Government Approves Tough New Biosolids Rules

There are tough new standards for the storage and disposal of biosolids in Nova Scotia.

Environment and Labour Minister Kerry Morash says the new guidelines -- approved today, May 13 -- bring more safety and certainty to Nova Scotia's waste water management programs.

"Our goal was to find a safe, stable, long-term solution to the disposal of materials left over from sewage treatment," he said. "We've done that by adopting some of the toughest land application and storage rules to be seen in North America."

Biosolids are organic materials that are produced after the treatment of sewage, septage and industrial sludges. Septage sludge is the solid material that remains after water is removed from the sediments pumped from a septic tank. Sewage sludge is the residue generated during the treatment of sewage in a treatment plant.

Only biosolids that have been treated to kill pathogens and to meet certain chemical criteria will be approved for land application. The treatment must be applied by the generator of the material. All approvals for land application of untreated sludges are cancelled.

The new guidelines take effect Saturday, May 15. They will become part of any approval issued by the department for land application or storage of biosolids. That makes them fully enforceable under the Environment Act.

Current approval holders for land application or storage of biosolids will have to meet the technical standards of the new guidelines. Applicants for new approvals will also have to meet requirements to conduct meaningful public consultation, to address concerns expressed at public consultations and to have written confirmation of compliance with any local bylaws or planning regulations.

"Nova Scotians were very clear in the comments made in the recent consultation," Mr. Morash said. "They want to be part of the approval process and they want their local governments involved too. These guidelines make sure that happens."

Mr. Morash said he understands many Nova Scotians want more time to comment on how these materials are managed. "As a result," he said, "we're inviting public comment on these new guidelines all summer and we'll be making regular reports to Nova Scotians on the results of a monitoring program that will measure the real effects of land application on the environment."

Sludges and biosolids are organic materials, therefore it is against the law to bury them in landfills in Nova Scotia. The only other disposal options are land application and incineration.

"There's no suitable incinerator in Nova Scotia; and it's against our solid waste management strategy to landfill organic materials," Mr. Morash said. "That's why we've chosen to allow operators to extract extra value from them and allow land application under very controlled conditions."

The new guidelines and instructions for filing comments are available on the Environment and Labour website at www.gov.ns.ca/enla/ or by calling 1-800-567-7544. The guidelines are also available at any Environment and Labour office.