volume 1 - Halifax Regional Municipality

Halifax Water Integrated Resource Plan
Appendices
2. INTEGRATED RESOURCE PLAN – APPROACH
TOR Requirement
1. Halifax Water will work collaboratively with the
Nova Scotia Utility and Review Board (UARB) staff
and consultants led by James Goldstein (Tellus
Institute) and the consultant team hired by Halifax
Water to assist with the IRP development.
2. Halifax Water will use the IRP framework
described in Section 3.0 below (Scope) to
develop the plan.
3. Halifax Water will coordinate the work for the
IRP with other ongoing initiatives including the
Regional Wastewater Functional Plan, the Asset
Management Assessment, and the proposed
Debt Study.
4. Halifax Water will identify assumptions
necessary to plan for uncertainties related to
environmental compliance (e.g. changes in
wastewater effluent and biosolids management
regulations resulting from the Canadian Council
of Ministers of the Environment (CCME) efforts,
change, increasing power cost, etc.).
IRP Reference
Section 1
Sections
1, 3, 4, 5, 6, and 7
Section
5.4
Volume 1
Appendix H
Sections
4.3.2, 4.3.3 and
4.5.1
The IRP was developed collaboratively with Halifax Water and its consultants and the NSUARB and its
consultants led by the Tellus Institute. The collaboration involved: four Technical Conferences,
numerous teleconferences, a number of workshops as well as review of documents.
The overall approach to the IRP is presented in Section 1 and in Section 5 of Volume 1.
Halifax Water programs and projects incorporated into the IRP are detailed in Section 5.4.
Recommended outputs from the RWWFP were incorporated into the IRP and incorporated into the
Recommended Plan financial model presented in Volume 1 Appendix H.
The Asset Management Assessment was also incorporated in the IRP programs and into the
Recommended Plan financial model presented in Volume 1 Appendix H.
The IRP Recommended Plan financial model is one of the key inputs being presently used in the Debt
Study.
Additional improvements will be needed to meet the recently promulgated federal Wastewater
Systems Effluent Regulations (WSER). The proposed regulations are intended to phase out the release
of untreated and undertreated wastewater. The regulations will apply to wastewater systems that
treat, or are designed to treat, an average daily volume of at least 100 cubic metres per day (m 3 /d).
The most significant projects will be the upgrade to full secondary treatment of the three Halifax
Harbour Solutions WWTFs - Halifax, Dartmouth and Herring Cove by 2032. O&M costs were
calculated for the WSER projects including increases in energy costs.
The Province of Nova Scotia has indicated that it will implement WSER requirements under its
jurisdiction through conditions attached to approvals issued by Nova Scotia Environment (NSE).
Future versions of the WSER or emerging NSE regulations may well require additional controls beyond
the offset of growth impacts. Accordingly, Halifax Water reconizes the need to plan for this possible if
not probable future. The IRP includes an enhanced overflow control program, beyond that proposed
by the RWWFP, based on the identification of high-risk CSO sites requiring more immediate attention
(Volume 1 Appendix F).
Section 4.5.1 presents the assessment of challenges, opportunities and risks associated with
wastewater compliance.
Revision: 2012-10-29 Integrated Resource Plan –Appendices G-3
October 31 2012 Page 215 of 272