RN101

Monitoring Program Design

Monitoring programs should be designed to be representative of the parameters being considered.

RN102

Air Monitoring Frequency

Stack testing or monitoring should be conducted as required by regulation or permit.  Where requirements are not specified, major sources at a facility should be monitored once per year.  The “major sources” should account for over 75% of the releases from the facility.

RN103

Dioxins and Furans

Each facility should sample its major sources of emissions to determine whether dioxins and furans are present in the releases.

RN104

Methodology

Standard reference methods should be used for stack sampling/testing.

RN105

Air Monitoring Parameters

The following off-gas parameters should be measured:  volumetric flow rate, temperature, water vapour content, static pressure in the off-gas duct, and atmospheric pressure.

RN106

Continuous Emissions Monitoring

Where a CEM system is considered, it should be designed and operated following the recommendations of the document titled Protocols and Performance Specification for Continuous Monitoring of Gaseous Emissions from Thermal Power Generation - Report EPS 1/PG/7¹ published by Environment Canada in September 1993, or as modified.

RN107

Ambient Air Quality Monitoring

An ambient air quality monitoring program should be developed and implemented in consultation with the appropriate regulatory authorities.  This program should include monitoring of metals, particulate matter (total, PM₁₀ and PM_2.5) and sulphur dioxide taking into account:

• the location of the emission sources under the control of the facility operator; and
  
  
• local meteorological conditions and probable maximum deposition areas.

RN108

Wastewater Sampling Points

Water discharge should be sampled at the final discharge point for the purposes of calculating releases.  Releases from each final discharge point should be sampled.

RN109

Wastewater Monitoring Frequency

Water discharge sampling should be conducted as required by regulation or permit. Where requirements are not specified, final discharge points at a facility should be monitored monthly.

RN110

Methodology

Standard methods should be used for wastewater sampling/testing. A key reference document for sampling methods is Environment Canada's Guidance Document for the Sampling and Analysis of Metal Mining Effluents.

RN111

Wastewater Monitoring Parameters

The following effluent parameters should be measured:  volumetric flow rate, temperature. Key reference documents are Environment Canada's Guidance Document for the Sampling and Analysis of Metal Mining Effluents and Guidance Document for Flow Measurement of Metal Mining Effluents.

RN201

Air Samples Analysis Parameters

Air samples should be analyzed as required by regulations or permits.  Where requirements are not specified, samples from air monitoring should be analyzed for the CEPA-toxic metals, particulate matter (PM, PM₁₀ and PM_2.5) as well as sulphur dioxide.  A full metals scan should be conducted.

RN202

Wastewater Samples Analysis  Parameters

Water samples should be analyzed as required by regulations or permits.  Where requirements are not specified, samples should be analyzed for all metals and total suspended solids as well as pH.  Samples should also be analyzed for other parameters that can be used to characterize the discharge (e.g., fluoride, chloride, magnesium, calcium).

RN203

Parameters not expected to be present in releases

When it is believed that a particular parameter is not present in the releases based on technical knowledge and experience of the facility, analysis for this parameter should be periodically undertaken, but is not necessary on every sample. 

Documentation should be maintained to validate that the parameter is not present in the releases including reasons the parameter is unlikely to be released.

When significant changes to process inputs or processes have occurred, analysis for all parameters should be conducted.

RN204

Analytical Methods

The selection of analytical methods should be appropriate to meet the data quality objectives.  Methods selected should be generally accepted and in common use in laboratories in Canada.

RN205

Laboratory Accreditation

All environmental samples should be analyzed by a Standards Council of Canada/Canadian Association for Environmental Analytical Laboratories (SCC/CAEAL) accredited laboratory.

RN206

Laboratory Method Detection Limit

The laboratory method detection limit (LMDL) should be limits specified in Environment Canada's Guidance Document for the Sampling and Analysis of Metal Mining Effluents or 2 to 10 times lower than the government-regulated discharge limits for the facility, where requirements are not specified.

RN301

Quality Assurance/Quality Control Programs

QA/QC programs should exist for both the field sampling procedures (collection, preservation, filtration and shipping components) and analytical procedures (laboratory component).

RN401

Sources to be Included

Release estimates should include all known discharges to the environment including routine and non-routine (e.g., significant operating excursions and/or accidental spills) discharges.

RN402

Calculation Methodology

Releases should be estimated using one of the techniques as described in Environment Canada's National Pollutant Release Inventory (NPRI) guidance document:

• monitoring or direct measurement (Code M);
  
  
• mass balance (Code C);
  
  
• emission factors (Code E); and
  
  
• engineering estimates (Code O).

RN501

Reporting Entity

Releases should be reported by facility as opposed to company-wide totals.

RN502

Total Release Data

The total releases from the site should be reported including all releases.  Air emission data should include stack and fugitive releases.

RN503

Release Point Data

Information should be provided for each major release point including:

• Total release from the release point
  
  
• Method of estimating releases
  
  
• Error Estimation - absolute, percent or degree (high to low)
  
  
• Concentration (average and maximum)

RN504

Reporting Units

Releases of particulate matter, sulphur dioxide, arsenic, cadmium, lead and nickel should be reported in tonnes. 

Mercury releases should be reported in kilograms (kg).

Dioxins and furans should be reported in grams Toxic Equivalents (g TEQ)

RN505

Concentration Units

Concentration in stack samples should be reported as milligrams per Normal cubic metre (mg/Nm³)

Concentration in effluent samples should be reported as milligrams per litre (mg/L)

RN506

Low Level Data Nomenclature

The following notations should be used for low level releases:

• <LMDL (less than the method detection limit) means that the facility has tested for a parameter and all results are lower than the analytical method detection limit;
  
  
• n.m/e (not measured or estimated) means that the facility has not tested for or estimated the amount of pollutant; or
  
  
• not significant indicates that the facility has not tested for a parameter but believes that the quantity of the parameter released is not significant.

RN601

Identification of Verified Data

Facilities should identify data that has been validated by an external third party in their reporting documents.

RN602

Verification Frequency

Release data should be subject to an external audit at least every three years, where more frequent verification is not a regulatory requirement.  However, when significant changes to process inputs, processes or calculation methodology have occurred, the subsequent calculations should be subject to external verification.