Mr. Tony Blouin Halifax Regional Water Commission 450 Cowie Hill Road Halifax, NS I ' 7 5 inr:r B3P 2V3 Dear Mr. Blouin: RE: Approval Transfer - Sludge Treatment Facility Approval No. 2010-070726 )i I 9 j f,,!of, ::i I I i Enclosed please find Approval # 2010-070726 which will serve as the Transfer Approval for #2005-045546-A02. The Transferred Approval was given a new Approval Number to correct an administrative error. The Approval Transfer covers the operation of the sludge treatment facility at Aerotech Business Park, Halifax Regional Municipality, Nova Scotia. Please note that this Approval only covers the uselstorage of Exceptional Quality biosolids and does not cover the uselstorage of Class A or Class B biosolids. This Approval does not cover the use of the Exceptional Quality biosolid in a trial composting with "green waste". This Approval does not cover the blending of the Exceptional Quality biosoilds with compost or other material to produce a manufactured topsoil. Provided the product meets the Exceptional Quality criteria, it may be utilized as a blending agent. Strict adherence to the attached terms and conditions is imperative in order to validate this approval. Despite the issuance of this Approval, the Approval Holder is still responsible for obtaining any other authorization which may be required to carry out the activity, including those which may be necessary under provincial, federal or municipal law. Should you have any questions, please contact me at the Central Region, Bedford Office at (902) 424-2531. Yours Truly ~regdr~ Decker, P. Eng, Regional Engineer cc. G. Decker (NSE) A. Teal (NSE) File: 2010-070726
>$% NOVASC TIA Environment APPROVAL Province of Nova Scotia Environment Act, S.N.S. 1994-95, c.1 APPROVAL HOLDER: Halifax Reaional Water Commission APPROVAL NO: 201 0-070726 PID: 0051 5239 EXPIRY DATE: December 1,2016 Pursuant to Part V of the Environment Act, S.N.S. 1994-95, c.1 as amended from time to time, approval is granted to the Approval Holder subject to the Terms and Conditions attached to and forming part of this Approval, for the following activity: Operation of a Sludcle Treatment Facilitv at or near Aerotech Business Park, Halifax Reaionai Municipalitv in the Province of Nova Scotia. Administrator Effective
TERMS AND CONDITIONS OF APPROVAL Nova Scotia Environment Approval Holder: Project: Site: Approval No: Halifax Regional Water Commission Sludge Treatment Plant Aerotech Business Park 94300-30-BED-070726 File No: 201 0-070726 PID: 00515239 Reference Documents: - Application to Transfer dated January 27, 2010 and attachments. - Application dated April 19, 2005 and attachments. - Application for amendment dated April 30, 2008 and attachments. - Letter from SGE Acres dated June 21, 2005 and attachments. - Letter from SGE Acres dated March 10, 2006 and attachments. - Letter from Halifax Regional Municipality dated April 30, 2008 and attachments. - Drawings: HFX1454700-SK-004, Revision A* 1454700-AO-C-1101, Revision C* 1454700-AO-C-1102, Revision B* 1454700-AO-C-1103, Revision A* 1454700-AO-C-1104, Revision E* 1454700-AO-C-1110, Revision F* 1454700-A0-C-1111, Revision B* 1454700-AO-C-1112, Revision B* 1454700-AO-P-1580, Revision 0 1454700-AO-M-1780, Revision 0 1454700-AO-M-1781, Revision 0 1454700-AO-M-1782, Revision 0 1454700-AO-M-1783, Revision 0 1454700-AO-1-1681, Revision F 1454700-AO-1-1682, Revision F 1454700-AO-1-1683, Revision F 1454700-AO-1-1684, Revision F - Revised SGE Acres Drawings dated Sept 29/06 - SGE Acres Submissions dated Aug 3, Aug 30, Sept 29, & Nov 7/06 - HRM Email dated Sept 19/06 - HRM Emails dated May 8 & 9,2008 - N-Viro Systems Canada Email dated May 9, 2008
1. Definitions a) "Act" means the Environment Act S.N.S. 1994-1995, c.1 and includes all regulations made pursuant to the Act. b) "Department" means the Central Region, Bedford Office, of Nova Scotia Environment located at the following address: Nova Scotia Environment Environmental Monitoring and Compliance Division Central Region, Bedford Office, Suite 224, 1595 Bedford Highway, Bedford, Nova Scotia, B4A 3Y4. Phone: (902) 424-7773 Fax: (902) 424-0597 c) "Facility" means the operation of a sludge treatment plant. d) "Minister" means the Minister of Nova Scotia Environment. 2. Scope of Approval a) This Approval (the "Approval") relates to the Approval Holder and their application and supporting documentation, as listed in the reference documents above, to operate the Facility, situated at or near Aerotech Business Park, Halifax Regional Municipality (the "Site") b) This Approval supersedes and replaces previous approval number 2005-045546-A02. 3. General Terms and Conditions a) The Approval Holder shall operate its' Facility in accordance with provisions of the: i) Environment Act S.N.S. 1994-1995, c.1, as amended from time to time; ii) Regulations, as amended from time to time, pursuant to the above Act; iii) Guidelines, as amended from time to time, issued by Nova Scotia Environment. b) If there is a discrepancy between the reference documents and the terms and conditions of this Approval, the terms and conditions of this Approval shall apply.
The Minister or Administrator may modify, amend or add conditions to this Approval at anytime pursuant to Section 58 of the Act. This Approval is not transferable without the consent of the Minister or Administrator. i) If the Minister or Administrator determines that there has been noncompliance with any or all of the terms and conditions contained in this Approval, the Minister or Administrator may cancel or suspend the Approval pursuant to subsections 58(2)(b) and 58(4) of the Act, until such time as the Minister or Administrator is satisfied that all terms and conditions have been met. ii) Despite a cancellation or suspension of this Approval, the Approval Holder remains subject to the penalty provisions of the Act and regulations. The Approval Holder shall notify the Department prior to any proposed extensions or modifications of the Facility, including process changes orwaste disposal practices which are not granted under this Approval. Extensions or modifications to the Facility may be subject to the Environmental Assessment Regulations. Written approval from the Administrator is required before implementing any change. The Approval Holder shall immediately notify the Department of any incidents of non-compliance with this Approval. Pursuant to Section 60 of the Act, the Approval Holder shall submit to the Administrator any new and relevant information respecting any adverse effect that actually results, or may potentially result, from any activity to which the Approval relates and that comes to the attention of the Approval Holder after the issuance of the Approval. The Approval Holder shall bear all expenses incurred in carrying out the environmental monitoring required under the terms and conditions of this Approval. Unless specified otherwise in this Approval, all samples required to be collected by this Approval shall be collected, preserved and analysed, by qualified personnel, in accordance with recognized industry standards and procedures. Unless written approval is received otherwise from the Administrator, all samples required by this Approval shall be analysed by a laboratory that meets the reauirements of the Department's "Policv on Acceptable Certification of ~aboratories" as amended irom time to time:
I) The Approval Holder shall submit any monitoring results or reports required by this Approval to the Department. Unless specified otherwise in this Approval, all monitoring results shall be submitted wkhin 30 days following the month of monitoring. m) The Approval Holder shall ensure that this Approval, or a copy, is kept on Site at all times and that personnel directly involved in the Facility operation are made fully aware of the terms and conditions which pertain to this Approval. n) The Facility shall be operated in accordance with the details and specifications in the Application and attached appendices and the referenced drawings. 4. Spills or Releases a) All spills or releases shall be reported in accordance with the Act (Part VI) and the Emergency Spill Regulations. b) Spills or releases shall be cleaned up in accordance with the Act. 5. Facility Operation a) The Approval Holder shall process, only the following types of feedstock: i) Dewatered septagelsewage sludges from HRM facilities. ii) Any other material specifically approved by the Department. b) The Approval Holder shall not process in excess of the design capacity(42,ooo wet tonnes per year) at the Facility unless given approval by the Department. c) Records of sludge received at the Site for processing shall be submitted to the Department on a quarterly basis. d) The product shall receive approval for use under the Federal Fertilizer Act & Regulations, or a CFlA letter of no objection is issued forthe product in relation to the Federal Fertilizer Act & Regulations, or meet the Exceptional Quality criteria established in the Department's "Guidelines for the Land Application and Storage of Biosolids in Nova Scotia" as amended from time to time, prior to leaving the Facility. e) Product that leaves the Facility as an Exceptional Quality biosolid shall meet the following requirements:
i) The product shall be sampled for compliance with the Exceptional Quality criteria in the Department's "Guidelines for the Land Application and Storage of Biosolids in Nova Scotia" as amended from time to time prior to leaving the Facility. ii) iii) iv) Unless an alternative sampling protocol is approved by the Department; the product shall be sampled in accordance with Trade Memorandum T- 4-1 14, as amended from time to time, produced by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency. The product shall be stored in such a manner that the sampling for Exceptional Quality can be confirmed for the batch numberllot number of the product leaving the Facility. Testing shall be completed for every 1000 tonnes of product produced. v) The Approval Holder shall immediately notify the Department if any product does not meet the Exceptional Quality criteria. The notification shall include a plan to address the issue. vi) vii) Exceptional Quality biosolids shall only be applied to agricultural lands that have a Nutrient Management Plan prepared by a certified nutrient management planner. copies of the NU-trient ~anagement Plans shall be retained bv the Aooroval Holder and shall be available for review bv staff of the ~&~artm&t upon request. Exceptional Quality biosolids may be stored offsite, provided the Department is notified of the storage location and a Best Management Plan for the offsite storage location is submitted. viii) Exceptional Quality biosolids shall not be land applied when the ground is frozen, snow covered or saturated. ix) The Approval Holder shall communicate to the general public the use of Exceptional Quality biosolids generated at the Facility. The communication plan shall include, but not be limited to, local and provincial media, contact with municipalities where product will be utilized, and a contact phone number where enquiries may be directed. x) On or before May 30,2008, the Approval Holder shall establish standard orocedures to address comolaints associated with the land aoolicationl storage of the Exceptional buality biosolids. As part of this iiocedure, the Approval Holder shall maintain a phone number where interested members of the public can contact the Approval Holder.
A record of all complaints and action taken to correct the problem shall be maintained for the life of the approval. These records shall be available for review by staff of the Department upon request. xi) The Approval Holder shall maintain the following records forthe life of the Approval. Records shall be available for review by staff of the Department upon request. 1) the results of the product sampling; 2) the use of the product including but not limited to; the location of the land application of the biosolids, the date of shipment, the quantity utilized at each location, the rate of application and the batch number1 lot number for the material supplied to the application location. 6. Air Emissions a) The Approval Holder shall have standard procedures to address odour complaints associated with the Facility which shall include; i) An immediate investigation of the cause of the complaint and the undertaking of immediate and appropriate action, if necessary, to correct the problem. ii) A record or description of operations at the time of the complaint, including weather conditions, wind direction, etc, iii) A record of all odour complaints and documentation of the date, time, name, address and telephone number of the individual lodging the complaint. The record shall also state any cause of the'odour and the action taken to correct the problem. These records are to be submitted to the Department on a quarterly basis. b) The Facility, including the receiving and processing areas shall be vented to a biofilter and maintained under negative pressure during all potential odour generating activities. c) The Approval Holder shall monitor and record the following biofilter performance parameters: i) pressure on all ventilationlaeration lines discharging to the biofilter (weekly), ii) temperature of each section of biofilter medium servicing each ventilationlaeration line (monthly), iii) moisture content of each section of biofilter medium servicing each ventilationlaeration line (weekly May to September and bi-weekly October to April),
iv) ph of each section of biofilter medium servicing each ventilationlaeration line (monthly) d) Records of biofilter performance shall be made available to the Department upon request. e) Numerical or quantitative limits on odour shall be established at the discretion of the Department if odour impacts beyond the property boundaries become a problem. f) The Approval Holder shall ensure that air emissions from the Facility do not contribute to a non-compliance with the maximum permissible ground level concentrations specified in Schedule " A of the Air Quality Regulations or the limits established as follows: i) Sound levels shall not exceed the following limits at any monitoring station designated by the Department which is situated at or beyond the property boundary: Leq 65dBA (0700-1900 hours) Day 6OdBA (1900-2300 hours) Evening 55dBA (2300-0700 hours) Night ii) Total suspended particulate shall not exceed the following limits at any monitoring station designated by the Department which is situated at or beyond the property boundary: Annual Geometric Mean Daily Average 70 pg1m3 120 pg1m3 g) Where the Approval Holder is contributing to non-compliance with the Schedule "A" concentrations or other limits established in conditions (e) & (f) the Approval Holder shall be required to implement a corrective action plan which may include ambient air monitoring, air modelling or risk assessment studies. Monitoring to determine compliance with the limits shall be conducted at the request of the Department. Monitoring stations and procedures shall receive prior approval by the Department. h) The generation of fugitive dust from the Site shall be suppressed by the use ofwatersprays orthe application of other suitable dust suppressants approved by the Department. The use of used oil as a dust suppressant is not permitted.
7. Wastewater Management a) The Facility shall be operated so that all process liquid effluent is collected for reuse or after pretreatment, discharged to the municipal sanitary sewer system unless granted approval for an alternative discharge or disposal site by the Department. b) The Facility shall be operated so that all process liquid effluent discharged to the sanitary sewer system is managed in a manner that does not cause an adverse impact to the receiving ~unici~al collectionltreatment facility. Test results of the effluent quality shall be provided to the Department upon request 8. Surface Water Management a) Erosion and sediment control measures are to be maintained as required, such that watercourses or water resources adjacent to and downstream of the Site are protected from siltation. It is recommended to follow control measures as outlined in the "Erosion and Sedimentation Control Handbook for Construction Sites, 1988". The Act prohibits release of a material that may cause an adverse effect. b) The Approval Holder shall sample for the parameters and at the frequency indicated in the following Table to ensure the liquid effluent levels for the discharge from the storm water retention pond are met: Storm Water Retention Pond Effluent Discharge Limits Parameters Maximum in a Grab Sample Monthly Arithmetic Mean Monitoring Frequency Total Suspended Solids Ecoli 50 mgll 20011OOml 25 mgll ----- All Rain Events All Rain Events BOD 5 mgll ----- All Rain Events c) Non-compliance with the effluent discharge limits noted in condition 8 b) shall be immediately reported to the Department. The surface water monitoring results shall be submitted quarterly to the Department.
d) The Facility shall be considered in compliance with the effluent limits if 80% of the sample test results, averaged over a 10 sample cycle meet the limits specified in the table. No single result can be greater than three times the limit. e) Following a review of any of the analytical results required by this Approval, the Department may alter the frequencies, location, and parameters for analyses required for this Approval or require other remedial action. f) Adverse environmental impacts on surface water quality or quantity which are attributed to the operation of the Facility or activities occurring on the Site shall be remediated to the satisfaction of the Department at the Approval Holder's expense. 9. Operation and Maintenance Manual a) An Operation and Maintenance Manual shall be maintained on Site and include the following: i) Up-to-date as-built drawings and specifications for the Facility, ii) iii) iv) A copy of the most recent Approval for the Facility including the terms and conditions. A complete description of the standard operating procedures for the Facility. A copy of the most recent contingency plan. b) The Operation and Maintenance Manual shall be available for review by staff of the Department upon request. 10. Monitoring, Classification and Use of Product a) This Approval does not cover the monitoring or classification of the product under the Federal Fertilizer Act & Regulations nor any liability that may be associated with the sale andlor use of the product as a fertilizer or the sale andlor use of the product as an Exceptional Quality biosolid.
1 1. Potable Water a) The Facility shall be maintained in compliance with the requirements of CSA 864.10-011B6410.1-01 Manual for the Selection & Installation of Backflow Prevention Devices or latest edition, where applicable. 12. Reports a) Reporting Upon Request i) The Approval Holder shall keep records continually updated in such a way that reporting of monitoring and sampling results can be immediately sent to the Department upon request. b) Annual Reporting i) The Approval Holder shall prepare and submit to the Department, an annual performance report for the Facility. ii) iii) The annual report shall be submitted on or before February 1 following the completion of the calendar year being reported upon. The annual report shall contain but not be limited to the following information. 1) a summary of the quantity of sludge received at the Facility 2) a summary of the total quantity of product leaving the Facility, including its classification. Classification shall be in accordance with the Department's "Guidelines for the Land Application and Storage of Biosolids in Nova Scotia" as amended from time to time or the Federal Fertilizer Act and Regulations. 3) a list of the names of each laboratory utilized by the Approval Holder and the parameters analysed by each laboratory. 4) records of any violations of the conditions of this Approval and actions taken by the Approval Holder to correct those violations. 5) any complaints received and the steps taken todetermine the cause of the complaint and the corrective measures taken to alleviate the cause and prevent its recurrence.