health. The ministry's local district office staff would be responsible for verifying compliance with this ECA.
Concern about risk from pathogens
The receipt of the incoming waste that could potentially include pathogens and its handling will be done indoors or in tanks/vessels and therefore be isolated from the environment. The proposal includes housekeeping practices to clean all indoor areas that are used for receipt and pre-processing of the incoming waste. The proposed processing at the site includes a pasteurization step to use heat to deactivate the pathogens before the digestate is shipped from the site for the subsequent beneficial uses as a soil supplement or a fertilizer.
Concern about river water or groundwater taking
The proposal does not include any extraction of waste from St. Lawrence River or from groundwater resources in the area.
Storage of digestate, digestate storage for 240 days, settling lagoons and impact on well water
The proposal does not include any settling lagoons at the site. H & D Properties Ltd proposed to ship the digestate to off-site locations for storage prior to its land application. No on-site storage of digestate has been approved in this ECA. The ECA requires H & D Properties Ltd to submit to the ministry the contracts with the owners of the storage. The ECA also requires that the off-site capacity is sufficient to provide 240-day storage to ensure compliance with the requirements for land application under O. Regulation 267/03 under the Nutrient Management Act.
Composting at the site
The proposal does not include any composting at the site.
Spills of methane into atmosphere vs injection into pipeline
The application includes a proposal to inject the renewable natural gas into the pipeline. The ECA approves this injection as proposed in the current application. The approval does not approve spills to the natural environment, although it includes a requirement for pressure release valves to ensure safe operation of the vessels and an enhanced notification of a spill to the district manager. The Environmental Protection Act sets out requirements for spills management and notification.
Secondary spill containment
The proposal includes a site-specific design for secondary spill containment and leak detection system. This design was reviewed by the ministry and deemed to be suitable for the partially underground tanks and vessels proposed for the site. The ECA includes conditions related to the construction and operation of this system.
Concern about impact on a nearby airport
The proposal does not include any outdoor waste storage that would attract birds, which are a risk to operation of the airports.
Out-of-scope comments received during the public consultation for the proposal
Some comments relate to local municipal jurisdictional issues such as:
- congestion of traffic on municipal roads, safety on municipal roads due to narrow roads and lack of paved shoulders, potential of road damage from increased traffic and larger vehicles
- decrease in property value
- requirement for new pipeline to have township work permit
- non-compliance with the current zoning
- requirement for a building permit for new building construction
- Guideline D-4 (Land Use On or Near Landfills and Dumps)
- compliance with Guideline D-6 (Compatibility between Industrial Facilities)
- inspection of site from previous operations
Risk of explosion
This comment is out-of-scope for reviews of waste disposal site applications, however, the submitted supporting documentation for this proposal confirmed compliance with CSA/ANSI B.149.6:20 - Code for biogas management regulated by Technical Standards and Safety Authority (TSSA).
Lack of contract with the natural gas pipeline owner
The H&D Properties Ltd. proposed anaerobic digestion facility is to produce the renewable natural gas (RNG) for use in the existing natural gas pipeline. The ministry does not require the proponent to submit any agreement for the sale/purchase of RNG and does not know if an agreement with Enbridge or Trans-Canada for the sale/purchase of the RNG has been obtained. The ministry does not get involved with a 3rd party agreement. Therefore, no condition requiring a contract for sale/purchase of RNG can be or has been included in an ECA.
Lack of municipal water and wastewater services in this area
The ministry review of the waste application does not include any required approvals for municipal water and wastewater services.
Concern about site sitting and if other locations have been considered
Ministry reviews for waste disposal sites are site specific and are based on the information provided in the application for approval. The ministry review of the waste application does not include consideration of other locations. Such review is a part of an Environmental Assessment (EA) but this proposal is not subject of an EA as the proposal did not meet the necessary triggers.
Impacts on migrating waterfowl, fish populations
The ministry review of the waste application does not include consideration of Impacts on migrating waterfowl, fish populations. Such review is a part of an Environmental Assessment (EA) but this proposal is not subject of an EA as the proposal did not meet the necessary triggers.
Supporting materials
View materials in person
Some supporting materials may not be available online. If this is the case, you can request to view the materials in person.
Get in touch with the office listed below to find out if materials are available.
135 St. Clair Avenue West
Floor 1
Toronto,
ON
M4V 1P5
Canada
1259 Gardiners Road
Unit 3
Kingston,
ON
K7P 3J6
Canada
How to Appeal
This instrument decision can be appealed. You have 15 days from August 31, 2023 to begin the appeal process.
Carefully review the information below to learn more about the appeal process.
How to appealClick to Expand Accordion
Start the process to appeal
If you’re an Ontario resident, you can start the process to appeal this instrument decision.
First, you’ll need to seek leave (i.e. get permission) from the relevant appellate body to appeal the decision.
If the appellate body grants leave, the appeal itself will follow.
Seek leave to appeal
To seek leave to appeal, you need to do these three things:
- prepare your application
- provide notice to the minister
- mail your application to three parties
1. Prepare your application
You’ll need to prepare an application. You may wish to include the following things in your application:
- A document that includes:
- your name, phone number, fax number (if any), and/or email address
- the ERO number and ministry reference number (located on this page)
- a statement about whether you are a resident in Ontario
- your interest in the decision, and any facts you want taken into account in deciding whether you have an interest in the decision
- the parts of the instrument that you’re challenging
- whether the decision could result in significant harm to the environment
- the reason(s) why you believe that no reasonable person – having regard to the relevant law and to any government policies developed to guide decisions of that kind – could have made the decision
- the grounds (facts) you’ll be using to appeal
- the outcome you’d like to see
- A copy of the instrument (approval, permit, order) that you you are seeking leave to appeal. You’ll find this in the decision notice on the Environmental Registry
- Copies of all supporting documents, facts and evidence that you’ll be using to appeal
What is considered
The appeal body will consider the following two questions in deciding whether to grant you leave to appeal:
- is there is good reason to believe that no reasonable person, with respect to the relevant law and to any government policies developed to guide decisions of that kind, could have made the decision?
- could the decision you wish to appeal result in significant harm to the environment?
2. Provide your notice
You’ll need to provide notice to the Minister of the Environment, Conservation and Parks that you’re seeking leave to appeal.
In your notice, please include a brief description of the:
- decision that you wish to appeal
- grounds for granting leave to appeal
You can provide notice by email at minister.mecp@ontario.ca or by mail at:
College Park 5th Floor, 777 Bay St.
Toronto, ON
M7A 2J3
3. Mail your application
You’ll need to mail your application that you prepared in step #1 to each of these three parties:
- appellate body
- issuing authority (the ministry official who issued the instrument)
- proponent (the company or individual to whom the instrument was issued)
H & D Properties Ltd.
10839 Van Camp Road
Mountain,
ON
K0E 1P0
Canada
Registrar, Ontario Land Tribunal
655 Bay Street, Suite 1500
Toronto, Ontario
M5G 1E5
(416) 212-6349
(866) 448-2248
OLT.Registrar@ontario.ca
Include the following:
This is not legal advice. Please refer to the Environmental Bill of Rights for exact legal requirements. Consult a lawyer if you need help with the appeal process.
Connect with us
Contact
Client Services and Permissions Branch
135 St Clair Ave West
1st Floor
Toronto,
ON
M4V 1P5
Canada
Original proposal
Proposal details
This proposal is for a new Environmental Compliance Approval (Waste Disposal Site) for H & D Properties Ltd. for an anaerobic digester facility located at 1336 County Road 2, Township of Augusta, United Counties of Leeds and Grenville.
The waste processing facility is a 6.3 hectare area site, and will receive combination organic residuals from source separated organics and commercial and industrial food waste materials for a total of 600 tonnes/day to produce renewable natural gas (RNG) for injection into the natural gas grid and digestate (organic fertilizer).
The maximum daily waste received is 600 tonnes of non-hazardous waste and 600 cubic metres of other liquid waste. The maximum on-site storage capacity is 11,040 cubic metres of other liquid waste, and 200 tonnes of non-hazardous solid waste.
The service area will be the provinces of Ontario and Quebec. The anaerobic digester and organic processing centre operate 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Material will be received and exported from the site during operational hours.
Supporting materials
View materials in person
Some supporting materials may not be available online. If this is the case, you can request to view the materials in person.
Get in touch with the office listed below to find out if materials are available.
Comment
Commenting is now closed.
This consultation was open from August 5, 2020
to September 19, 2020
Connect with us
Contact
Client Services and Permissions Branch
135 St Clair Ave West
1st Floor
Toronto,
ON
M4V 1P5
Canada
Comments received
Through the registry
1By email
78By mail
0