This consultation was open from:
May 17, 2024
to July 1, 2024
Decision summary
A new Environmental Compliance Approval was issued for Perth & District Septic Service Limited for a hauled sewage storage lagoon, located at 592 Harper Road in Tay Valley, Ontario.
Location details
Site address
592 Harper Road
Tay Valley,
ON
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)
Perth & District Septic Service Limited
777 Otty Lake Side Road
Tay Valley,
ON
K7H 0E8
Canada
Decision details
Hauled Sewage, commonly known as septage, is the waste material removed from portable toilets, sewage holding tanks and septic systems. Untreated hauled sewage from holding tanks and septic tanks may be disposed of on land in accordance with an Environmental Compliance Approval (ECA) issued under the Environmental Protection Act (EPA).
This Environmental Compliance Approval was issued for the storage of hauled sewage (hauled sewage lagoon).
Site Details
- application type: new ECA for the hauled sewage lagoon which was previously included in approved in ECA 19-OTT-14210 issued on June 7, 2019 and ECA 8945-CVPPSP issued October 10, 2023 that replaced 19-OTT-14210
- type of disposal: storage lagoon
- number of lagoons: one
- total capacity of lagoon: 5,600 cubic metres
Highlights of Approval Requirements
- limit of 2.3806 cubic metres of hauled sewage and at least 1.0 metres of freeboards at all times
- restrictions:
- only hauled sewage to be stored in lagoon; and
- hauled sewage can only be from within Eastern Ontario
- operating hours are daily between the hours of 8:00 am and 5:00 pm
- the Company must immediately address any nuisances at the site, such as odours, dust, litter, noise, vectors, vermin, rodents, or other nuisances
- the hauled sewage lagoon is for temporary storage of hauled sewage. Final disposal of the hauled sewage must be at an another ministry approved site
- prior to operating at the site, the company shall develop written procedures covering the following:
- procedures for reporting to the ministry, and municipal authorities as required in the event a spill occurs at the site
- a list of the personnel responsible for operations at the site
- vehicles bringing hauled sewage to and from the site must not park or queue on the public roads and must be approved by the ministry to haul this type of waste
- the company must ensure that all personnel involved in the operation of this hauled sewage lagoon site are aware of the requirements of this approval and are trained in spill prevention
- site inspections must be conducted daily when receiving waste and weekly if no waste is being received
- written records must be maintained in a log book that documents daily operations as well as any spills that occur and any complaints received
- annual reports must be submitted to the ministry outlining the previous years operation
- financial assurance is required for the storage of hauled sewage
Other
Prior to the spreading of hauled sewage, the operator is responsible for ensuring that all necessary approvals, licences or permits that may be required from other authorities, such as the local municipality, conservation authority, MNRF and OMAFRA, have been acquired.
Effects of consultation
The ministry considered the comment submitted that advised the ministry about the current zoning, the area's Source Water Protection characterization, and questions about monitoring and nuisances (odour, trucks and rodents).
Zoning: No expansion is being requested in this ECA application. The application is due to the splitting of the ECA that had both the spreading and storage of hauled sewage. The hauled sewage lagoon was built in 1998 and has operated since then.
- The ministry is aware of the identification of the Highly Vulnerable Aquifer as identified in the Mississippi Rideau Source Water Protection Plan. Most of the area of this Source Water Area is of that category. The site is not near any Wellhead Protection Areas or Intake Protection Zones.
- The groundwater is being protected by the design of the lagoon, which includes a 600 millimetres clay liner, as recommended by and overseen of the construction by McIntosh Hill Engineering.
- No groundwater monitors are required as part of this approval due to the design of the lagoon, the low risk of the activity, and the distance to the nearest well.
- No changes to the operation will occur due to this approval (no additional waste storage or increased trucking). The site is operated within an open area within a forested property to minimize odour. Standard conditions to in the ECA are included to minimize and ameliorate any adverse effect on the natural environment, and to immediately address the problem if any nuisance, such as odour, dust, litter, noise, vectors, vermin, rodents, or other nuisances are found at the site.
- Rodents are not expected to be an issue at the site, however, if they do become an issue the Nuisance condition as stated above would address this issue.
- No groundwater monitoring will be conducted at the site.
- Hauled sewage spreading will not be included in this ECA, as this approval is for the storage of hauled sewage. When the lagoon is emptied, the hauled sewage is required to be disposed of at locations the have approved ECAs, whether at spreading sites or treatment plant.
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 Ave West
1st Floor
Toronto,
ON
M4V 1P5
Canada
How to Appeal
This instrument decision can be appealed. You have 15 days from April 8, 2025 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)
Perth & District Septic Service Limited
777 Otty Lake Side Road
Tay Valley,
ON
K7H 0E8
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
Hauled Sewage, commonly known as septage, is the waste material removed from portable toilets, sewage holding tanks and septic systems. Untreated hauled sewage from holding tanks and septic tanks may be disposed of on land in accordance with an Environmental Compliance Approval (ECA) issued under the Environmental Protection Act (EPA).
This proposal is for the issuance of an Environmental Compliance Approval for a hauled sewage disposal site.
Site Details
- application type: new
- total useable area: 10 hectares
- type of disposal: storage lagoon
- number of lagoons: 1
Highlights of Proposed Approval Requirements.
- Prior to operating at the Site, the Company shall develop written procedures covering the following:
- procedures for reporting to the Ministry, and municipal authorities as required in the event a spill occurs at the Site;
- a list of the personnel responsible for operations at the Site.
- The Company shall ensure that all personnel involved in the operation of this Hauled Sewage Disposal Site are aware of the requirements of this Approval and are trained in Spill Prevention.
- Spills of a pollutant that cause or may cause an adverse effect are to be reported to the Ministry's Spills Action Centre and the Company shall take appropriate remedial action to limit the impact.
- The Company must ensure that no unnecessary off-Site effects, such as vermin, vectors, odour, dust, litter, noise or traffic, result from the operation of this Site.
- Written records must be maintained in a log book that documents daily operations as well as any spills that occur and any complaints received.
- 1,671 tonnes of hauled sewage is proposed to be storage at the site.
- Hauled sewage will be stored in a 52 metres x 52 metres x 1.2 metres storage lagoon
- The storage must be designed and constructed according to specified standards set out in the approval.
- The storage must be operated in accordance with specified standards set out in the approval including minimum freeboard requirements.
- Surface or ground water monitoring conditions may be required.
- Financial Assurance may be required for the storage of hauled sewage.
Other
Prior to the spreading of hauled sewage, the operator is responsible for ensuring that all necessary approvals, licences or permits that may be required from other authorities, such as the local municipality, conservation authority, MNRF and OMAFRA, have been acquired.
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 Ave West
1st Floor
Toronto,
ON
M4V 1P5
Canada
Comment
Commenting is now closed.
This consultation was open from May 17, 2024
to July 1, 2024
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
0By mail
0