Selecting numerical standards

Land use at a site must be established to select a soil standard. Land use is based on the activities occurring at the surface of the site using the land use definitions in the CSR. The land use may or may not be the same as a municipal zoning description. The CSR land use definition that most closely matches the current and/or future use of the site at ground surface is the applicable land use.

The CSR defines 8 different land uses:

1. Natural wildlands (WL_N) – land in a protected area that has never been used for agricultural, commercial, industrial, urban park or residential land use
2. Reverted wildlands (WL_R) – wildlands previously used for an agricultural, commercial, industrial, urban park or residential purpose that is returned to wildlands land use
3. Agricultural (AL) - land used to produce agricultural products for human or animal consumption
4. Urban park (PL) - land used for outdoor recreation
5. Residential low density (RL_LD) – land used for residential purposes with a single residence, a multiple-unit dwelling of less than 3 storeys or an institutional facility in a building of less than 3 storeys
6. Residential high density (RL_HD) – land used for residential purposes with multiple-unit dwellings of 3 or more storeys, or an institutional facility in a building of 3 or more storeys
7. Commercial (CL) - land used for buying, selling or trading of merchandise or services
8. Industrial (IL) - land used for conducting industrial manufacturing and assembling processes and their ancillary uses

Clarification on commonly misunderstood land uses

• The primary purpose of wildlands land uses is to support natural ecosystems.
• The natural wildlands land use is for those protected areas listed in Schedule 2.1 of the CSR. They include areas such as ecological reserves, national or provincial parks, protected wetlands or woodlands, native forests, tundra, or alpine meadows. Information found in the map of natural wildlands can assist in the interpretation and application of wildlands land use under the CSR. The reverted wildlands land use is for those protected areas listed in Schedule 2.1 of the CSR that formerly had agriculture, commercial, industrial, urban park or residential land use, but the land will revert to a natural ecosystem.
• Urban park land use assumes that no camping or overnight stays occur. It includes areas such as municipal parks, sports fields, community beaches, and day-use picnic areas.
• If the entire property is designated for commercial use at ground level, and high-density residential development exists or is planned above it, the property is commercial land use.
• Industrial land use is applicable to any soil greater than 3 m below ground surface, as per CSR 17(3).

Multiple land uses

There may be cases where multiple land uses occur at a property or site. In this circumstance, the more conservative land use standards must be applied unless multiple land uses are established using Protocol 18: Criteria for Establishing Multiple Land Uses at Sites (PDF, 143KB).

Water use must also be established to select certain matrix soil standards.

Soil standards are provided in Schedule 3.1 for the different land uses and are divided into three parts:

• Part 1, Matrix Soil Standards
• Part 2, Generic Numerical Soil Standards to Protection Human Health
• Part 3, Generic Numerical Soil Standards to Protect Ecological Health

Matrix Soil Standards

Part 1 is referred to as the matrix soil standards. Only certain substances in the CSR have matrix soil standards. Matrix soil standards are broken down by site-specific factors that vary depending on the land and water use and the receptors (people and animals) present at the site.

Each matrix lists 8 site-specific factors. As specified in section 12(8) of the CSR, there are 2 site-specific factors that are mandatory and must be applied at every site:

• Intake of contaminated soil in the human health protection section
• Toxicity to soil invertebrates and plants in the environmental protection section

The other matrix site-specific factors are applicable only if they're relevant to a site:

• Groundwater used for drinking water
• Livestock ingesting soil and fodder
• Major microbial functional impairment
• Groundwater flow to surface water used by aquatic life
• Groundwater used for livestock watering
• Groundwater used for irrigation

Four site-specific factors are related to groundwater use at a site. These soil standards protect groundwater and surface water from contaminants that may leach from soil and only apply when the corresponding water use applies, as determined using Protocol 21, Water Use Determinations.

 Table 4A-1 in Protocol 28: Standard Derivation Methods (PDF, 3.2MB) describes the application of mandatory and non-mandatory site-specific factors.

The lowest matrix value for the applicable land use among the mandatory and relevant site-specific factors is the numerical standard for that substance.

Generic Soil Standards

Part 2 and 3 of Schedule 3.1 are the generic soil standards to protect human and ecological health. The substances listed in these schedules do not have matrix soil standards. The value listed for the applicable current and future land use is the numerical standard for that substance.

The CSR defines 4 different water uses at a site:

• Aquatic life (AW) – water that can support aquatic life
• Irrigation water (IW) – water that can be used to irrigate crops
• Livestock watering (LW) – water that can be used by livestock for drinking purposes
• Drinking water (DW) – water that can be used for human consumption

Current and future water use at a site is defined by the proximity to nearest water bodies or water sources (such as drinking water wells) and the presence of groundwater aquifers for drinking water, irrigation and livestock watering.

The following resources provide methods for determining current and potential future water uses at specific sites:

• Protocol 21: Water Use Determinations (PDF, 372KB)
• Technical Guidance 6: Assessment of Hydraulic Properties for Water Use Determinations (PDF, 187KB)

Generic numerical water standards are defined in Schedule 3.2 of the CSR. Since water at a site may be used for several different purposes, more than one water use can apply.

Where multiple water uses apply at a site, the presence of contamination must be determined using the lowest value for all the applicable numerical water standards.

Some of the aquatic life standards apply specifically to freshwater or marine/estuarine water. Where the water is transitional between freshwater and marine/estuarine water, the more stringent of the freshwater or marine/estuarine standards should be used.

Additional guidance and specific geographical boundaries for the Fraser River are also found in:

•  Technical Guidance 15: Concentration Limits for the Protection of Aquatic Receiving Environments (PDF, 288KB)

Generic numerical vapour standards are provided for 4 vapour uses:

• Agricultural, Urban park, Residential 
• Commercial
• Industrial 
• Parkade 

Vapour standards correspond to land uses with the following exceptions:

• Residential vapour use does not distinguish between low- and high-density residential land uses
• There are no vapour standards for wildlands land uses
• Generic numerical vapour standards are specific to human health
• Parkade vapour use is a unique exposure scenario which is not limited to one specific land use

Generic numerical vapour standards are provided in Schedule 3.3 of the CSR. The value listed for the applicable vapour use is the numerical standard for that substance.

Vapour standards are compared to concentrations estimated or measured in the breathing zone for humans. For further information on characterizing vapour concentrations in the breathing zone, see:

• Technical Guidance 4: Vapour Investigation and Remediation (PDF, 358KB)
• Protocol 22: Application of Vapour Attenuation Factors to Characterize Vapour Contamination (PDF, 421KB)

Sediment standards have been developed for freshwater and estuarine/marine sediments and for both sensitive and typical sediment use.

Sensitive sediment use means the use of sediment as habitat for sensitive components of aquatic ecosystems as specified in Part 1 of the CSR. Sensitive sediment standards apply to most sites since they are developed to protect aquatic ecosystems from most adverse effects. For example, sensitive sediment standards would apply to fish spawning streams, harbours that provide habitat for aquatic life, intertidal zones that support the preservation of wildlife, and wetlands that encompass restoration areas.  

Typical sediment use applies at sites that are not considered to have sensitive sediment uses. Typical sediments standards are developed to protect ecosystems from some adverse effects and may apply to maintained waterways, such as ditches and waterbodies that are actively dredged and prevent the establishment of aquatic habitat.  

The sediment standards are limited to the protection of aquatic life. Where people may be exposed to sediment, the soil standards for the protection of human health can be compared to sediment to consider whether human health risks should be assessed. The land use applicable to the soil in the foreshore can be used to determine which soil standards should be compared to the sediment.

Generic numerical sediment standards are provided in Schedule 3.4. The value listed for the applicable sediment use is the numerical standard for that substance.

In areas that transition from freshwater to estuarine water, the lower value freshwater or marine sediment standard applies.

Note: Once sediment is deposited on land it is considered soil and the applicable numerical soil standards apply.