The Sewer Use By-law No. R89-049 was adopted by the Regional Municipality of Hamilton-Wentworth in 1989 and adopted by the New City Of Hamilton in 2000. In 2004, following the first phase of a parameter discharge limit review of the by-law (which covered sulphates and chlorides), revisions were made under the City Of Hamilton and the Sewer Use By-law No. was changed to No. 04-150.
In 2006 the City completed Phases II and III of the by-law review (which covered treatable parameters, metals and organics). Amendments to the Sewer Use By-law were passed by council on July 12, 2006 in By-law No. 06-228.
Throughout Hamilton, the Sewer Use By-law regulates the discharge of water and wastewater, which enters the sanitary, combined and storm sewer systems.
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Sanitary sewers collect and carry sanitary sewage from residences as well as from industrial, institutional and commercial facilities to a wastewater treatment facility.
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Storm sewers collect and carry storm water and run-off from land to the Hamilton Harbour, streams and other watercourses.
Combined sewers function simultaneously as sanitary and storm sewers. They carry sanitary sewage and storm water to a wastewater treatment facility. Once the combined sanitary and storm wastewater reaches a certain level in the sewer this combined flow is discharged to the natural environment or to a combined sewer overflow tank where it is collected and pumped to the wastewater treatment plant after the storm event has passed. View combined sewer overflows for more information.
Within the Sewer Use By-law, four types of agreements are available to industrial, institutional and commercial facilities to bring their sewage discharge into compliance. If required, the agreements provide the City with an opportunity to control specific pollutants as well as to recoup costs incurred for treating discharges that are out of compliance with parameter limits outlined in the by-law.
The following is a list of the types of agreements that are available under the by-law with a brief explanation of how they are applied:
Overstrength Agreement
Negotiated when a company’s discharge to a sanitary or combined sewer exceeds the Sewer Use By-law limit for one or more of six parameters that are treatable at the wastewater treatment facility. The six parameters are: Biochemical Oxygen Demand, Suspended Solids, Total Kjeldahl Nitrogen, Phosphorus, Phenols and Oil & Grease (animal/vegetable origin). These agreements allow the City to recover the costs of treating these overstrength wastes.
Surcharge Agreement
Negotiated when a company is discharging water to the sanitary or combined sewer system that originates from a source separate from the City’s potable water supply. The discharge must be in compliance with the Sewer Use By-law. This agreement allows the City to recover the costs of treating this discharge.
Compliance Agreement
Negotiated when a company’s discharge to a sanitary or combined sewer exceeds the Sewer Use By-law limits for non-treatable parameters such as heavy metals. The City will enter into a Compliance Agreement provided the discharge does not impair the operations of the wastewater treatment facility; the collection system; or impair the quality of the wastewater treatment plant’s biosolids.
Chlorides Agreement
Negotiated when a company’s discharge to the sanitary or combined sewer system exceeds the Sewer Use By-law limit for Chlorides. These agreements allow the City to recover the costs for any likely reduction of the life span of any sewage works.
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2012 Agreement Rates |
| Biochemical Oxygen Demand |
B.O.D. |
$0.6802 |
| Suspended Solids |
S.S. |
$0.5440 |
| Solvent Extractable Matter |
O & G (anim/veg) |
$0.5713 |
| Kjeldahl Nitrogen |
TKN |
$2.0711 |
| Phosphorous |
P |
$1.4569 |
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| Minimum Overstrength |
|
$279.41 |
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| Sanitary Sewer Rate |
100% |
$1.174 |
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|
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| Minimum Sewer Surcharge |
|
$279.41 |
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| NOTE: Fees are exempt from GST |
For more information on Sewer Use Agreements please call Compliance and Regulations General Inquiries Line at 905-546-2424 ext. 5190 |