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Preapprovals

Last updated on September 12, 2025

Find out how to apply for a preapproval from the ministry. A preapproval may be required if the entire extent of contamination at a non-high risk site cannot be fully delineated or remediated.

On this page:

Preapprovals under Protocol 6

Preapproval is a decision obtained from the ministry that supports applications for contaminated site services that will be submitted with the recommendation of an Approved Professional. Preapproval from a director is required in specific situations before you apply for:

Learn more about preapprovals in Section 4.0 of Protocol 6: Applications with Approved Professional Recommendations and Preapprovals (PDF, 406KB).

Preapprovals do not confirm remediation liability between those responsible for contamination.

Apply for ministry preapproval

To apply for ministry preapproval you must:

Visit Apply for Services to learn more about how to submit a preapproval application. 

Examples where ministry preapproval is required

The following circumstances are examples of where ministry preapproval is required if the entire extent of contamination at a site cannot be delineated or remediated:

  • Access has been denied to an affected parcel, leading to incomplete investigation and remediation
  • It is not technically feasible or safe to investigate or remediate a site using ministry guidance and protocols. Possible reasons may include:
    • congested underground utilities
    • active transportation corridors that cannot be shut down
    • geotechnical concerns such as maintaining structural stability of infrastructure
    • complex topography such as steep slopes and deep groundwater or to protect mature forests
  • There is merging contamination and neighbouring source parcel owners' investigations and/or remediation plans don’t align

This list doesn’t include all of the situations that may require preapproval. For more information, contact the ministry at remediationFAQs@gov.bc.ca.  

Examples where ministry preapproval is not required

Preapproval from the ministry is not needed in the following circumstances:

  • A flow-through contaminated site
  • Area wide contamination
  • Certification for an affected parcel will be obtained before the source site is fully remediated
  • Part of an operating facility will be remediated and a certification document or site release is required for that area
  • Contamination is a result of beneficial uses

Reporting guidance for circumstances that don’t require ministry preapproval

If ministry preapproval isn't required (see list above), you can submit applications for certification documents directly to the CSAP Society.

When applying, clearly describe the circumstance and provide full rationale and supporting information in a separate section of the applicable final report(s). Summarize the circumstance in Section 4.8 of the Summary of Site Condition.

Information or rationale that supports why delineation or remediation is not possible may include:

  • Demonstration that reasonable efforts to delineate and remediate all contamination were made
  • All related figures, tables, and data
  • Records of communication with affected parcel owners
  • Details of human health and environmental risks at the site
  • Design and implementation of engineering controls needed to prevent recontamination of the site
  • Risk controls required at the site

Additional guidance and reporting expectations are provided below for specific circumstances.

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Flow-through contaminated site

A flow-through contaminated site is a site or parcel to which contaminants have migrated to from an up-gradient source. These contaminants pass through the “flow-through” site/parcel without increasing in concentration. The contaminants then migrate further down-gradient to one or more affected sites or parcels.

Water lots may be impacted by flow-through contamination.

In this circumstance, you do not have to investigate or remediate beyond the flow-through site boundaries but still must remediate all contamination at that site.

Reporting to support an application for a flow-through site should include:

  1. Relevant information and figures for the site and surrounding area demonstrating that contamination considered “flow- through” originates from an upgradient source parcel, migrates through the site, and then leaves the site without an increase in concentration
  2. Reliable details about flow-through contaminants that have potential to break down into other products (for example perchloroethylene degrading to trichloroethylene, dichloroethylene and vinyl chloride). These breakdown products are considered part of the source contamination if it is shown that they do not come from activities on the flow-through site.
 

Area wide contamination

Area wide contamination is contaminated fill that covers a large area and has:

  • No known historical source
  • No identifiable responsible person
  • Not been designated an environmental management area

Water lots may be impacted by area wide contamination.

Contamination may be considered area wide contamination when the historical source is known but it is not associated with any known historical or existing on-site activities, and there is no identifiable responsible person.

In this circumstance, you do not have to investigate or remediate beyond the site boundaries, but you are still responsible for remediating all contamination at that site.  

 

To obtain certification for an affected parcel before the source site is fully remediated

Where a facility is no longer operational, the supporting report(s) should include:

  1. A plan and schedule that show how remediation of all contamination will be completed
  2. Rationale for seeking a certification document or site release notice for the affected parcel, and not for the entire site

When the source site is still an operating facility, additional information is not required.

 

Contaminants with beneficial use

Contamination can come from the beneficial use of particular substances. These substances and the eligible beneficial use(s) are listed in the table below. 

Eligible beneficial uses

Substance

Eligible beneficial use

zinc

galvanized materials (used to prevent rusting)

copper

copper pipe or bare copper wire (used for water supply or for cathodic protection to prevent corrosion)

boron, chromium, copper, arsenic, chlorophenols, or constituents of creosote (including petroleum hydrocarbon carrier solutions)

treated or preserved wood utility poles, structural timber or pilings

chloride, sodium

road salting

To demonstrate beneficial use, the supporting report should include information that:

  1. Shows the contamination from beneficial use materials doesn’t go significantly beyond the source. The extent may differ depending on the beneficial use
  2. Shows the beneficial use serves its intended purpose or the materials associated with the beneficial use continue to be used
  3. Contains records that confirm the beneficial use materials were not produced or stored at the parcel

Refer to Protocol 13 to learn more about beneficial use exemptions. If the exemptions in Protocol 13 do not apply, the contamination from beneficial use materials must be evaluated using a Detailed Risk Assessment.

Example: widespread road salt application

When remediating a site contaminated by beneficial use of road salt to meet numerical standards, and the same beneficial use is expected to continue on adjacent parcels or roadways, you do not have the investigate or remediate beyond the site boundaries, but you are still responsible for remediating all contamination at that site. The site may be eligible for a numerical certification document.

 

The information on this web page does not replace the legislative requirements in the EMA or its regulations and it does not list all provisions for contaminated site services.

If there are differences between this information and the Act, Regulation, or Protocols, the Act, Regulation, and Protocols apply.