Code of Practice for the Environmental Management of Road Salts

Transcription

1 Code of Practice for the Environmental Management of Road Salts PWABC 83 rd Annual Technical Conference Penticton, BC Jim Sheehan for Myra Pagé, Compliance Promotion Scientist September 22, 2015

2 Code of Practice for the Environmental Management of Road Salts Release and implementation of the Code in 2004 Goal is to assist road organizations in managing road salts to reduce environmental impacts while maintaining roadway safety Applies to public organizations who use more than 500 t/yr or who have salt vulnerable areas (SVA) Page 2

3 Code of Practice for the Environmental Management of Road Salts - continued The key components: 1) Development of Salt Management Plans when Salt Vulnerable Areas are identified, level of vulnerability and need for additional measures should be considered 2) Implementation of best practices 3) Record-keeping and annual reporting 4) Periodic Review of Progress A Five-year Review of Progress ( ) was published in 2012 which includes actions for consideration Page 3

4 Five Year Review of Progress Review was conducted by Environment Canada and the multistakeholder Road Salts Working Group Published March 31, 2012, covered the period between Included one territorial, nine provincial road organizations and 201 municipalities Overall the level of adoption of the Code of Practice was high and reporting was generally good Resulted in the development of Performance Indicators and National Targets Page 4

5 Five Year Review Results 79/84 largest municipalities (pop > 50,000) adopted the Code Municipalities that adopted the Code represent roughly 70% of the Canadian population Annual quantity of road salts used fluctuated during this period with a high of 4,183,000 tonnes reported in 2008 Page 5

6 Five Year Review Results cont d 96% of salt is stored under a permanent roof 93% of salt stored on an impermeable pad 90% implemented good housekeeping practices 30% of organizations use runoff collection systems or drainage management 82% use electronic spreader controls Page 6

7 Five Year Review Results cont d 92% of organizations are calibrating their spreaders 52% of organizations are using pre-wetting 35% use direct liquid application Roughly 1/3 of road organizations have or use road weather information systems (RWIS) 70% monitor road temperatures Page 7

8 Five Year Review Results cont d 77% report implementing good housekeeping practices at snow disposal sites 16% have engineered sites with collection of runoff and meltwater 18% of organizations have meltwater collection ponds 60% of municipal organizations had trained 100% of their staff on the SMP/BMPs Page 8

9 Five Year Review Results cont d 27% have completed SVAs inventories 20% have adopted BMPs to reduce impacts to SVAs (a drop from 34% in 2005) Page 9

10 Total Road Salt Used Between 2005 to 2014 Data from Quebec organizations reported under the Strategy : tonnes of salt = tonnes of salt Page 10

11 Performance Indicators and National Targets Resulted from the Five Year Review of Progress Objective for setting national targets is to increase environmental protection At the time of the review, the lack of targets created challenges in determining whether the objective of the Code had been achieved. As such, it was recommended that the list of performance indicators for future evaluations be examined to ensure that they reflect key components of the Code and current techniques in winter maintenance. National targets would then be established against which performance could be measured Page 11

12 National Targets National targets are a set of common goals that organizations should reach Setting national targets offers transparency in expected performance level from road organizations National targets will assist road organizations in planning priorities and should improve the ongoing efforts of the provinces and municipalities in their salt management efforts. Road organizations are encouraged to continually improve even if they have met the national targets National targets will evolve over time Page 12

13 Performance Indicators Page 13

14 Adoption of Code and Reporting Target #1: 220 road organizations reporting regularly The number of reports collected by EC increased from 165 in 2013 to 196 in 2014 NOTE: Environment Canada s Single Window Information Manager (EC s SWIM) is available since 2013 at: In Quebec, a Strategy for environmental management of road salt, specific to the province s needs, was launched in The overall objectives of the Code and the Strategy are similar. Page 14

15 Preliminary Data Analysis - Winter Number of Reporting Organizations by Provinces Number of reporting organizations Province 2005 ( ) ( ) AB BC MB NB NF NS ON PE SK YK Total Page 15

16 Preliminary Data Analysis - Winter Review of Salt Management Plan Target # 2: 100% of organizations have completed an annual review of their Salt Management Plan % of road organizations 100% 90% 80% 70% 60% 50% 40% 30% 20% 10% 88% 57% 28% SMP Exist SMP Annual Review SMP Update 0% SMP Exist SMP Annual Review SMP Update Salt Management Plan (SMP) Stage Page 16

17 Preliminary Data Analysis - Winter Road Salt Storage Target # 3: 100% of road salts stored under a permanent roof and on impermeable pads Target # 4: 75% of treated abrasives covered Road Salts Storage (% of material ) % 99.7% 98% 99% Target # 90 Percentage (%) % 72% Municipal Provincial 10 0 road salts stored under a permanent roof road salts stored on impermeable pads treated abrasives covered Page 17

18 Preliminary Analysis - Winter Salt Application Optimization of De-icers Target # 5: 95 % of vehicles equipped with groundspeed electronic controllers Target # 6(a): 75 % of vehicles equipped for pre-wetting for optimization of de-icers 120% Vehicles with Groundspeed Electronic Controllers and Pre-Wetting Percentage of vehicles 100% 80% 60% 40% 20% 89% 97% 65% 60% Municipal Provincial 0% % of Vehicles with electronic controllers % of Vehicles with pre-wetting Page 18

19 Preliminary Analysis - Winter Salt Application Optimization of De-icers Target # 6(b): 95 % of organizations are pre-wetting or using pre-treated salt adopting best practices for optimization of deicers Salt Application: pre-treated salt or pre-wetting % Organizations using pre-treated or pre-wetting 100% 90% 80% 70% 60% 50% 40% 30% 20% 10% 0% 67% Municipal 89% Provincial Organization Type Page 19

20 Preliminary Analysis for Winter Salt Vulnerable Areas Target # 7: 95 % of road organizations have identified their salt vulnerable areas and prepared an action plan by 2024 % of Road Organizations 60% 50% 40% 30% 20% 10% Completed Inventory of Salt Vulnerable Areas 36% 50% 0% Municipal Organization Type Provincial Page 20

21 Overview Report (draft) Overview of National Targets and Reported Data 2019 Target Results 2024 Target Target # 1: Adoption of the Code (Target: 220 road organizations/196 road organizations reported) 89% 100% Target # 2: Annual Review of salt management plans Target # 3: Salt Storage Road Salts 58% 100% 100% 98% Target # 4: Salt Storage - Treated Abrasives 65% 75% Target # 5: Salt Application Electronic controllers Target # 6: Salt Application % organizations using prewetting or pre-treated salt 64% 95% 93% 95% Target # 6: Salt Application % of vehicles equipped for pre-wetting 63% 75% Target # 7: Salt Vulnerable Areas (Target set for 2024) 20% 95% Page 21

22 Breakdown Of BC Reporters 25 municipalities and the BC Ministry of Transportation have registered 15 road organizations have reported using 500 tonnes or more 7 have reported they have SVAs 4 municipalities have never reported as they have not hit the 500 tonne trigger 6 municipalities have submitted reports but reported using less than 500 tonnes Page 22

23 Salt Vulnerable Areas Page 23

24 Salt Vulnerable Areas vulnerable area means an area particularly sensitive to road salts where additional salt management measures may be necessary to mitigate the environmental effects of road salts in that area. Have vulnerable areas been identified? Are there any additional practices used by the organization to identify vulnerable areas? For more information, refer to Annex B of the Code of Practice Page 24

25 Identification of SVA Update The purpose is to develop a practical framework and a decision tool for the identification of SVA that will serve as a step by step guidance for road organizations A multi-disciplinary Subgroup on salt vulnerable areas has been formed in 2013 to provide feedback and review the practicality of the guidance In April 2014, a contractor presented a conceptual model, and comments were received from the Road Salt Working Group Page 25

26 Identification of Salt Vulnerable Area (SVA) Update - continued In January 2015, a contract was undertaken to: Address comments received on the model Develop a pilot of a tool for the surface water component Model results were validated with a case study (real field data were provided from Lake Simcoe) The final report (March 31, 2015) demonstrated the proposed model and the tool seem effective as a screening tool Seeking collaborators to expand tool for all types of environments in future years Page 26

27 How can you help? If you are interested in assisting Environment Canada in developing an SVA framework or learning more about it, please contact: Lise Trudel Evaluation and Regulatory Senior Specialist Environmental Stewardship Branch Environment Canada / Government of Canada lise.trudel@ec.gc.ca / Tel : Page 27

28 Case Studies Transportation Association of Canada (TAC) publishes Syntheses of Best Practices Road Salt Management Successes in Road Salt Management: Case Studies April Environment Canada Case Studies available upon request Page 28

29 TAC Case Studies - Highlights Improved training resulted in a savings of more than half a million dollars when Ottawa s training resulted in improvements in operator compliance rates Significant adoption of using GPS controls and Road Weather Information Systems (RWIS) resulting in using the right material, in the right amount, in the right place, at the right time A noticeable reduction in road salt application rates (e.g. 26% in Toronto) Bottom line: implementation of best practices is resulting in significant annual savings, positive payback periods, and environmental benefits Page 29

30 Case Study City of Kamloops ICBC promoted use of liquid chemicals for anti-icing and pre-wetting to: Decrease overall accidents Reduce maintenance operating costs Improve road salt management Reduce salt impacts on the environment Avg snowfall - 75 cm Avg winter temp (Dec Mar) -0.7 Celcius Length of road serviced Km Level of service standard bare pavement Page 30

31 Winter Road Research (WRR) Project Testing the effectiveness of liquid anti-icing Accidents were increasing 18%/yr Winter maintenance costs were going up Concerns about impacts of chloride were increasing During two liquid dispensing trucks applied liquid magnesium chloride Traditional response was reactive (salting, sanding and plowing after snowfalls) Page 31

32 WRR Project - continued Proactive approach was implemented by applying liquid de-icing before snowfall occurs Also introduced on-board pre-wetting technology ICBC contributed $129,000 to Kamloops ($32,250 annualized investment over life of the project) Page 32

33 WRR Benefits 72-hour period cost dropped to $1,118 (58% drop from traditional $2,664 costs for same time frame) Reduced use of abrasives by 1,237 tonnes using prewetting a cost savings of $80,800/yr Savings of $14,844/yr for cleanup of abrasives (based on sweeper costs of $12/tonne) Accidents 8% lower than previous 10 years 68% of public were in favour of the liquid anti-icing program Page 33

34 Questions? Road Salts Contact Information: Myra Pagé, Compliance Promotion Scientist Environmental Stewardship Branch Environment Canada / Government of Canada myra.page@ec.gc.ca / Tel: Lise Trudel Evaluation and Regulatory Senior Specialist Environmental Stewardship Branch Environment Canada / Government of Canada lise.trudel@ec.gc.ca / Tel : Page 34

35 Appendices Code of Practice Background Page 35

36 Canadian Environmental Protection Act, 1999 (CEPA 1999) Road Salts underwent a comprehensive five-year scientific assessment under CEPA 1999 beginning in 1995 Final Road Salts Assessment Report Published in December 2001 Code of Practice for the Environmental Management of Road Salts published in April 2004 Page 36

37 Sources and dispersal of road salts in the environment Town stormwater perched water table Roadway Storage yards, snow disposal stream, wetland, lake wildlife soil vegetation wetland, river, lake water table groundwater flow Page 37

38 Code of Practice for the Environmental Management of Road Salts Goal is to assist road authorities in managing road salts to reduce environmental impacts while maintaining roadway safety Requires organizations to: 1) develop a salt management plan, implement best practices in three specific areas: salt storage, salt application and snow disposal 2) when SVA s are identified, level of vulnerability and need for additional measures should be considered 3) provide voluntary annual reports to Environment Canada on the progress achieved An active multi-stakeholder Road Salt Working Group consisting of provincial transportation, municipal road authorities, industry, academia and ENGO provides feedback on the program Page 38

39 Code of Practice Criteria Applies to public organizations who use more than 500 tonnes of road salts per year (five year rolling average) OR have salt vulnerable areas Page 39

40 Salt Vulnerable Areas vulnerable area means an area particularly sensitive to road salts where additional salt management measures may be necessary to mitigate the environmental effects of road salts in that area. Have vulnerable areas been identified? Are there any additional practices used by the organization to identify vulnerable areas? For more information, refer to Annex B of the Code of Practice Page 40

41 Code of Practice - Application General Code does not replace or supersede any laws or regulations in relation to road safety Nothing in the Code should be construed as a recommendation to take action to the detriment of road safety Application Code applies to organizations that have vulnerable area(s) on their territory or that use 500 tonnes of salt or more annually Page 41

42 Code of Practice Main Recommendations 1. Salt Management Plan (SMP) 2. Best Management Practices (BMP s) 3. Implementation 4. Record-Keeping and Reporting 5. Review of Progress and Need for Further Action 6. Environmental Impact Indicators for Road Salts 7. Identifying Salt Vulnerable Areas 8. Monitoring and Measuring Progress Page 42

43 Salt Management Plan The SMP should cover all activities which may result in the release of road salts to the environment, such as: Salt storage Application of salts on roads Disposal of snow containing road salts Key elements: Commitment of the organization Assessment of current practices Identification of actions to be taken Appropriate training Monitoring of progress and record keeping Annual review of the plan Page 43

44 Best Management Practices (BMPs) Salt Management Plans should reflect best management practices for Salt Storage Snow Disposal Salt Application BMPs can be found in the Transportation Association of Canada (TAC) Syntheses of Best Practices Page 44

45 Implementation Organizations that met the criteria for reporting should have prepared a Salt Management Plan within one year after publication of the Code of Practice. To date, almost all organizations that have submitted an annual report have a salt management plan in place. Page 45

46 Record-Keeping and Reporting Reporting is required by June 30 of each year Reporters should keep records of all data reported, copies of the SMP, plan revisions, training records, yearly review reports, including those that contain corrective action Records must be retained for seven years Make the information available to the Minister of the Environment upon request Page 46

47 Review of Progress and Need for Further Action Organizations will be invited to cooperate with the Minister of the Environment in the preparation of progress reports on the development and implementation of SMPs Five year reviews will be conducted and will consider: Level of implementation of BMPs Progress towards preventing/reducing negative impacts of road salts Road Safety monitoring data Review will determine if other steps or programs are needed to further prevent or reduce negative impacts of road salts First review began in 2009, final report published March 31, 2012 Page 47

48 Potential Benefits of BMPs Reduction of salt use Reduction of winter maintenance costs Potential improvement to road safety Reduction of costs related to remediation of contaminated sites and groundwater Reduction of potential liability for damages to private or commercial properties Page 48

49 An Overview of Salt Management Plan Preparation

50 Six Steps to Plan Preparation 1. Commitment and Policy 2. Baseline Review 3. Planning 4. Implementation 5. Record-keeping and Reporting 6. Review, Evaluate and Improve Page 50

51 1. Commitment and Policy Obtain senior management commitment Prepare and communicate a salt management policy Assign an accountable manager Integrate the plan into the budget process Make the plan flexible to local situations and compatible with existing management systems Build on existing work Page 51

52 2. Baseline Review Conduct a review of current practices Identify existing local legislation, standards or policies Identify existing training, monitoring, and reporting programs Page 52

53 3. Planning Set overall objectives for improvement, for example: Salt Storage: covered piles, site drainage, operation and maintenance, vulnerable areas, etc. General Salt Use: level of service, equipment, fleet upgrading, pre-wetting and anti-icing, equipment maintenance and calibration, vulnerable areas Snow Disposal: location design and construction, operation and maintenance, management of drainage and melt water, vulnerable areas Page 53

54 4. Implementation Implement the selected options Identify employee training needs Provide training Integrate the plan with existing management systems Create the necessary support mechanisms such as: communication, written procedures, and reporting forms Page 54

55 4. Implementation - continued It can be implemented gradually Now Term Actions: Calibration, reviewing application rates Short Term Actions: Installing infrared units, retrofit truck(s) with liquid spreader Long Term Actions: New equipment, installing RWIS, monitoring program Page 55

56 5. Record-Keeping and Reporting Monitor the implementation of the plan and performance against objectives and targets Document the results, including costs, savings and other benefits Take corrective action if necessary and make improvements where possible Report to Environment Canada as required under Annex C of the Code Page 56

57 6. Review, Evaluate and Improve Conduct regular reviews of the implementation progress Identify any changing circumstances Revise the objectives and targets, resource allocation and salt management plan as required Page 57

58 Monitoring and Measuring Progress Annex C of the Code Purpose is to assess the success of the Code of Practice and to monitor and measure progress in reducing road salts use Page 58

59 Monitoring Information Information required: Organization address/contacts SMP information Road length serviced Winter severity Materials used both road salts and non-chloride materials used Material Storage covered, uncovered, state of implementation Winter road maintenance equipment and road salt application practices Snow disposal Winter road maintenance training Salt Vulnerable Areas Environmental Monitoring Page 59

60 Reporting Reporting period: September 1 May 31 Online Reporting using the Single Window Information Management (SWIM) tool ca/auth/{l2}, rsar/&gareasoncode=- 1&GARESOURCEID=appsssecgccap1&Reason=- 1&APPID=appsssecgccap1&URI= a/svra-rsar/ Page 60

61 SWIM Page 61

62 Road Salt Annual Reporting Page 62