Applicant Summary	Ministry of Environment and Climate Change Strategy
Application Tracking #	Prepared by:
Authorization #	Title
Applicant / Facility Name	Date

The Information Requirements Table (IRT) for Municipal Wastewater Regulation (MWR) Registrations is a tool used by Ministry of Environment and Climate Change Strategy (ENV) staff to document specific guidance and instructions given to a registrant pursuing an exemption from sections 6(2) and (3) of the Environmental Management Act (EMA) to discharge municipal effluent or provide reclaimed water in accordance with the MWR.

Note - this document was developed to capture all the items and complexities concerning municipal wastewater regulation registrations. Accordingly, for any given application, not all the items will apply and not all required items will warrant detailed discussion of methods and other concerns.

As part of the Preliminary Application Phase, ENV will discuss with the applicant the items listed in this table to determine what will be required in support of their final application. A tick mark in the “Required” column of the table indicates an information item to be included into the application package as agreed to by both parties or as directed by ENV. Should it be determined that specific methods will be used to derive this information, this will be specified with a tick mark in the “Methods” box and specific details in the “Comments” column. Specific methods may not be necessary for applications that will not require a subject matter expert review. In cases where complex impact assessments are to be undertaken, agreement on the methods used will be required. For simple methods, the methods used could be discussed with the applicant in a meeting and noted as agreed to in the “Comments” column. For more complex methods, the applicant may be required to submit a “Methods Package” by an agreed date for ENV review, comment and acceptance. Once methods are accepted by ENV they should be either described in the “Comments” column and/or a reference made to the document describing the Methods Package.

If required, this document will form part of an Application Instruction Document (AID) which documents application submission requirements for the applicant. The AID is issued by the Director after a preliminary application meeting has occurred.

The Ministry of Environment and Climate Change Strategy will be assessing this application against this table and it is expected that the applicant does the same prior to any preliminary meetings and/or prior to any final submissions. The Ministry will be screening the final received application against the requirements noted in the AID to ensure it is complete before resources are dedicated to a full, detailed review.

Information	Requirements	Comments	Location in Final Application
Technical Assessment Report
Describe the project including the source of municipal wastewater, the type of treatment, applicable effluent quality requirements or reclaimed water category and discharge or reuse location.	Required ☐	Municipal Wastewater Regulation MWR Reference: [12]
Provide a detailed map of the project location including the treatment works, discharge location and surrounding land and water uses and potential environmental receptors.	Required ☐
Provide full characterization of the influent and any source control measures.	Required ☐	MWR Reference: [7]
Provide the maximum daily flow calculation and average dry weather flow calculation, if applicable.	Required ☐	MWR Reference: [2, 45 (b)(i)]
Treatment
Provide a process flow diagram for the wastewater facility	Required ☐
Specify the treatment design criteria including treatment capacity, retention times, and input and output water quantity and quality. Include a description of the method of disinfection and the treatment of flows above 2xADWF, if applicable.	Required ☐	Authorization from the Director is required to use chlorine. MWR Reference: [51-52, 69, 77, Table 3, 94-98, Table 9-11, 104, 107, 113, Table 13]
Provide treatment system detailed design drawings including discharge works, certified, signed and stamped by a qualified professional.	Required ☐
Provide rationale for expected treatment effectiveness (e.g., examples with similar conditions, bench scale test, pilot tests), including an evaluation of effectiveness under potential variable operating conditions (e.g., flood or storm events).	Required ☐
Describe how the design of the wastewater facility meets component and reliability requirements including pumping facilities.	Required ☐	MWR Reference: [34-37 & Table 1]
If using septic tanks, confirm that the septic tank has a hydraulic capacity of at least 2 days minimum detention time at the design maximum daily flow.	Required ☐	MWR Reference: [39 (a)]
If using septic tanks, confirm the septic tank is fitted with an effluent filter, a screen or an equivalent measure to protect pumps.	Required ☐ Waiver Requested ☐	MWR Reference: [39 (c)]
Discharge to Ground
Provide a site plan to scale that includes the drain fields, property boundary, building drain, buffer strips, nearby water wells and bodies of water, and monitoring locations.	Required ☐	MWR Reference: [82, 85]
If actual daily flows are used, describe the water conservation measures proposed and include the restrictive covenant for the property.	Required ☐	MWR Reference: [74]
Confirm that the local background concentrations and/or the Contaminated Sites Regulation (CSR) Groundwater Standards will be met at the Initial Dilution Zone (IDZ). Outline which chemicals were considered and what levels they are predicted to be attain at the IDZ.	Required ☐	MWR Reference: [51]
Describe the infiltration system, including its design and operation, maintenance and equipment monitoring. Describe how the design and construction specifications of the system meet the MWR.	Required ☐	MWR Reference: [78-81; 83 or 84]
Describe the 3-dimensional size of the initial groundwater dilution zone, including its edge where the local background concentrations and/or the CSR Groundwater Standards must be met. Describe the location of the edge of the dilution zone in relation to the property boundary, the nearest water supply well or surface water. Include a discussion of the subsurface travel time, including through the unsaturated zone, to the property line, capture zone of nearest water well or surface water.	Required ☐	MWR Reference: [71-72]
Estimate the size of the groundwater mound from the proposed discharge including the minimum unsaturated soil depth and whether the mound or the discharge may extent to or daylight at ground surface.	Required ☐	MWR Reference: [73, 76]
Describe whether the discharge will require advanced treatment based on its total nitrogen content and the discharge area.	Required ☐	MWR Reference: [77]
Discharge to Water:
Provide a site plan to scale showing the discharge location, the IDZ, other discharges and their IDZ, recreational areas, shellfish harvesting areas, domestic or agricultural water intakes and any other sensitive areas identified in the EIS.	Required ☐	MWR Reference: [91(2), 92, 93]
Provide the dilution ratio calculation and identify any additional requirements resulting from this.	Required ☐	MWR Reference: [2 (2), 94]
Describe the IDZ and demonstrate how the IDZ meets applicable MWR requirements.	Required ☐	MWR Reference: [91-93]
Describe the design of the outfall and describe how it meets the requirements of the MWR.	Required ☐	MWR Reference: [99]
Provide critical flow calculation for discharges under 5,000 m3/d.	Required ☐	MWR Reference: [100]
Identify whether the MWR requires advanced treatment (nutrient removal) for the proposed receiving environment.	Required ☐	MWR Reference: [97]
Identify whether the MWR requires an enhanced EIS for the proposed receiving environment. If so, Terms of Reference for the EIS need approval by ENV.	Required ☐ Method ☐	MWR Reference: [98] Submit Terms of Reference for the Environmental Impact Study for approval by ENV prior to undertaking the EIS.
Reclaimed Water:
Provide a site plan to scale showing all the reclaimed water use locations and all sensitive receptors identified in the EIS. If irrigating or impounding reclaimed water, include distance to nearest water well or in-ground reservoir used for domestic supply.	Required ☐	MWR Reference: [109(2)]
Provide reason for proposed reclaimed water category based on the EIS, design, use and likelihood of exposure.	Required ☐	MWR Reference: [104]
Provide an assessment of the maximum ground surface slope on which reclaimed water is being applied.	Required ☐	MWR Reference: [109(50]
Include information and communication materials for users.	Required ☐	MWR Reference: [109(6)]
For Greater Exposure Potential, describe method of virus removal.	Required ☐	MWR Reference: [110]
For Moderate Exposure Potential, confirm commercial crops irrigated with reclaimed water will undergo chemical or physical processing sufficient to destroy pathogens.	Required ☐	MWR Reference: [111]
For Moderate Exposure Potential, if livestock grazing fields are irrigated, describe how grazing will be prohibited for 3 to 6 days after irrigation ends as applicable.	Required ☐	MWR Reference: [111]
For Moderate or Low Exposure Potential, describe how worker contact will be minimized.	Required ☐	MWR Reference: [112]
Describe the alternate disposal or storage system.	Required ☐ Waiver Requested ☐	MWR Reference: [114]
If a dual distribution system is used, describe the design, construction, maintenance and inspection safeguards to prevent cross connection.	Required ☐	MWR Reference: [117]
Environmental Impact Studies
Construction
Description of site work, including location of roads, buildings, ditches or drainage, pipelines, excavation, berms and related issues such as slope stability, rainwater management, and erosion control measures.	Required ☐
Do an assessment of potential impacts on terrestrial and aquatic vegetation, benthic invertebrates, fish and wildlife.	Required ☐
Assess potential impact on sensitive habitats (e.g. ecosystems at risk, fish spawning/rearing habitats).	Required ☐
Assess impact on quality of surface water and groundwater.	Required ☐
Assess potential impacts on traffic patterns.	Required ☐
Assess potential impacts of noise and air quality.	Required ☐
Do an archaeological impact assessment	Required ☐
Overflow
Quantify overflow events based on 5-year return period precipitation.	Required ☐
Establish receiving water beneficial uses and sensitive receptors.	Required ☐
Determine guidelines, referencing BC Approved Water Quality Guidelines (WQG), to protect beneficial uses and sensitive receptors.	Required ☐
Evaluate measures to protect public health and the receiving environment and any treatment needed to designated uses of waters, but as minimal control of floatables and materials of obvious sewage origin.	Required ☐
Discharges to Ground:
Characterize the pre-discharge environmental baseline conditions at the property where the discharge is to occur and the receiving environment downslope of the discharge. This should include the baseline’s spatial boundaries, conditions during the most critical times (e.g. low flow), monitoring rationale and locations, monitoring parameters, results and comparison to the water quality benchmarks (e.g. WQG or CSR groundwater standards). The applicant is encouraged to synthesize and present the environmental baseline conditions in a conceptual model. The environmental baseline monitoring should be developed in sync with the operational/discharge monitoring, so that a single monitoring network can be used for both monitoring.	Required ☐
Assess the local hydrogeological conditions including stratigraphy, soil classification, water table elevations, fluctuation and flow direction, and soil and aquifer hydraulics including field-saturated hydraulic conductivity, groundwater quality and flux, and subsurface travel times in both unsaturated and saturated zones.	Required ☐
Evaluate and describe the pathways and linkages between the proposed discharge and the users of the receiving environment.	Required ☐
Evaluate potential impacts of the proposed discharge on the receiving environment, including whether the receiving environment quality will meet the water quality benchmarks, and under what conditions.	Required ☐
Provide mitigation strategies to ensure that the proposed discharge will protect the receiving environment.	Required ☐
Determine the reliability category used to inform the component requirements for the wastewater facility.	Required ☐
Evaluate potential cumulative impacts of the discharge on the receiving environment.	Required ☐
Propose additional effluent quality requirements if necessary to protect public health and the receiving environment.	Required ☐
Discharge to Surface Water
Characterize the Receiving Environment
Provide a figure at an appropriate scale that shows the location of the outfall terminus, the IDZ and the locations of any sensitive receptors (e.g. recreational areas, water intakes, shellfish beds, protected areas, ecosystems at risk etc.). The figure should include topology (contour lines, bathymetry), dominant current vectors and standard map features (north arrow, scale).	Required ☐
Provide a summary of the seasonal hydrological conditions including tides, currents, flow rates, flushing rates.	Required ☐
Provide a summary of the seasonal temperatures, precipitation, wind speeds and direction.	Required ☐
Provide a summary of the current and future receiving environment water uses and locations of any public areas, private residences, commercial or recreational fisheries, water intakes or traditional food harvesting areas in relation to the discharge location.	Required ☐
Characterize the pre-discharge environmental baseline conditions:	Thorough desktop review and/or adequate field sampling of water, sediment and biota.
Describe pre-discharge monitoring locations, sampling parameters and frequencies including rational for their selection.	Required ☐	MWR Reference: [19(2)(c)]
Provide a summary of all existing water quality and sediment quality data compared to applicable water and sediment quality guidelines.	Required ☐
Summarize existing benthic community data including species and abundance.	Required ☐
Provide an assessment of seasonal current speed and direction through approved methods such as current meter and drogue study.	Required ☐
Assess seasonal water column stratification and ambient conditions through approved methods such as depth profiles of temperature, dissolved oxygen, conductivity, pH and salinity.	Required ☐
Do a hydrodynamic analysis of minimum available dilution and mixing in the receiving environment using approved methods.	Required ☐
Assess flushing rates or lack thereof and determination of any known back eddies. For proposed discharges into lakes assessment of limnology including stratification and overturn, average yearly lake outflow, theoretical detention time.	Required ☐
If daily flow is more than or equal to 50 m3/day then the ammonia discharge limit must be back calculated from the edge of the IDZ. Provide the ammonia back calculation and provide rational for assumptions used in the calculation.	Required ☐
Impact Assessment
Identify spatial and temporal boundaries for the effects prediction for each phase of the project.	Required ☐
Provide an interaction table that identifies potential interactions between the various project phases and activities and the identified receptors. Describe how the phase or activity has the potential to interact with the receptors.	Required ☐
Identify human and biological receptors that have potential to interact with the discharge. It is recommended that a Conceptual Site Model (CSM) is used as a framework to describe the environmental conditions, contaminant pathways and linkages between water, groundwater, and sediment, human and ecological receptors.	Required ☐
Evaluate and describe each contaminant in the discharge, its pathway through the receiving environment food web including linkages between environmental media types (e.g. water, sediment, groundwater), human and ecological receptors and potential for trophic transfer of contaminants (e.g. bioconcentration and/or bioaccumulation).	Required ☐
Provide predicted concentrations of effluent parameters at the edge of the IDZ based on dilution and plume dynamics modelling under various effluent discharge scenarios (e.g. minimum, average and maximum flow) and receiving environment conditions (e.g. seasonal variations, average and storm conditions, tide cycles etc.).	Required ☐
Compare predicted concentrations to applicable WQG (e.g. provincial or federal) and other relevant scientific studies of sensitivity estimates of biological effects. Include a comparison to Fecal Coliform limits from MWR s.96.	Required ☐	MWR Reference: [51, 96, 100(2)(c)]
Provide a detailed discussion of predicted incremental increases in relevant ambient parameters and assess the residual impacts on identified receptors including but not limited to: assessment of acute and chronic toxicity, oxygen depletion, microbiological loading, nutrient loading, thermal effects, biodiversity effects, and bioconcentration or bioaccumulation effects.	Required ☐
Establish applicable effluent and receiving environment water quality requirements and demonstrate that the proposed treatment works and discharges from these will not adversely affect public health or the receiving environment and, if necessary, establish additional municipal effluent quality requirements to ensure protection of public health and the environment.	Required ☐
Cumulative Effects
Identify current and future point and non-point sources of the discharge on the receiving environment.	Required ☐	(MWR S.19(2)(b))
Assess the impact of combined discharges on identified receptors including incremental changes in receiving environment water and sediment quality and the implication these impacts may have on identified receptors.	Required ☐
Based on the EIS, determine which reliability category applies to the proposed wastewater facility.	Required ☐
Receiving Environment Monitoring
Discharge to Ground:
Describe the proposed groundwater monitoring program, including the number of monitoring wells to measure the background and receiving groundwater levels and quality, and maps depicting the monitoring sites. The program should summarize the monitoring well installation details, such as geographical coordinates of all wells, installation depth, screen interval and geology, and water levels. The plan should detail the sampling methods, monitoring parameters, frequency and quality controls, and the applicable CSR groundwater standards that will be met at the edge of the IDZ.	Required ☐
Discharge to Surface Water
Provide a figure showing the location of the outfall, the IDZ, and all monitoring stations for water, sediment and biota including a reference (control) station.	Required ☐
Locate at least one control sampling station upstream, upgradient or outside the influence of the IDZ.	Required ☐
Provide a table that summarizes monitoring station ID, coordinates, water depth, monitoring parameters and frequencies. Include rational for the selection of sites, parameters and frequencies.	Required ☐
Describe sampling equipment, sampling methods, field and laboratory QA/QC methods and criteria, methods of data analysis including comparison to applicable water and sediment quality guidelines, reference sites and/or other established receiving environment benchmarks, data interpretation and reporting cycle.	Required ☐
Follow ENV approved methods for sample collection and analysis of the environmental media type (e.g. water, sediment) and the specific parameters (e.g. 5 samples collected in 30 day period for microbiological and nutrient analysis).	Required ☐
Provide monitoring results in tabular form and compare them to applicable benchmarks and reference sites.	Required ☐
Design post-discharge monitoring to allow for verification of impact assessment predictions, ensure compliance with MWR requirements and monitor trends.	Required ☐	MWR Reference: [20, 51]
Management Plans
Operating Plan:	Required ☐	MWR Reference: [19; 20; 23; 53-60; 62; 63-67; 102]
Describe the proper operation, maintenance and monitoring of the wastewater facility, including lift stations.	Required ☐
Include outfall inspections requirements and septic pump out requirements if applicable.	Required ☐
Include a detailed description of the monitoring program for the discharge and the receiving environment including monitoring schedule, methods and data analysis, quality controls, and reporting requirements.	Required ☐
Also provide response actions in the event of effluent quality or quantity exceedances and toxicity failures (if applicable).	Required ☐
Commissioning Plan:	Required ☐	MWR Reference: [24]
Include the operational procedures required to commission the wastewater facility and the monitoring required to demonstrate that no adverse environmental impacts will result from commissioning.	Required ☐
Construction Environmental Protection Plan:	Required ☐	MWR Reference: [19]
Contractor’s plan to enact recommendations from the Construction Environmental Impact Study.	Required ☐
Contingency Plan:	Required ☐
Describe the emergency procedures to be followed if the wastewater facility or lift stations experience disruption including when to notify the health officer and when to report a spill.	Required ☐
If reclaimed water is used, procedures for immediate diversion of the effluent to the alternate method of disposal or storage if effluent quality requirements are not met and conditions under which the reclaimed water can be redirected back to the reclaimed water use.	Required ☐
Irrigation Plan:	Required ☐	MWR Reference: [109, 111]
Describe the appropriate use of reclaimed water for irrigation including time of use, method of distribution, maximum application rate, growing season for crops and vegetation, harvesting/grazing/processing restrictions and site-specific nutrient loading and metal limits.	Required ☐
Closure Plan:	Required ☐
In the case of a temporary treatment system, describe the procedures for decommissioning the system when it is no longer required.	Required ☐
Inflow and Infiltration Reduction Plan:	Required ☐	MWR Reference: [44]
If inflow and infiltration occurs such that the maximum average daily flow exceeds 2 times the ADWF at the treatment plant during a storm or snowmelt events with a less than 5-year return period, develop and implement, as part of a LWMP or a study, measures to reduce inflow and infiltration.	Required ☐
Overflow Elimination Plan:	Required ☐	MWR Reference: [21, 42]
If overflows occur during storm or snowmelt events with a less than 5-year return period, develop and implement, as part of a LWMP or a study, measures to eventually eliminate overflows.	Required ☐
Discharge Monitoring Plan Provide a discharge monitoring plan that describes how effluent quality and quantity will be monitored evaluated and reported in accordance with the MWR requirements. Include:	Required ☐	MWR Reference: [51-60, 66, 67, 94, 95, 96, 97, 103]
Discharge monitoring locations, parameters to be monitored and frequency	Required ☐
Sampling methods, equipment, quality control and quality assurance methods	Required ☐
Applicable effluent quality requirements	Required ☐	MWR Reference: (S. 94)
Confirm if toxicity monitoring requirements apply to the municipal effluent discharge. If so, provide a sampling plan to monitor effluent toxicity as per MWR S. 58 to 60.	Required ☐	MWR Reference (S. 58 to 60)
Methods of evaluating and reporting effluent quality and quantity	Required ☐	MWR Reference: [55, 66, 67]
Miscellaneous requirements
Substitutions	Required ☐	MWR Reference: [8, 9]
Authorizations	Required ☐	MWR Reference: [2, 82, 84, 94(3), 106, 110(2), 114]
Security, Capital Replacement Funds and Assurance Plans	Required ☐	MWR Reference: [27-31]

Guidance Documents:

Municipal Wastewater Regulation

Environmental Impact Study Guideline - A Companion Document to the Municipal Sewage Regulation

Guidance on Applications for Permits Under the Environmental Management Act – Technical Assessment, BC Ministry of Environment, September 10, 2010

BC EAO (2013) Guideline for the Selection of Valued Components and Assessment of Potential Effects.

Approved Water Quality Guidelines

Contaminated Sites Regulation Numerical Water Standards

Water and Air Baseline Monitoring Guidance Document for Mine Proponents and Operators, BC Ministry of Environment, October 9, 2012

British Columbia Field Sampling Manual for Continuous Monitoring and the Collection of Air, Air-Emission, Water, Wastewater, Soil, Sediment, and Biological Samples, BC Ministry of Water, Land and Air Protection, 2013

BC Environmental Laboratory Manual

http://www.bclaws.ca/EPLibraries/bclaws_new/document/ID/freeside/87_2012

https://www2.gov.bc.ca/assets/gov/environment/waste-management/sewage/eisguidelinedec2000.pdf

https://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/environment/research-monitoring-reporting/monitoring/laboratory-standards-quality-assurance/bc-field-sampling-manual

https://www2.gov.bc.ca/assets/gov/environment/waste-management/waste-discharge-authorization/guides/assessment.pdf

https://www2.gov.bc.ca/assets/gov/environment/natural-resource-stewardship/environmental-assessments/guidance-documents/eao-guidance-selection-of-valued-components.pdf

https://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/environment/air-land-water/water/water-quality/water-quality-guidelines/approved-water-quality-guidelines

http://www.bclaws.ca/EPLibraries/bclaws_new/document/ID/freeside/375_96_08#Schedule3.2

https://www2.gov.bc.ca/assets/gov/environment/waste-management/industrial-waste/industrial-waste/water_air_baseline_monitoring.pdf

https://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/environment/research-monitoring-reporting/monitoring/laboratory-standards-quality-assurance/bc-environmental-laboratory-manual