In Ontario, there are approximately 2500 industrial facilities that discharge treated wastewater directly into the environment. Close to 140 of these facilities are regulated under one of nine, sector-specific Effluent Monitoring and Effluent Limits (EMEL) regulations.
Also, an environmental approval is required for the establishment of any new facility and the use, operation or change of any existing facility that may discharge or discharges wastewater directly into the environment, even if the facility is subject to one of these regulations.
Facilities Regulated by Municipal/Industrial Strategy for Abatement (MISA) program Effluent Monitoring and Effluent Limits (EMEL) Regulations
The Effluent Monitoring and Effluent Limits (EMEL) regulations under the MISA program are part of Ontario’s strategy to minimize the presence of toxic substances in the environment.
The intent of these regulations is to manage persistent toxic substances in industrial discharges that flow into the province’s surface waters.
The MISA EMEL regulations focus on nine industrial sectors:
- electric power generation
- industrial minerals
- inorganic chemical
- iron and steel manufacturing
- metal casting
- metal mining
- organic chemical manufacturing
- petroleum
- pulp and paper
Facilities Governed by Environmental Approvals
All industrial facilities discharging wastewater directly to the environment are subject to the requirement to obtain an environmental approval to be established, used, operated or changed. The environmental approval normally imposes site-specific effluent limits and monitoring and reporting requirements for the operation of the facility. For industrial facilities that are subject to the MISA EMEL regulations, their environmental approvals normally impose site specific requirements that are in addition to the requirements of the regulations.
