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Hazardous Materials

What's New?  Saskatchewan adopts National Classification System for Contaminated Sites (NCSCS).  Informational factsheet available. Effective February 15, 2010, all site assessments, monitoring reports and corrective action plans submitted to the Ministry of Environment must be accompanied by a hard copy of the NCSCS summary score sheet.

What's on this page? 

• Hazardous Materials Storage program

• Legislation

• Hazardous and Waste Dangerous Goods Storage Sites information

• Publications and Forms

• Frequently Asked Questions

Saskatchewan Hazardous Materials Storage Program

This program is to ensure hazardous materials are properly managed and do not present a safety risk to the general public.  It also provides direction to industry and businesses of all sizes on the safe storage of hazardous/waste materials to ensure public health and safety are not compromised and the environment is protected.

With the approval of the Ministry of Environment, hazardous substances and waste dangerous goods can be stored in:

• underground storage tanks;

• above-ground storage tanks;

• outdoor storage site; and

• warehouse or indoor storage site.

A hazardous substance/waste is defined as a substance/waste that because of its quantity, concentration or physical, chemical or infectious characteristics, either individually or in combination with other substances, is an existing or potential threat to the environment or human health.

Legislation

Legislative authority is mandated through the Environmental Management and Protection Act, 2002.

The Hazardous Substances and Waste Dangerous Goods Regulations  outline requirements for proper storage of these substances.  There are requirements for proponents to apply and obtain approval to construct new facilities, upgrade existing facilities and decommission facilities.  There are currently over 7,500 facilities registered as hazardous substances or waste dangerous goods storage facilities including fuel storage sites, chemical warehouses and a number of commercial and industrial operations. 

The PCB Waste Storage Regulations outline specific requirements for chlorobiphenyls storage.

Hazardous and Waste Dangerous Goods Storage Sites in Saskatchewan
Presently the Ministry of Environment issues approvals to construct, operate and decommission hazardous and waste dangerous goods storage sites.  To ensure applications are responded to in a timely fashion it is important that all the proper information be provided with the applications. 

1.  Construct, Upgrade and/or Operate a storage site:  Prior to constructing a new storage site an applicant must submit an Application for Approval to Construct or Upgrade a Storage Facility EPB 133 and if the application is satisfactory, an Approval to Construct/Upgrade is granted to the facility owner.  With new installations, an Approval to Operate is given to the owner after compliance requirements are met.  The operating approval may be issued to the entire facility or for some regions for a specific storage device. 

Should construction/upgrades be required to a site where an Approval to Operate already exists, the applicant must submit the application EPB 133.  Approval must be granted for construction to commence, but the Approval to Operate remains in effect and does not necessarily require amendment unless the additional storage (type) is not currently covered under the original approval.  It may take four to six weeks to process this application.

Where a name change or owner change occurs the company is required to notify the Ministry of the Environment of the changes.

2.  Decommissioning a Storage Site:  At least 30 days prior to the removal, abandonment, disposal or permanent closure of a storage facility, the owner or operator of the storage facility must submit a decommissioning application or corrective action plan to the Ministry of Environment.

For decommissioning petroleum sites the Ministry of Environment has adopted the Risk-Based Corrective Actions for Petroleum Hydrocarbon Impacted Sites EPB 344 which provides technical information as well as an outline for a decommissioning application.  Ministry approval is required prior to commencing work at the site. 

If it is not a petroleum storage site, the ministry requires the owner to submit an application as per Section 17(2) of The Hazardous Substances and Waste Dangerous Goods Regulations and receive approval before commencing decommissioning work.  It may take four to six weeks to process an approval to decommission application. 

The regulations require the use of qualified persons for the installation, construction, and decommissioning of underground and many above-ground waste dangerous goods storage tank systems.

To review Canada Wide Standards and Federal Legislation, visit the Canadian Council of Ministers of the Environment website.

Publications/Forms

Additional information on fuel, chemical and waste storage facilities and handling of petroleum products to reduce the potential damage to the environment and our health.

Application for Approval to Construct or Upgrade a Storage Facility EPB 133 

(Interim Guidelines for the) Decommissioning of a Warehouse Used for the Storage of Crop Protection Chemicals EPB 65

Operational Duties: Petroleum Storage Facilities EPB 68

Requirements for Chemical Warehouse Upgrading EPB 83

Requirements for Self Contained Above Ground Tanks for Petroleum Storage EPB 81

Requirements for Underground Petroleum Storage Tank Systems at "Class B" Locations EPB 79

Requirements for Upgrading Underground Petroleum Storage Tanks for Petroleum Storage: Farm Fuel, Heating Oil and Stand-by Petroleum System EPB 82

Requirements for Upgrading Above Ground Petroleum Tanks EPB 80

Site Reclassification/Classification EPB 91

Waste Dangerous Goods Storage Requirements EPB 85

Frequently Asked Questions

1.  Do I need an approval from the Ministry of Environment to purchase an existing Storage Facility or an old gas station that didn’t have an approval? An approval is not required for the transfer of title or purchase of a storage site.  However, financial institutions typically require documentation on the environmental status of a facility from the Ministry of Environment before providing funding. In order to provide this information, the ministry requires a current Closure Report for the site (an outline is presented in Appendix II of the Risk-Based Corrective Action for Petroleum Hydrocarbon Impacted Sites EPB 344).  The ministry will review the information provided and depending on the completeness and integrity of the information provided may provide a letter to the owner indicating the environmental status of the site. 

2.  Can used oil be used as a road oiling substance? Information sheet (pdf) identifies issues with disposing of used oil as a road oiling substance.   

3.  How do I dispose of friable waste asbestos? Friable Waste Asbestos Disposal Policy developed by the ministry.

4.  Does the Ministry require an approval for waste oil burning equipment? Waste Oil Burning Equipment Guideline EPB 61 developed by the ministry.

5.  Are farmers required to have an approval for their above-ground storage facilities? No.  Above-ground farm or residential storage tanks which are not used for storage for any commercial purpose are exempt from The Hazardous Substances and Waste Dangerous Goods Regulations.

6.  How do I get information on a storage site which I do not own or operate?  To get information on a site you can do a File Search or a Freedom of Information request.

File Search:  There is a $98.13 processing fee and you are required to complete a file search application. A file search may take four to six weeks from the time it is submitted to the ministry. The file search will provide the following information: registration status of the facility, number of tanks, size of warehouse; list of approvals issued for the facility; list of reports received by the ministry; current status of the facility; is it in compliance with the legislation; and if upgrading work is required to be in compliance with the regulations.

Freedom of Information: Depending on the size of the file there may be costs associated with processing the application. The applicant will be informed of the total cost for the FOI prior to the ministry carrying out the request.  A response will be provided within 30 calendar days from the time of submission.

7.  What is the difference between a Phase I and a Phase II site assessment and how much do they cost? 

Phase I - Environmental Site Assessment: As described by the Canadian Standards Association (CSA), in Standard CAN/CSA-Z768-01, a Phase 1 environmental site assessment (ESA) is a systematic process by which an assessor seeks to determine whether a particular property is subject to actual or potential contamination. The cost depends on the location, size, and complexity of the site. The scope of the phase 1 ESA will consist of four principal components of the CSA Standard:  

• Review of historical land use, occupancy records, and aerial photographs;

• Visual assessment of the site and surrounding properties including identification of any liquid or chemical storage, PCBs, ACM, lead and other designated substances; spills or soil and building contamination; and identification of surrounding land use in order to identify possible impacts to the subject site.

• Interview with persons having knowledge of past and present site activities.

• Evaluation of information and reporting. 

Phase II – Environmental Site Assessment: As described by the Canadian Standards Association (CSA), the Phase 2 ESA is an investigation to confirm the presence or absence of contamination on a property. It is accomplished by a sampling and analysis program that may include:
• soil drilling and/or test pitting;
• geophysical analysis;
• surface or groundwater sampling; and
• testing of building materials

Generally, a Phase 2 ESA is required by a financial institution when potential contamination has been identified on a high-risk property such as gas stations, or previous storage site or if off-site impacts are noticed in an area as a result of construction.
The potential contamination is often identified through an initial Phase 1 ESA and if identified, the Phase 2 ESA findings are used to develop options for dealing with the contamination including removing the contamination, managing the contamination in-place and or monitoring soil and groundwater conditions to ensure the contamination doesn’t worsen.
The cost, scope and duration of a Phase 2 ESA are dependent on many factors such as the size and location of the site, the number and type of suspected contaminants, the type of material to be sampled (vapour, soil, groundwater, surface water, sediment) the methods used for sample collection and the time required to obtain laboratory results.     

8. Can I dispose of dispose of petroleum hydrocarbon contaminated waste at a municipal landfill? see Guidelines for Treatment and Disposal of Petroleum Contaminated Soils

9. What is the ministry’s policy on Transportation of Waste Dangerous Goods? see Transportation Policy.

10. I want to start up an industrial facility and I will have waste associated with its operation and I will be storing hazardous wastes.  What approvals do I need and how do I begin the process? see Industrial Works Construction Application Standards EPB 204 and Application.

11. Are slaughterhouse wastes considered hazardous and how are they to be disposed of? See On-Premise Disposal and Treatment of Slaughterhouse Wastes EPB 399A.

12. If there is no Saskatchewan standard for a constituent, what does the province use to determine whether the constituent is safe or not?  Where no Saskatchewan standard exists, the province uses standards developed by the Canadian Council of the Ministers of Environment (CCME) to determine whether a certain amount is within an acceptable limit based on land/water use. 

13. Does the Province of Saskatchewan work together with a national body to develop standards for contaminants that pose a national concern?  The federal, provincial and territorial Ministers of Environment (except for Quebec) have agreed to work together under the Canada-Wide Environmental Standards Sub-Agreement to develop Canada-wide standards for contaminants or issues that pose national concern.  Information about Saskatchewan's implementation plans.