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Municipal Class Environmental Assessment Studies

Municipal Class Environmental Assessment Studies

Biosolids Composting Facility Study

Status

Completed

Consultant

Jacobs

Regional Contact

accesshalton@halton.ca

Details

Purpose

Halton Region owns and operates six wastewater treatment plants that clean wastewater and safely return the water back to the environment. The solids by-product of the wastewater treatment process, known as “biosolids,” is rich in organic matter and nutrients. Biosolids from Halton Region’s wastewater treatment plants have been made available, where appropriate, to the agricultural community for crop production for 40 years.

As recently as 2000, Halton Region had sufficient land to ensure all biosolids produced could be applied locally. Over time, population growth and changing demographics in the region have resulted in both an increase in biosolids production and a decrease in local farmland. Currently, the biosolids program exports approximately 75 per cent of biosolids outside the region to either agricultural producers, reclamation facilities or an approved landfill.

Halton Region completed a Biosolids Management Master Plan in 2012 that recommended further investigation into biosolids composting. Biosolids composting is a provincially regulated process by which biosolids are mixed with other organic materials and further processed to produce a compost product. Biosolids compost qualifies for a wider range of land application opportunities, allowing Halton Region to enhance its current land application program. 

In 2020, a Halton Region Biosolids Composting Feasibility Study was completed and recommended a new Halton Region-owned biosolids composting facility to process biosolids into compost, diversify outlets and reduce greenhouse gas emissions associated with haulage. The new facility will include a biosolids composting process, compost storage infrastructure, odour control system, parking areas and office space.

Scope

Halton Region retained Jacobs to undertake a Municipal Class Environmental Assessment (MCEA) Study to identify the preferred site location for the construction of a Halton Region-owned biosolids composting facility. During this MCEA Study, Halton Region is identifying and evaluating a number of alternative sites within the region with a focus on capacity requirements, accessibility needs, environmental impacts, land acquisition, coordination with ongoing and future projects, and financial implications.

The MCEA Study is being carried out in accordance with Schedule B of the Municipal Engineers Association’s MCEA Process (October 2000, as amended 2007, 2011, and 2015) which is an approved process under the Ontario Environmental Assessment Act.

Public and review agency consultation is a key element of the MCEA Process, and input is being sought throughout the MCEA Study. If you have any questions, would like to discuss the project, or would like to be added to the project mailing list, please email BiosolidsCompostingFacilityMCEAStudy@halton.ca.

Upon completion of the MCEA Study, a Project File Report will be prepared, finalized, and made publicly available for review and comment for a minimum of 30 days.

Thank you for your input!

Between Thursday, March 28 and Thursday, May 2, 2024, we held an online Public Information Centre on the MCEA study findings. Over 900 people visited our webpage to review the study findings and 13 people shared comments through our online survey. You can view some of the common questions we received during the consultation.

Thank you to everyone who provided valuable feedback! Your input was used to provide additional background to help inform the study and ensure nothing was missed.

Project documents

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