Pulp and Paper Effluent Regulations (SOR/92-269)

Required Monitoring

• • 1 (1) Effluent from a mill other than the effluent from a mill that is deposited into a wastewater system, shall be monitored in accordance with this Schedule for

    • (a) the presence of acutely lethal effluent and the effect on Daphnia magna;

    • (b) the BOD of BOD matter;

    • (c) the quantity of suspended solids;

    • (d) volume; and

    • (e) pH levels and electrical conductivity.

  • (2) [Repealed, SOR/2012-140, s. 18]

Location of Sampling

• • 2 (1) The sampling of effluent from a mill, other than the effluent from a mill that is deposited into a wastewater system, that is required by this Schedule — except for sampling conducted in accordance with sections 14 and 15 or sections 18 and 19 — shall be conducted at any point of an outfall structure that is located upstream of the deposit point of the effluent and downstream of

    • (a) the treatment if the mill treats the effluent; and

    • (b) the combination point if the mill combines effluents before their deposit.

  • (2) and (3) [Repealed, SOR/2012-140, s. 19]

Acute Lethality and Effect on Daphnia Magna

• 3 For the purpose of monitoring for the presence of acutely lethal effluent and the effect on Daphnia magna, a grab sample of effluent shall be collected from each outfall structure once a week when the mill is depositing effluent.

• • 4 (1) Subject to section 5, the samples of effluent collected in accordance with section 3 shall be tested as follows:

    • (a) each month, one of the samples collected during that month from each outfall structure in accordance with section 3 shall be subjected to an acute lethality test; and

    • (b) each of the samples collected in accordance with section 3 shall be subjected to a Daphnia magna test.

  • (2) The following procedures apply in respect of an acute lethality test referred to in paragraph (1)(a):

    • (a) the day on which a sample is to be collected for testing shall be selected by the operator, and notice of that day shall be given to the authorization officer, at least 30 days in advance;

    • (b) the operator shall collect the sample on the selected day except if, owing to unforeseen circumstances, the operator cannot sample on that day, and in that case, shall do so as soon as possible after that day; and

    • (c) a period of at least 21 days shall intervene between the collection of any two samples for testing.

• • 5 (1) If a sample of effluent from an outfall structure fails a test conducted in accordance with paragraph 4(1)(a) of this Schedule or subparagraph 32(3)(a)(i) or 38(3)(a)(i) of these Regulations, each of the subsequent weekly samples collected from that outfall structure in accordance with section 3 shall be subjected to a test conducted in accordance with section 6 of Reference Method EPS 1/RM/13 Second Edition.

  • (2) If a sample of effluent from an outfall structure fails a test conducted in accordance with paragraph 4(1)(b), a grab sample of effluent shall be collected from that outfall structure without delay and subjected to a test conducted in accordance with section 6 of Reference Method EPS 1/RM/13 Second Edition.

  • (3) Subsection (2) does not apply if, at the time the sample that failed the test conducted in accordance with paragraph 4(1)(b) was collected, a sample of effluent was also collected from that outfall structure under subsection (1) or paragraph 4(1)(a) and subjected to a test in accordance with section 6 of Reference Method EPS 1/RM/13 Second Edition.

  • (4) If a sample of effluent from an outfall structure fails a test conducted in accordance with subsection (2), each of the subsequent weekly samples collected from that outfall structure in accordance with section 3 shall be subjected to a test conducted in accordance with section 6 of Reference Method EPS 1/RM/13 Second Edition.

  • (5) The testing of samples of effluent shall continue as required by subsection (1) or (4), as applicable, until three consecutive tests are passed, after which testing may resume as required by section 4.

BOD and Suspended Solids

• • 6 (1) For the purpose of monitoring the BOD of BOD matter and the quantity of suspended solids in the case of a mill whose effluent is described in subsection 1(1), there shall be collected, from each outfall structure during each daily period that the mill is depositing effluent,

    • (a) a continuous sample of the effluent;

    • (b) equal samples of the effluent, collected at least every 15 minutes, for the preparation of a composite sample; or

    • (c) samples of the effluent in a quantity proportional to the effluent’s volume, collected at least every 15 minutes, for the preparation of a composite sample.

  • (2) If effluent is deposited through an outfall structure for only a portion of a daily period, a sample of effluent shall be collected from that outfall structure during the period when that effluent is being deposited.

• 7 The samples of effluent collected in accordance with section 6 shall be tested as follows:

  • (a) at least three of the samples collected from each outfall structure during each week shall be subjected to a BOD test; and

  • (b) each of the samples collected shall be subjected to a suspended solids test.

• 8 and 9 [Repealed, SOR/2012-140, s. 21]

Volume of Effluent

• • 10 (1) For the purpose of monitoring the volume of effluent in the case of a mill whose effluent is described in subsection 1(1), the volume of effluent that is deposited through each outfall structure during each daily period shall be determined using the monitoring equipment referred to in paragraph 8(1)(b) of these Regulations.

  • (2) If the actual volume of effluent that is deposited cannot be determined because the monitoring equipment is malfunctioning, the volume shall be calculated based on flow rates that are estimated using generally accepted engineering principles.

• 11 [Repealed, SOR/2012-140, s. 23]

pH Levels and Electrical Conductivity

• 12 For the purpose of monitoring the pH levels and electrical conductivity of effluent, the effluent that is deposited through each outfall structure shall be tested continuously for pH levels and for electrical conductivity.

Combination of Effluents

Authorization to Combine

• 13 If, under the authority of an authorization, treated effluent is combined with other effluent at a mill before being deposited, the effluent at the mill shall, in addition to being monitored in accordance with the other requirements of this Schedule, be monitored for the presence of acutely lethal effluent, for the BOD of BOD matter and for volume in accordance with sections 14 to 16.

• 14 For the purpose of monitoring for the presence of acutely lethal effluent, a grab sample of the treated effluent and a grab sample of the other effluent shall be collected once a month upstream of the combination point, and each of the samples collected shall be subjected to an acute lethality test.

• • 15 (1) For the purpose of monitoring the BOD of BOD matter, the following samples of effluent shall be collected once every three months and subjected to a BOD test:

    • (a) a sample of each effluent that is to be treated; and

    • (b) a sample of the treated effluent upstream of the point where it is combined with the other effluent.

  • (2) The samples shall be collected in accordance with section 6 using equipment that is installed, maintained and calibrated so that it is capable of taking duplicate samples of effluent or a sufficient volume of effluent to obtain split samples, or

    • (a) in the case of effluent that is to be treated,

      • (i) if there is only one effluent to be treated, by collecting grab samples of the effluent not more than six hours apart during a daily period and combining them as a composite sample, or

      • (ii) if there is more than one effluent to be treated, by collecting grab samples of each effluent not more than six hours apart during a daily period and combining them, in proportion to the estimated flow rate of each of the effluents, as a composite sample; and

    • (b) in the case of the treated effluent, by collecting grab samples of the effluent not more than six hours apart during a daily period and combining them as a composite sample.

  • (3) If sampling is conducted using the equipment referred to in subsection (2), the requirements of subsections 8(2) and (3) of these Regulations apply in respect of that equipment.

• • 16 (1) For the purpose of monitoring the volume of effluent, the volume of each of the effluents referred to in section 15 shall, during each daily period that a sample is collected in accordance with that section, be determined as follows:

    • (a) if samples are collected in accordance with section 6 using equipment referred to in subsection 15(2), by using equipment that is installed, maintained and calibrated so that it permits the determination of the volume of the effluent using a method that accords with generally accepted engineering principles, such as a method referred to in paragraph 8(1)(b) of these Regulations; and

    • (b) if samples are collected in accordance with paragraph 15(2)(a) or (b), by using equipment referred to in paragraph (a) or by means of a calculation based on flow rates that are estimated using generally accepted engineering principles.

  • (2) If the volume of effluent is determined using equipment referred to in subsection (1), the requirements of subsections 8(2) and (3) of these Regulations apply in respect of that equipment.

Combination at Port Alberni Mill

• 17 If treated effluent is combined with other effluent at the Port Alberni Mill before being deposited, the effluent at that mill shall, in addition to being monitored in accordance with the other requirements of this Schedule, be monitored for the presence of acutely lethal effluent and the effect on Daphnia magna, and for pH levels and electrical conductivity, in accordance with sections 18 and 19.

• • 18 (1) For the purpose of monitoring for the presence of acutely lethal effluent and the effect on Daphnia magna, a grab sample of the treated effluent and a grab sample of the other effluent shall be collected once a week upstream of the combination point, and the samples collected shall be tested as follows:

    • (a) the samples collected during one week of each month shall be subjected to an acute lethality test; and

    • (b) each of the samples collected shall be subjected to a Daphnia magna test.

  • (2) If a sample of effluent fails a test conducted in accordance with paragraph (1)(b), a grab sample of that effluent shall be collected without delay and subjected to a test conducted in accordance with section 6 of Reference Method EPS 1/RM/13 Second Edition.

  • (3) Subsection (2) does not apply if, at the time the sample that failed the test conducted in accordance with paragraph (1)(b) was collected, a sample of effluent was also collected from that outfall under paragraph (1)(a) and subjected to a test in accordance with section 6 of Reference Method EPS 1/RM/13 Second Edition.

• 19 For the purpose of monitoring the pH levels and electrical conductivity of effluent, the treated effluent and the other effluent shall be tested continuously for pH levels and for electrical conductivity upstream of the combination point.

Reduced Monitoring

• • 20 (1) The sampling and testing, other than testing for pH levels and electrical conductivity, of the effluent that is deposited through each outfall structure may be conducted at a reduced frequency of once a month, and the volume of effluent that is deposited through that outfall structure may be calculated based on flow rates that are estimated using generally accepted engineering principles, if either of the following conditions is met:

    • (a) each sample of effluent from that outfall structure that was tested during the preceding month

      • (i) was not acutely lethal,

      • (ii) contained BOD matter having a BOD of less than 10 mg per litre of effluent,

      • (iii) contained less than 10 mg of suspended solids per litre of effluent, and

      • (iv) contained no other deleterious substance; or

    • (b) the effluent from that outfall structure contains only water that has been used exclusively for non-contact cooling purposes.

  • (2) For the purpose of subsection (1), the sampling of effluent from an outfall structure may be done by collecting a grab sample.

  • (3) If monitoring of the effluent that is deposited through an outfall structure is being conducted in accordance with subsections (1) and (2) on the basis that the effluent met the conditions specified in paragraph (1)(a), monitoring may no longer be conducted in accordance with those subsections if the effluent

    • (a) is acutely lethal;

    • (b) contains BOD matter having a BOD of 10 mg or more per litre;

    • (c) contains 10 mg or more of suspended solids per litre; or

    • (d) contains any other deleterious substance.