Sewers By-law (Toronto
Municipal Code Chapter 681)
and Outfall Monitoring
Program
David Trieu
City of Toronto
Toronto Water
Environmental Monitoring & Protection Unit
November 4, 2013
AGENDA
1)Who we are and primary duties
2)Industrial Waste Control Group (IWC)
3)Stormwater Quality Group (SQG)
4)Sewers By-law
6)Outfall Monitoring Program (OMP)
WHO WE ARE:
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51 Staff Members
Management, Engineer, Support Staff & Field Officers (Provincial
Offences Officers)
3 Key Sections:
Industrial Waste Control Group:
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Stormwater Quality Group:
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15 areas within the City
24/7 Spill & Complaint Response
6 Tributary Watersheds and Lake Ontario
Backflow Prevention Group:
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Ensures 30,000 industries in Toronto have valid BFP devices
Sewers Bylaw
Compliance & Monitoring
(Industrial / Commercial /
Institutional)
Pollution Prevention
Program
Enforcement
(Courts)
(Water Supply Bylaw)
Environmental Monitoring
& Protection
Block 2 Industrial
Water Rate Program
(Compliance End)
Outfall Monitoring
Program
Spills/Complaints
24/7 coverage
Manage & Create
Agreements under
Sewers Bylaw
Monitoring Toronto Beaches,
Special Monitoring Projects
Staff Reports
to Committees
Training
All TW, TPH,
Legal, PPFA
-Day to Day Core Activities
- Required
Backflow Prevention
Program
Public Outreach
Technical Advice
(Road Salt)
Transportation
INDUSTRIAL WASTE CONTROL GROUP
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Enforce Sewers and Water Supply By-law – 15 areas within the
City
Monitor Industrial discharges & on-site Pollution Prevention (P2)
plans
Industrial Waste Surcharge & Sanitary Discharge Agreements
Respond to water pollution complaints, industrial-commercial
spills.
STORM QUALITY GROUP
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Outfall Monitoring Program
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Monitor storm outfall discharges
Beach & Lake water quality monitoring
Stormwater complaint investigations
Special Stormwater projects
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Inner Harbour Monitoring
Environmental Assessment
Monitoring
SEWERS BY-LAW
OBJECTIVES:
• Reduce chemicals going to sewers, to help protect Lake Ontario &
Toronto’s Rivers and streams & wastewater treatment plants
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To regulate the quality of storm and sanitary discharges into City’s
storm & sanitary sewers
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To ensure that sewage sent to treatment plants is treatable and to
continuously improve bio-solids quality
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Environmental protection and long-term health of receiving waters
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Comply with Federal and Provincial legislation
SEWERS BY-LAW
HIGHLIGHTS:
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Contains Discharge Limits and requirements for the Sanitary,
Combined, and Storm Sewers
Pollution Prevention Plan Requirements
Waste Surcharge and Sanitary Discharge Agreements, Industry
Compliance Programs
Right of Entry for Officers
Spill Reporting Requirements
Penalties and Fines
OUTFALL MONITORING PROGRAM (OMP)
OBJECTIVES:
• Program initiated in late 2005.
• To locate and survey all outfalls within Toronto.
• To sample all outfalls with a dry weather flow.
• To identify contaminated stormwater flows.
• Initiate remedial and or enforcement action to eliminate the
sources of contamination under authority of the Sewers Bylaw.
• Update city maps
HOW DOES THE OMP WORK?
• There are 6 key steps in this program
STEP 1: SURVEYING AND SAMPLING
• Outfalls are the exit points of the storm sewer system for drainage of
surface runoff (ie rain, snowmelt)
• Each individual watershed is surveyed for all Outfalls, defined as any
pipe greater than 10 cm.
• Each surveyed outfall with dry weather flow is sampled at least twice.
During this phase, 2 rounds are sampled.
• Sampling Parameters may include: E. coli, TSS, pH, BOD, Metals, Total
Phosphorus, TKN and Phenols.
• Other parameters can also be sampled and tested at the discretion of the
investigating Officer
STEP 2: CLASSIFICATION OF OUTFALLS
• Outfalls are classified as either Priority, Concern, or Interest
using sample results.
STEP 3: INVESTIGATE PRIORITY OUTFALLS
• Priority Outfalls are actively investigated and sampled
• Pollution source tracing is done from the outfall, going upstream through
the storm sewer
• Strategic storm manhole points are inspected and compared to each
other
• Areas of higher pollutant concentration indicate proximity to the source
(Narrowed down to be in between two manholes)
STEP 4: POLLUTION SOURCE INSPECTIONS
• Property inspections begin once the source has been
narrowed down to be in between two manholes
• All properties in between those two manholes are
flagged for inspection and are issued dye test letters
• Pollution sources can come from cross connected
properties or through illegal dumping/discharge into
catch basins
• A cross connection is an illegal sanitary plumbing
fixture connected to the storm sewer line
• Other potential sources of pollution include sewer
infrastructure problems
• Main test methods include; non toxic dye testing the
property and video testing the storm sewer lines
STEP 5: ENFORCEMENT
• Stepwise enforcement (cross connections properties)
• Property owners are issued verbal warnings not to use the cross
connected fixtures until the problem is rectified.
• Property owners are issued by mail, written Notices of Violation,
indicating they are in breach of the Sewers By-law.
• Legal action taken and issue fines, if necessary
STEP 6: DELISTING PRIORITY OUTFALLS
• After Priority Outfalls are thoroughly investigated they can be delisted
to Outfalls of Interest, if the water quality has improved.
• This requires obtaining 3 clean samples from routine monitoring and
sampling at the outfall.
• A clean sample is defined as having the attributes of an Outfall of
Interest.
OUTFALL MONITORING PROGRAM STATISTICS
Since start of the OMP in late 2005 to 2012
• 2,631 Total Outfalls Surveyed
• Taylor Massey Creek (TMC), Black Creek, Rouge River,
Etobicoke Creek, Humber River, Highland Creek, Mimico Creek
and Lake Ontario completely surveyed.
• 634 cross connections found (including infrastructure problems
and multi-unit buildings)
• 592 cross connections corrected (inc. infrastructure problems and
multi-unit buildings)
• 70 Delisted Priority Outfalls (23 in TMC)
• 100 Priority Outfalls were under investigation (31 in TMC)
• The year, the Don River has been surveyed and being sampled
• City staff reports with further details available online to the public
Thank you!
Any Questions?