Final clean water regulations released for organic chemical manufacturing and inorganic chemical sectors

5 Pages·1995·1.4 MB·English

Ministry at Environment and Energy
FEBRUARY" 95
Final clean water regulations released
for organic chemical manufacturing and
inorganic chemical sectors
On Feb. 14, 1995, Ontario released final clean water The 0CM sector employs about 9,800 people at
regulations to protect provincial waterways from 26 plants. The plants are distributed mainly along
pollutants discharged by the organic chemical the Great Lakes Basin:
manufacturing (0CM) and inorganic chemical (IC)
sectors. Area Number of plants
The clean water regulations establish limits for Sarnia 10
pollutants discharged by manufacturing plants in Kingston/Cornwall 7
the two sectors. They are designed to reduce Toronto/Durham 3
significantly the amount of toxic and other Niagara 2
pollutants entering Ontario's waterways from these Cobourg
1
plants. Amprior
The 0CM and IC sectors are two of the largest Elmira
1
users of water in Ontario. Water is used mainly for Longford Mills
cooling, but significant quantities are also used for
process purposes. Plants in the 0CM sector discharge into the
Reducing the quantity of toxic chemicals St.Clair River, Niagara River, St.Lawrence River,
discharged in effluents from the organic and Ottawa River, Grand River, Lake Ontario and Lake
inorganic chemical sectors will reduce the risks St. John.
posed to the environment, human health, fish and Major companies in the sector include Dow
wildlife. The clean water regulation limits also will Chemical Canada Inc., Dupont Canada Inc.,
help the ministty implement initiatives such as the Imperial Oil Chemicals Division, BASF and Polysar
Canada-Ontario Agreement respecting Great Lakes Rubber Corporation.
Water Quality, the Remedial Action Plan program
and the Lake Ontario Toxics Management program.
THE INORGANIC CHEMICAL SECTOR AT A
The regulations were developed under the
Municipal-Industrial Strategy for Abatement GLANCE
(MISA) program.
Companies in the inorganic chemical sector produce
fertilizers, abrasives, carbon black, mineral-based
THE ORGANIC CHEMICAL MANUFACTURING insulating materials, industrial gases, acids and
explosives.
SECTOR AT A GLANCE
Companies in the organic chemical manufacturing
sector make a variety of products, including
plastics, fibres, synthetic rubber, detergent bases,
industrial solvents and gasoline additives.
P165 1706E
Copyright Provisions and Restrictions on Copying:
This Ontario Ministry of the Environment work is protected by Crown copyright
(unless otherwise indicated), which is held by the Queen's Printer for Ontario. It
may be reproduced for non-commercial purposes if credit is given and Crown
copyright is acknowledged.
It may not be reproduced, in all or in part, for any commercial purpose except
under a licence from the Queen's Printer for Ontario.
For information on reproducing Government of Ontario works, please contact
ServiceOntario Publications at
The IC sector employs about 3,000 people at 25 which defined concepts crucial to the development
plants: and implementation of the clean water limits
regulations. At the same time, the ministry
Area Number of plants introduced a new direction for the program which
Sarnia 7 included:
Niagara 6 the identification of pollution prevention as the
Cornwall /Maitland 5 preferred approach to achieve the virtual
Port Maitland 2 elimination of persistent toxic substances
Sault Ste. Marie I • the establishment of effluent limits for a list of
North Bay I sector-specific parameters
HamUton I • the establishment of a ban or phase-out list for
Amherstburg I specific persistent toxic substances
Elmira I • the requirement that final effluents cannot kill
fish or water fleas as measured by standardized
Plants in the inorganic chemical sector tests
discharge into the St.Mary's River, St.Clair River, The second phase of the program establishing
—
Detroit River. Niagara River, St. Lawrence River, regulations that set effluent limits for industrial
Grand River, Lake Erie, Lake Ontario and Lake sector dischargers — is nearing completion..
Nipissing. Regulations have been finalized for seven of the nine
Major companies in the sector include: IC! MISA industrial sectors.
Canada, Terra Industries Inc., General Chemical
Canada Ltd. and Nutrite Inc.
REDUCTION OF LOADINGS
The limits in the regulations are expected to reduce
ESTIMATED COSTS OF IMPLEMENTING THE
discharges of toxic chemicals of concern by almost
REGULATIONS
50 per cent from the 0CM sector and by about 16
The estimated capital cost of compliance with the per cent from the IC sector.
limits for the organic chemical manufacturing sector These chemicals include seven contaminants on
is $51.6 million, with an annual operating cost of the ministry's list of candidate substances for bans,
$16.1 million. phase-out or reduction; arsenic, mercury, 1,4-
The estimated capital cost of compliance with dichlorobenzene, phenanthrene,
the limits for the inorganic chemical sector is $16.9 hexachlorobenzene, PCBs (polychiorinated
million, with an annual operating cost of $1.85 biphenyls) and polychlorinated dioxins and furans.
million. Estimated reductions of conventional pollutants
— including tOtal suspended solids, phosphorus,
nitrogen compounds, and oil and grease for the
—
GOAL OF CLEAN WATER REGULATIONS 0CM and IC sectors are 43 per cent and 22 per cent
respectively.
The goal of Ontario's clean water limits regulations
is the virtual elimination of persistent toxic
substances from effluents discharged into Ontario's
ThE MAJOR ENVIRONMENTAL CONCERNS
I
waterways. The program was introduced in 1986 to $
identify and reduce the pollutants discharged from Some wastewaters from the organic chemical
industrial and municipal sources into Ontario's manufacturing and inorganic chemical sectors
rivers and lakes. contain persistent toxic chemicals such as
-
The first phase of the program monitoring the chlorinated solvents, polychlorinated
—
effluents from 300 major industrial direct dibenzodioxins and dibenzofurans, polychlorinated
dischargers — was completed in August 1991. biphenyls (PCB5) and heavy metals such as
September 1991, the Ministry of Environment and mercury, nickel, zinc and chromium. The
Energy published the issue Resolution Final Report wastewaters also contain conventional pollutants
such as suspended solids, phosphorus and nitrogen
compounds which could impair the uses of
receiving waters.
2
Persistent toxic chemicals including heavy polychlorinated dioxin and furan groups:
metals can accumulate in sediments on the bottom • <20 picograms/L for 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-
of a body of water and can be harmful to human p-dioxin
health, fish, aquatic plants and other aquatic life. • <50 picograms/L for 2,3,7,8-
These chemicals have been linked to cancers and tetrachlorodibenzofuran
birth defects in humans. • For 17 other types of 2,3,7,8-substituted dioxins
and furans, the total toxic equivalent (TEQ)
must be picograms/L
ESTABLISHING THE DISCHARGE LIMITS
A listing of the 17 other types of dioxins and
The clean water limits in the regulation are based on furans and the method for calculating their total
the iesu its of a 12-month monitoring program and toxic equivalent concentration are described in the
an examination of the best available technology Sampling and Atialytical Protocol (Ministry of
(BAT) for reducing the discharge of contaminants in Environment and Energy, ISBN 0-7778-1880-9,
each sector. August 1994).
The ministry defines BAT as a combination of
demonstrated treatment technologies and industrial
COMPARISON TO OTHER JURISDICTIONS
process changes that can reduce or eliminate
pollution and are affordable to the industry, To The limits for the organic chemical manufacturitig
determine BAT, the ministry hired consultants to sector were reviewed against limits or guidelines of
conduct a world-wide search for modern other jurisdictions including other Canadian
wastewater treatment practices and process provinces, the United States and Europe. The
technologies applicable to the two sectOrs. Ontario limits were found generally to be more
Regulated plants are free to choosehow they
meet the limits. For example, rather than installing
end-of-pipe treatment, companies may choose to
APPLYING ThE DISCHARGE LIMITS
implement pollution prevention measures.
A description of the available technologies for There are two general approaches to reducing the
the two sectors are contained in the BAT quantities of pollutants in plant effluents: in-plant
consul tant's report. pollution prevention and end-of-pipe treatment.
The 0CM and IC sector clean water regulations In-plant pollution prevention consists of process
will result in the application of legally enforceable modifications, chemical substitution and water
limits across the province. reduction and recycling. In the organic chemical
manufacturing sector, for example, one plant has
replaced the harmful chemical benzene which was
REGULATED REQUIREMENTS
used as a solvent, with the less harmful chemical
Because of the product and process diversity in the cydohexane.
two sectors, each plant has a site-specific set of In-plant recycling of wastewaters is becoming a
limits for the parameters of concern at the site. common practice in industry. Typically, pollutants
Sector-wide parameters that are limited at every can be removed from wastewaters by treatment
0CM sector plant are dissolved organic carbon such as filtration and the cleaned-up water can be
(DCC), phosphorus, total suspended solids, re-used in the process.
phenolics, and oil and grease. End-of-the-pipe treatment processes commonly
Similarly, for the IC sector, total suspended used in these two sectors to improve effluent quality
solids, DCC and phosphorus are limited at each include filtration or sedimentation, biological
plant. treatment and activated carbon adsorption.
All final discharges at all plants must not kill In addition to limits on specific parameters,
fish or water fleas (as demonstrated by a standard plants in the 0CM and IC sectors are required to
acute lethality test) and must be within a pH-range monitor cooling waters, conduct chronic toxicity
of 6.0 to 93 at all times. tests on final effluents and carry out storm water
All plants must ensure that their wastewaters control studies.
meet the following concentration limits for
-
3
The regulations also incorporate a number of PENALTiES FOR VIOLATIONS
standard monitoring and reporting requirements
(in common with clean water regulations for the Corporations not complying with clean water
other MISA sectors). Sections of the regulations regulations can be subject to a maximum fine of
govern: compliance monitoring, the location of $50,000 per day for a first conviction and $100,000
sampling points, sampling and analytical per day for subsequent convictions.
procedures, toxicity testing, the calculation of
loadings, effluent flow measurement, quality
WHERE TO GET MORE INFORMATiON
control, record keeping and reporting to the
ministry and to the public. Copies of the regulations for the organic chemical
manufacturing (PIBS #407-E02) and inorganic
chemical (PIBS #522-E02) sectors can be obtained by
HOW THE REGULATIONS WERE FINALiZED calling the Ministry of Environment and Energy's
The regulations were finalized following a 60-day Public Information Centre at [phone] or 1-800-
public comment period. Consultations were held 565-4923.
with affected plants and trade unions, as well as
with First Nations representatives. The draft
regulations were also reviewed by the MISA
Advisory Committee, which is made up of
environmental experts from academia, industry and
public interest groups.
4