• Protecting Water and Farmland in Simcoe County

Ontario seeks comment on changes to management of “excess” soils

By
In Adjala-Tosorontio
Apr 22nd, 2018
0 Comments
2271 Views

AWARE News Network

The following proposal has been posted by the Ontario government on the EBR registry

The proposal is related to sustainable excess soil management and reuse. The proposal aims to protect human health and the environment. It also aims to increase opportunities for the beneficial reuse of excess soil and reduce greenhouse gas emissions associated with its movement.

Excess soil is soil that that has been dug up, such as during construction activities, that cannot be reused on site and must be moved to another site. This proposal would make it clear where excess soil may be reused.

Analysis of Regulatory Impact:
There are many social, economic and environmental benefits to be achieved if this proposal is implemented. This proposal will provide much greater certainty that the movement of excess soil will not cause impacts to the natural environment or uses at a property as a result of unintended contaminant levels or concentrations in the soil. This proposal would also help to promote the local reuse of excess soil, which can significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions and costs associated with transportation and landfilling.

Several large scale projects generating excess soil have already adopted excess soil best management practices similar to those contained in this proposal, and have reported significant economic benefits. The proposed On-Site and Excess Soil Management Regulation is estimated to have minimal administrative cost impacts on business.

Costs may be associated with the time needed to become familiar with the requirements of the regulation. Additional cost could be incurred for time spent maintaining records, retrieving them for potential audit and registering specified information. The government welcomes comments on the potential impact of the proposed regulatory package on businesses.

For details, read: Excess soil management regulatory proposal 

Comment period April 16, 2018 – June 15, 2018 (60 days)

EBR# 013-2774

Leave a Reply

Commenters must post under real names. AWARE Simcoe reserves the right to edit or not publish comments. Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *