Canada's Environmental Effects Monitoring Program: From Regulation to Reality, 1995 Engineering Conference Proceedings

P. N. Riebel

BEAK Consultants Limited

Due to recent federal pulp and paper effluent regulations, about 150 mills across Canada have now undertaken extensive receiving environment studies known as EEM’s or Environmental Effects Monitoring programs. Results of these studies will be used to determine if new end-of-pipe limits adequately protect the receiving environment at each mill, and to monitor improvements in the receiver following the implementation of effluent reduction and/or treatment programs. All Canadian mills are required to meet new limits for BOD5 , TSS and have non-lethal effluent by the end of 1995. Since most Canadian mills are located on waterbodies with a high assimilative capacity it is possible that, based on favourable EEM results, many mills may not have to invest in additional effluent treatment or effluent reduction to further reduce end-of-pipe contaminants. History suggests that there is a need for mills to pro-actively develop attainable long-term goals that consider the sensitivity of specific receiving waters and the economics of process and/or treatment changes. An aquatic Risk Assessment approach should be used as valid scientific evidence to demonstrate acceptable risk to the receiving environment and reduce the cost of effluent treatment and/or reduction.