volume 1 - Halifax Regional Municipality
volume 1 - Halifax Regional Municipality volume 1 - Halifax Regional Municipality
Halifax Water Integrated Resource Plan Executive Summary Water Regulatory Compliance The water system is presently fully compliant with all regulatory requirements. Canada’s Federal-Provincial-Territorial Committee on Drinking Water 1 has proposed new or changed guidelines for dichloromethane and for N-nitrosodimethylamine (NDMA). Based on the assessment of current source and drinking water quality and current treatment processes, it is expected that neither change in guidelines should pose any compliance issues for Halifax Water. Over the longer term, the following regulatory developments can reasonably be expected to occur: • Reducing Disinfection By-Products - Trihalomethanes (THMs), Haloacetic acids (HAAs); and, • New Parameter and Lower Maximum Acceptable Concentrations (MACs). The Halifax Water‘s Water Quality Master Plan 2 (WQMP) provides the planning direction for drinking water compliance. It places a lot of attention on the reduction of THMs and HAAs so compliance should not be an issue when new stricter standards come into place. The water supply plant (WSP) improvement projects already recommended in the Five-Year Capital Plan should enable this future compliance. Wastewater Regulatory Compliance At present a number of Halifax Water’s WWTFs are not compliant with their NSE Permit to Operate and require upgrades. Many of the required upgrades have already been incorporated into the Five-Year Capital Plan as noted in Table ES-3. Additional upgrades have also been suggested through work done in preparing the IRP. Additional improvements will also be needed to meet the recently promulgated Canadian Federal Wastewater Systems Effluent Regulations (WSER) 3 . The most significant projects will be the upgrade to full secondary treatment of the three Halifax Harbour Solutions (HHSP) facilities - Halifax, Dartmouth and Herring Cove by 2032. Halifax Water is required by NSE to monitor and report overflows. NSE has also indicated that the impact of any growth on overflows will need to be mitigated so that there is no increase in overflow frequency or volume. This is the basis for overflow control measures proposed in the RWWFP. Halifax Water is also taking current actions to mitigate overflows. The Five-Year Capital Plan includes a number of projects addressing wet weather flow issues that includes 4 CDW, Health Canada, 2012 5 Water Quality Master Plan Version 2, Halifax Water, 2011 6 Wastewater Systems Effluent Regulations, Canada Gazette, Vol. 146 No. 15, June 2012 Revision: 2012-10-29 Integrated Resource Plan – Executive Summary ES-8 October 31 2012 Page 10 of 272
Halifax Water Integrated Resource Plan Executive Summary ES 5.2.3 screening of overflow discharges, a number of wet weather flow (I/I) reduction projects, as well as the overflow monitoring program. Future versions of the WSER or emerging NSE regulations may well require additional controls beyond the offset of growth impacts. Accordingly, Halifax Water recognizes the need to plan for this possible if not probable future and has included an Enhanced Overflow Control Program in the IRP. Stormwater Regulatory Compliance The main regulatory compliance concerns related to stormwater runoff are the impacts on receiving water quality and the impacts related to flow volumes and velocity (i.e. flooding and erosion). The Regional Municipal Planning Strategy 4 commits HRM to preparing a Regional Stormwater Functional Plan (RSWFP), which among other aspects should address these issues. Halifax Water will actively participate in HRM's development of the RSWFP. Currently HRM has a by-law 5 that restricts what can be discharged into the wastewater and stormwater sewers. Asset Renewal Halifax Water currently delivers an annual asset renewal program that rehabilitates or replaces aging infrastructure. Asset renewal is important to avoid system failures and maintain levels of service. Based on this program the Five-Year Capital Plan identifies prioritized annual asset renewal projects. As well, Halifax Water in 2011 finalized the Asset Management Assessment (AMA) Program 6 . The AMA provides Halifax Water a “roadmap” for the implementation of a future comprehensive asset renewal program. Full implementation of the AMA will require a number of years, during which time the current program will continue. Based on the review of available asset data undertaken in the IRP, it was clear that there were significant limitations on asset condition data with water system linear assets having the most recorded information and wastewater and stormwater linear assets having little or no recorded condition data. A methodology based on the available asset age data was therefore developed through the IRP to estimate asset renewal needs. 4 Regional Municipal Planning Strategy 2006, Amended May 2010, Halifax Regional Municipality, 2010 5 Halifax Regional Municipality By-Law W-101 Respecting Discharge into Public Sewers (Wastewater Discharge By-Law),Halifax Regional Municipality, June 2001 6 Asset Management Assessment (AMA) Project, Halifax Water, June 2011 Revision: 2012-10-29 Integrated Resource Plan – Executive Summary ES-9 October 31 2012 Page 11 of 272
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<strong>Halifax</strong> Water Integrated Resource Plan<br />
Executive Summary<br />
Water Regulatory Compliance<br />
The water system is presently fully compliant with all regulatory requirements.<br />
Canada’s Federal-Provincial-Territorial Committee on Drinking Water 1 has proposed<br />
new or changed guidelines for dichloromethane and for N-nitrosodimethylamine<br />
(NDMA). Based on the assessment of current source and drinking water quality and<br />
current treatment processes, it is expected that neither change in guidelines should<br />
pose any compliance issues for <strong>Halifax</strong> Water.<br />
Over the longer term, the following regulatory developments can reasonably be<br />
expected to occur:<br />
• Reducing Disinfection By-Products - Trihalomethanes (THMs), Haloacetic acids<br />
(HAAs); and,<br />
• New Parameter and Lower Maximum Acceptable Concentrations (MACs).<br />
The <strong>Halifax</strong> Water‘s Water Quality Master Plan 2 (WQMP) provides the planning<br />
direction for drinking water compliance. It places a lot of attention on the reduction of<br />
THMs and HAAs so compliance should not be an issue when new stricter standards<br />
come into place. The water supply plant (WSP) improvement projects already<br />
recommended in the Five-Year Capital Plan should enable this future compliance.<br />
Wastewater Regulatory Compliance<br />
At present a number of <strong>Halifax</strong> Water’s WWTFs are not compliant with their NSE Permit<br />
to Operate and require upgrades. Many of the required upgrades have already been<br />
incorporated into the Five-Year Capital Plan as noted in Table ES-3. Additional upgrades<br />
have also been suggested through work done in preparing the IRP.<br />
Additional improvements will also be needed to meet the recently promulgated<br />
Canadian Federal Wastewater Systems Effluent Regulations (WSER) 3 . The most<br />
significant projects will be the upgrade to full secondary treatment of the three <strong>Halifax</strong><br />
Harbour Solutions (HHSP) facilities - <strong>Halifax</strong>, Dartmouth and Herring Cove by 2032.<br />
<strong>Halifax</strong> Water is required by NSE to monitor and report overflows. NSE has also<br />
indicated that the impact of any growth on overflows will need to be mitigated so that<br />
there is no increase in overflow frequency or <strong>volume</strong>. This is the basis for overflow<br />
control measures proposed in the RWWFP.<br />
<strong>Halifax</strong> Water is also taking current actions to mitigate overflows. The Five-Year Capital<br />
Plan includes a number of projects addressing wet weather flow issues that includes<br />
4<br />
CDW, Health Canada, 2012<br />
5<br />
Water Quality Master Plan Version 2, <strong>Halifax</strong> Water, 2011<br />
6<br />
Wastewater Systems Effluent Regulations, Canada Gazette, Vol. 146 No. 15, June 2012<br />
Revision: 2012-10-29 Integrated Resource Plan – Executive Summary ES-8<br />
October 31 2012 Page 10 of 272
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