Aa Aa Aa Aa Aa FISHERIES ACT Regulations Respecting Deleterious Substances in Liquid Effluents from Petroleum Refineries
1 These Regulations may be cited as the Petroleum Refinery Liquid Effluent Regulations.
Act
Act means the Fisheries Act; (Loi)
actual deposit
actual deposit means the aggregate quantity, measured in pounds per day, of a deleterious substance prescribed in paragraph 4(a), (b), (c), (d) or (e) that is contained in all liquid effluent and once-through cooling water and that is actually deposited in any one day by a refinery; (rejet réel)
ammonia nitrogen
ammonia nitrogen means the nitrogen in ammonia that results from the operation of a refinery, that is contained in liquid effluent or once-through cooling water from that refinery and that is determined to be present therein by the test method referred to in item 4 of the table to Schedule IV; (azote ammoniacal)
authorized deposit
authorized deposit means the aggregate quantity, measured in pounds per day, of a deleterious substance prescribed in paragraph 4(a), (b), (c), (d) or (e) that is contained in all liquid effluent and once-through cooling water and that may be deposited in any one day by a refinery under the authority of these Regulations; (rejet autorisé)
ballast water
ballast water means water, carried in a vessel for stability and seaworthiness, that is discharged from the vessel to a refinery prior to loading the vessel and includes water used for cargo or ballast tank cleaning; (eau de ballast)
crude oil
crude oil means virgin or naturally occurring unrefined petroleum and any hydrocarbons or mixture of hydrocarbons similar in composition to petroleum brought into a refinery for processing, but does not include hydrocarbons and residual fuels brought into a refinery primarily to meet the fuel requirements of that refinery or primarily for direct blending into finished products; (pétrole brut)
day
day means a period of 24 consecutive hours; (jour)
deposit
deposit means to deposit or permit the deposit in water frequented by fish; (rejeter)
liquid effluent
liquid effluent means, subject to subsection (3), waste water and includes process water, cooling tower blow-down, tank draining, ballast water, storm water, wastes from water treatment facilities and run-off from land used for the disposition of waste water and sludges associated with the operation of a refinery; (effluent)
Minister
Minister means the Minister of the Environment; (ministre)
oil and grease
oil and grease means the oil and grease that results from the operation of a refinery, that is contained in liquid effluent or once-through cooling water from that refinery and that is determined to be present therein by the test method referred to in item 1 of the table to Schedule IV; (huiles et graisses)
once-through cooling water
once-through cooling water means, subject to subsection (3), water that has been circulated once through heat exchangers, either singly or in series, for the purpose of removing heat from process streams and that is not intended to come into contact with the process streams; (eau de refroidissement non recyclée)
owner
owner means the owner or operator of a refinery or his authorized representative; (propriétaire)
phenols
phenols means the hydroxy derivatives of benzene and its condensed nuclei that result from the operation of a refinery, that are contained in liquid effluent or once-through cooling water from that refinery and that are determined to be present therein by the test method referred to in item 2 of the table to Schedule IV; (phénols)
process water
process water means water that is intended to come into contact with hydrocarbons or treating chemicals at a refinery; (eau de traitement)
reference crude rate
reference crude rate means the quantity of crude oil, expressed in thousand barrels per day, that, in accordance with section 6, has been declared by the owner of a refinery to be the reference crude rate of the refinery; (taux de référence de brut)
refinery
refinery means facilities intended primarily for the separation and conversion of crude oil into products, including liquified petroleum gas, gasolines, naphthas, heating oils, fuel oils, asphalts, lubricating oils and greases, benzene, toluene, xylene, hydrogen, sulphur and coke, and includes blending, shipping and packaging facilities located on the refinery property and all properties developed for the operation of those facilities, but does not include facilities associated with the processing of natural gas or the production of synthetic petroleum originating from coal or bituminous sands; (raffinerie)
storm water
storm water means, subject to subsection (2), water run-off that results from precipitation of any kind that falls on a refinery and includes water run-off originating from outside the refinery that passes over or through the refinery; (eaux pluviales)
stream day crude rate
stream day crude rate means the rate, in barrels per day, at which crude oil is processed in a refinery; (taux de brut par jour de fonctionnement effectif)
sulfide
sulfide means dissolved sulfide that results from the operation of a refinery that is contained in liquid effluent or once-through water from that refinery and that is determined to be present therein by the test method referred to in item 3 of the table to Schedule IV; (sulfures)
total suspended matter
total suspended matter means the non-filterable residue that results from the operation of a refinery, that is contained in liquid effluent or once-through cooling water from that refinery and that is determined to be present therein by the test method referred to in item 5 of the table to Schedule IV. (matières en suspension de toute nature) * (2) When storm water is protected, in such manner as the Minister may approve in writing, from contamination by the deleterious substances prescribed in section 4 that originate from the refinery, the storm water shall be deemed not to be storm water for the purpose of these Regulations. * (3) When, prior to being deposited, liquid effluent or once-through cooling water has been treated, in such manner as the Minister may approve in writing, at a site outside a refinery for the purpose of removing therefrom the deleterious substances prescribed in section 4, the liquid effluent or once-through cooling water shall be deemed not to be liquid effluent or once-through cooling water for the purpose of these Regulations.
3 These Regulations apply to every refinery that has not commenced the processing of crude oil prior to November 1, 1973 and that commences the processing of crude oil on or after that date.
4 For the purpose of paragraph (c) of the definition deleterious substance in subsection 33(11) of the Act, the following substances are prescribed as deleterious substances; * (a) oil and grease; * (b) phenols; * (c) sulfide; * (d) ammonia nitrogen; * (e) total suspended matter; and * (f) any substance capable of altering the pH of liquid effluent or once-through cooling water.
(2) The authorized deposit for a refinery of a deleterious substance prescribed in paragraph 4(a), (b), (c), (d) or (e) shall, subject to section 9, be calculated for each day by multiplying the amount in Column II of an item of Schedule I for the deleterious substance set out in Column I of that item by the reference crude rate of the refinery for that month.
8 (1) For the purpose of paragraph 5(1)(b), the authorized deposit for a refinery of a deleterious substance prescribed in paragraph 4(a), (b), (c), (d) or (e) shall, subject to section 9, be calculated by multiplying the amount set out in Column III of an item of Schedule I for the deleterious substance set out in Column I of that item by the reference crude rate of the refinery for that month.
(2) For the purpose of paragraph 5(1)(c), the authorized deposit for a refinery of a deleterious substance prescribed in paragraph 4(a), (b), (c), (d) or (e) shall, subject to section 9, be calculated by multiplying the amount set out in Column IV of an item of Schedule I for the deleterious substance set out in Column I of that item by the reference crude rate of the refinery for that month.
9 (1) When storm water is deposited by a refinery in any day, the authorized deposit for the refinery of a deleterious substance prescribed in paragraph 4(a), (b) or (e), calculated in accordance with sections 7 and 8, may be increased for that day by the amount set out in Column II of an item of Schedule II for the deleterious substance set out in Column I of that item for each 10,000 Canadian gallons of storm water that is deposited.
10 For the purposes of subsection 5(1), when the owner of a refinery deposits a deleterious substance prescribed in paragraph 4(a), (b), (c), (d) or (e), he shall, within 30 days after the end of the month in which the deposit is made, determine for that month the actual deposit of each substance deposited by the refinery by making the measurements and calculations in accordance with Schedule IV. 11 The owner of a refinery that deposits the deleterious substance prescribed in paragraph 4(f) shall, every day in the month during which the deposit is made or when requested by the Minister, monitor the deposit for the purpose of subsection 5(2) by performing the test referred to in Schedule III.
13 The owner of a refinery that deposits a deleterious substance prescribed in section 4 shall install and maintain facilities including sampling connections and flow-measuring devices that are acceptable to the Minister to enable the Minister to determine whether the refinery is operating in compliance with the requirements of these Regulations.
Amounts To Be Used in Calculating Authorized Deposits of Deleterious Substances
| | Column I | Column II | Column III | Column IV |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Item | Name of Deleterious Substance | Monthly amount in pounds per 1,000 barrels of crude oil | One day amount in pounds per 1,000 barrels of crude oil | Maximum daily amount in pounds per 1,000 barrels of crude oil |
| 1 | Oil and Grease | 3.0 | 5.5 | 7.5 |
| 2 | Phenols | 0.3 | 0.55 | 0.75 |
| 3 | Sulfide | 0.1 | 0.3 | 0.5 |
| 4 | Ammonia Nitrogen | 3.6 | 5.7 | 7.2 |
| 5 | Total Suspended Matter | 7.2 | 12.0 | 15.0 |
Amounts To Be Used in Calculating Additional Authorized Deposits of Deleterious Substances when Storm Water is Being Discharged and Limits of Deposits Authorized
| | Column I | Column II | Column III |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Item | Name of Deleterious Substance | Pounds per 10,000 Canadian Gallons of Storm Water | Pounds per month per 1,000 barrels of crude oil per day |
| 1 | Oil and Grease | 1.0 | 25.0 |
| 2 | Phenols | 0.1 | 2.5 |
| 3 | Total Suspended Matter | 3.0 | 75.0 |
* 1 The pH of composite samples obtained from each liquid effluent outfall and from the once-through cooling water shall be determined using
* (a) the test method prescribed in section 221 of the publication Standard Methods for the Examination of Water and Waste Water, 13th edition (1971), published jointly by the American Public Health Association, American Water Works Association and the Water Pollution Control Federation; or
* (b) another equivalent method, approved in writing by the Minister, the results of which can be confirmed by the method referred to in paragraph (a).
* 2 For the purpose of section 1, composite sample has the same meaning as in subsection 2(2) of Schedule IV.
Analytical Test Methods for Determining Presence and Concentrations of Deleterious Substances in Liquid Effluent and Once-Through Cooling Water
| | Column I | Column II | Column III |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Item | Name of Deleterious Substance | Test Method | Remarks |
| 1 | Oil and grease | APHAFootnote for Analytical Test Methods for Determining Presence and Concentrations of Deleterious Substances in Liquid Effluent and Once-Through Cooling Water*, Section 137 | In 4 (a)Footnote for Analytical Test Methods for Determining Presence and Concentrations of Deleterious Substances in Liquid Effluent and Once-Through Cooling Water** use petroleum ether as the solvent; in 4 (c)Footnote for Analytical Test Methods for Determining Presence and Concentrations of Deleterious Substances in Liquid Effluent and Once-Through Cooling Water** dry on a steam bath at 100 °C. |
| 2 | Phenols | APHAFootnote for Analytical Test Methods for Determining Presence and Concentrations of Deleterious Substances in Liquid Effluent and Once-Through Cooling Water*, Section 222B and C | |
| 3 | Sulfide | APHAFootnote for Analytical Test Methods for Determining Presence and Concentrations of Deleterious Substances in Liquid Effluent and Once-Through Cooling Water*, Section 228C(b) | This test may be carried out on a filtered sample. |
| 4 | Ammonia nitrogen | APHAFootnote for Analytical Test Methods for Determining Presence and Concentrations of Deleterious Substances in Liquid Effluent and Once-Through Cooling Water*, Section 212 | |
| 5 | Total suspended matter | APHAFootnote for Analytical Test Methods for Determining Presence and Concentrations of Deleterious Substances in Liquid Effluent and Once-Through Cooling Water*, Section 224C | During periods when storm water is being deposited, the volatile portion of total suspended matter determined by APHAFootnote for Analytical Test Methods for Determining Presence and Concentrations of Deleterious Substances in Liquid Effluent and Once-Through Cooling Water* Section 224D may be substituted for APHAFootnote for Analytical Test Methods for Determining Presence and Concentrations of Deleterious Substances in Liquid Effluent and Once-Through Cooling Water* Section 224C. |
* Return to footnote *Refers to the publication Standard Methods for the Examination of Water and Waste Water, 13th edition, (1971), published jointly by the American Public Health Association, American Water Works Association and the Water Pollution Control Federation.
* Return to footnote **Refers to section of test method.
Date modified: 2026-04-01 *[Aa]: Comic Sans MS font with yellow background