Appendix 2A Water and Wastewater Servicing Principles and Policies Paper

Transcription

1 Appendix 2A Water and Wastewater Servicing Principles and Policies Paper

2 Regional Municipality of Peel 2013 Water and Wastewater Master Plan for the Lake-Based Systems Water and Wastewater Policy Paper Prepared by: BluePlan Engineering Consultants Limited 75 International Blvd., Suite 304 Toronto, Ontario M9W 6L9 Phone: Fax: Project Number: P Date: March 31, 2014

3 Regional Municipality of Peel Water and Wastewater Policy Paper Table of Contents Water and Wastewater Policy Paper page 1 INTRODUCTION STUDY BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES APPROACH GENERAL WATER AND WASTEWATER POLICIES POLICY G.01: HARMONIZE POLICIES AND PROCESSES Policy Statement Best Practices, Criteria and Rationale POLICY G.02: ESTABLISHING BASELINE POPULATION AND EMPLOYMENT PROJECTIONS Policy Statement Best Practices, Criteria and Rationale POLICY G.03: HARMONIZE PLANNING AND SERVICING POLICIES AND STRATEGIES Policy Statement Best Practices, Criteria and Rationale POLICY G.04: EXISTING SERVICING AGREEMENT Policy Statement Best Practices, Criteria and Rationale POLICY G.05: PLANNING HORIZON Policy Statement Best Practices, Criteria and Rationale POLICY G.06: MAXIMIZE USE OF EXISTING INFRASTRUCTURE Policy Statement Best Practices, Criteria and Rationale POLICY G.07: RESERVE CAPACITY Policy Statement Best Practices, Criteria and Rationale POLICY G.08: STANDARDS AND BY-LAWS Policy Statement Best Practices, Criteria and Rationale POLICY G.09: SYSTEM EFFICIENCY AND OPTIMIZATION Policy Statement Best Practices, Criteria and Rationale POLICY G.010: COMMUNICATION Policy Statement Best Practices, Criteria and Rationale POLICY G.11: LOCATION OF MUNICIPAL/REGIONAL SERVICES AND FACILITIES Policy Statement Best Practices, Criteria and Rationale POLICY G.12: MONITORING March 31, 2014 i

4 Regional Municipality of Peel Water and Wastewater Policy Paper Policy Statement Best Practices, Criteria and Rationale POLICY G.13: SUSTAINABILITY OF WATER RESOURCES Policy Statement Best Practices, Criteria and Rationale POLICY G.14: CLIMATE CHANGE Policy Statement POLICY G.15: TORONTO-PEEL WASTEWATER AGREEMENT Policy Statement Best Practices, Criteria and Rationale WATER POLICIES POLICY W.01: RAW WATER SOURCE PROTECTION Policy Statement Best Practices, Criteria and Rationale POLICY W.02: TREATED WATER QUALITY Policy Statement Best Practices, Criteria and Rationale POLICY W.03: SYSTEM OPERATING CONDITIONS Policy Statement Best Practices, Criteria and Rationale POLICY W.04: SYSTEM RELIABILITY Policy Statement Best Practices, Criteria and Rationale POLICY W.05: SYSTEM WATER QUALITY Policy Statement Best Practices, Criteria and Rationale POLICY W.06: FIRE FLOW REQUIREMENTS Policy Statement Best Practices, Criteria and Rationale POLICY W.07: STORAGE REQUIREMENTS Policy Statement Best Practices, Criteria and Rationale POLICY W.08: EMERGENCY CONDITIONS Policy Statement Best Practices, Criteria and Rationale POLICY W.09: WATER CONSERVATION Policy Statement Best Practices, Criteria and Rationale POLICY W.10: DESIGN AND COSTING CRITERIA Policy Statement Best Practices, Criteria and Rationale WASTEWATER POLICIES POLICY WW.01: SEWER USE CRITERIA Policy Statement Best Practices, Criteria and Rationale March 31, 2014 ii

5 Regional Municipality of Peel Water and Wastewater Policy Paper 4.2 POLICY WW.02: PUMPING SYSTEMS RELIABILITY Policy Statement Best Practices, Criteria and Rationale POLICY WW.03: WASTEWATER TREATMENT REQUIREMENTS Policy Statement Best Practices, Criteria and Rationale POLICY WW.04: DESIGN AND COSTING CRITERIA Policy Statement Best Practices, Criteria and Rationale POLICY WW.05: Canadian Council of Ministers of the Environment (CCME) Policy Statement Best Practices, Criteria and Rationale POLICY IMPLEMENTATION SUMMARY List of Tables Table 1 Summary of general water and wastewater policies... 4 Table 2 Summary of water policies Table 3 Summary of wastewater policies March 31, 2014 iii

6 Regional Municipality of Peel Water and Wastewater Policy Paper 1 INTRODUCTION The Region of Peel retained AECOM Canada Limited and BluePlan Consultants Limited to update the Water and Wastewater Master Plan for the Region s lake-based water supply and wastewater collection systems. Development of water and wastewater policies and guiding principles is integral to provide guidance and direction to the master planning process. 1.1 STUDY BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES The provision of safe and sustainable water and wastewater servicing is important for the public good. Applying reasonable policies is essential to ensure proper planning and design principles are followed in implementing system upgrades as well as operation and maintenance practices. The development of water and wastewater policies is based on existing documentation and related sources, including: The consolidated Region of Peel Official Plan; Federal and Provincial policies and legislation; Design and development standards; Municipal By-laws; and Existing municipal policies and procedures. The objectives of the Water and Wastewater Policy Paper include: Providing direction for planning and identifying water and wastewater servicing issues that may impact growth options; Providing direction for normal operation and maintenance of the water and wastewater systems (the policies do not replace normal operation and maintenance procedures or best practices); Providing direction for development and evaluation of servicing alternatives for the Water and Wastewater Master Plan; Ensuring appropriate design and costing criteria are utilized for developing and evaluating servicing alternatives for the Water and Wastewater Master Plan; Setting policies that are reasonably implemented; and Setting policies that are robust and sustainable. Although best management practices and criteria are updated over time the context, intent and validity of the policies should remain intact. March 31,

7 Regional Municipality of Peel Water and Wastewater Policy Paper 1.2 APPROACH The approach in establishing and implementing the water and wastewater policies is as follows: 1. Develop general policies as well as separate water and wastewater policies. 2. Address issues related to the full cycle of water and wastewater services from the water source to the customer and from the customer to the treated wastewater discharge. 3. Highlight key criteria and best practices related to each policy. 4. Provide an open forum workshop including various Region of Peel departments to discuss and develop the policies. 5. Consolidate the general, water and wastewater policies in a Policy Paper. 6. Utilize the criteria and best management practices outlined in the Policy Paper to guide the development and evaluation of servicing alternatives for the Master Plan. 7. Implement the policies through utilizing the guidelines, criteria and best practices within the day-to-day decision making for planning and operation of the water and wastewater systems. March 31,

8 Regional Municipality of Peel Water and Wastewater Policy Paper 2 GENERAL WATER AND WASTEWATER POLICIES Policies and guiding principles that impact both water and wastewater are outlined in this section. A summary of the General Water and Wastewater Policies is provided Table 1. This summary is followed by separate sub-sections for each policy that provide additional details. March 31,

9 Regional Municipality of Peel Water and Wastewater Policy Paper Table 1 Summary of general water and wastewater policies GENERAL POLICIES Policy Policy Policy Statement Best Practices and Criteria G.01 General G.02 General G.03 General The Region of Peel shall harmonize planning and servicing policies and processes within the Region of Peel Planning and Public Works Departments. The Region of Peel shall establish a baseline population and employment projections to 2031 through coordination with Regional Planning, local municipal The Region of Peel shall harmonize planning and servicing policies and strategies with provincial and regional policies and strategies. The Region should ensure planning and servicing requirements are coordinated within typical Regional exercises including Official Plan updates and development coordination. The Region should review the timing of growth with consideration to a reasonable implementation schedule for infrastructure required to meet the projected growth. The Region should comply with the requirements of the Greenbelt Protection Act and the Places to Grow Act. The Region should review the impact of provincial requirements on the required infrastructure. The Region should evaluate servicing strategies and requirements of neighbouring municipalities to determine potential impact to the Region's servicing strategies Where applicable, the Region should consider harmonizing servicing strategies. Water and wastewater servicing strategies and needs in neighbouring municipalities could impact the timing of the Region's implementation program. G.04 General G.05 General The Region of Peel shall meet the servicing requirements of the York Peel water and wastewater The Region of Peel shall ensure that the design of water and wastewater infrastructure recognizes the potential for growth beyond the time horizon of the Official Plan. The conditions and approved flows must be met as per agreement. Recognize that the service life of infrastructure may be greater than 60 years. Evaluate the value of strategic oversizing versus future twinning of services. Consider: o potential ultimate site requirements; o potential for phasing implementation and construction; o minimizing disruption to residents and the environment; o potential need for infrastructure oversizing; and o operational impacts of oversizing compared with phased upgrades. G.06 General G.07 General The Region of Peel shall maximize the use of existing capacity, prior to the upgrading or expansion of infrastructure. The Region of Peel shall maintain sufficient reserve capacity in its water and wastewater infrastructure and facilities to provide operational flexibility and meet potential changes in servicing conditions. Planning and design of servicing strategies should utilize capacity of existing infrastructure where available. Recognize the timeframe required to implement expansion of the infrastructure and facilities and initiate planning, the EA process, design and construction for expansion with consideration of the in-service date. Consider timing the expansions to withstand impacts from: o Extreme conditions (such as power failures); o Equipment shutdowns (planned or unplanned); o Fluctuation in growth rates; o Fluctuating demand criteria; o Decreasing system and equipment performance; and o Potential decreases in capacity to facilitate the expansions. Ensure an effective operating capacity is maintained in scheduling future expansions of the infrastructure. March 31,

10 Regional Municipality of Peel Water and Wastewater Policy Paper GENERAL POLICIES Policy Policy Policy Statement Best Practices and Criteria Ensure consistency with best management practices. G.08 General The Region of Peel shall adopt Regional development Ensure consistency of processes and equipment within facilities. Incorporate feedback from Operations and Maintenance staff. standards, design standards and by-laws. Ensure standards address all systems in the Region of Peel. G.09 General G.10 General G.11 General G.12 General G.13 General G.14 General The Region of Peel shall implement best practices and standards to ensure system efficiency and optimization through infrastructure planning, design, operation and maintenance. The Region of Peel shall ensure open communication between the public, review agencies, area municipalities and Regional departments. The Region of Peel shall locate all of its services and facilities on public property or on acceptable municipallyowned easements. The Region of Peel shall continue to monitor water and wastewater system conditions and water production and wastewater collection flow information. The Region of Peel shall conserve and sustain water resources for present and future generations The Region of Peel will consider and plan for the effects of climate change, and take actions to reduce greenhouse gas emissions All aspects of planning, design, operation and maintenance should consider efficiency and optimization. Where applicable, implementation of energy-efficient components and/or practices and their impact on the full lifecycle costing should be evaluated. Maintenance management systems should be developed to ensure that equipment is properly maintained and operating efficiently. Standard Operating Procedures and Reporting Protocols must be formed, possibly including: o Points of public contact; o Points of contact with regulatory agencies; and o Points of contact with internal staff and other departments. The Region should ensure that any new and existing infrastructure is located within road right-of-ways or on Regionowned property (including designated lots and easements). Adequate property size should be maintained to facilitate all day-to-day activities and emergency response. Adequate property should be acquired to meet future infrastructure requirements. Where possible, temporary and/or permanent public use alternatives (such as recreational facilities) should be considered for Regionally-owned easements and lots. Monitor water production, water consumption, pumping station and reservoir data, billing records and data for residential and non-residential land uses. Monitor wastewater flows to the plant, pumping station data, infiltration, and data for residential and non-residential land uses. Use the data to gauge changes in trends in water use that might impact capital programs or billings. Prepare sustainability plans for water and wastewater services Foster innovative water and wastewater technologies, services and practices Promote sustainable infrastructure Address water, natural heritage and land management issues related to climate change through integrated watershed management Redesign and retrofit water collection and conveyance infrastructure and systems to reduce vulnerabilities due to climate change Building on existing programs, implement additional water quality and water and wastewater conservation strategies and incentives G.15 General The Region of Peel shall meet the servicing requirements of the Toronto Peel wastewater Agreement Meet conditions of the Agreement, once finalized March 31,

11 Regional Municipality of Peel Water and Wastewater Policy Paper 2.1 POLICY G.01: HARMONIZE POLICIES AND PROCESSES Policy Statement The Region of Peel shall harmonize planning servicing policies and processes within the Region of Peel's Planning and Public Works Departments Best Practices, Criteria and Rationale Land-use planning and development of efficient servicing systems are concurrent processes. The policies from each activity should exist in harmony and be incorporated into all planning exercises. The Region of Peel shall comply with the servicing requirements of the Greenbelt Act (Bill 135) and the Places to Grow Act (Bill 136) to restrict urban sprawl and promote development in an orderly fashion. March 31,

12 Regional Municipality of Peel Water and Wastewater Policy Paper 2.2 POLICY G.02: ESTABLISHING BASELINE POPULATION AND EMPLOYMENT PROJECTIONS Policy Statement The Region of Peel shall establish baseline population and employment projections to 2031 through coordination with Region of Peel Planning, area municipality planning and Public Works Best Practices, Criteria and Rationale The timing of growth should be reviewed with consideration to a reasonable implementation schedule for infrastructure. Population: Review historical birthrates, natural increases, survival rates and migration for the population of the Region of Peel. Employment: Review historical Regional employment for each area municipality within the Region of Peel. March 31,

13 Regional Municipality of Peel Water and Wastewater Policy Paper 2.3 POLICY G.03: HARMONIZE PLANNING AND SERVICING POLICIES AND STRATEGIES Policy Statement The Region of Peel shall harmonize planning and servicing policies and strategies with Provincial and Regional policies and strategies Best Practices, Criteria and Rationale The Region should evaluate servicing strategies and requirements of neighbouring municipalities to determine potential impacts to the Region of Peel s servicing strategies. If feasible, providing water and wastewater servicing to neighbouring municipalities could facilitate efficient use of resources with fewer environmental impacts. Where applicable, the Region should consider harmonizing servicing strategies with the development and review of master plans. Water and wastewater servicing strategies and needs in neighbouring municipalities could impact the timing of the Region of Peel s implementation program. March 31,

14 Regional Municipality of Peel Water and Wastewater Policy Paper 2.4 POLICY G.04: EXISTING SERVICING AGREEMENT Policy Statement The Region of Peel shall meet the servicing requirements of the York-Peel Water and Wastewater Servicing Agreement Best Practices, Criteria and Rationale An agreement exists between the Region of Peel and York Region governing the supply of water from the Region of Peel to York Region and the acceptance of wastewater flows by the Region of Peel from York Region. The conditions and approved flows must be met as per agreement. March 31,

15 Regional Municipality of Peel Water and Wastewater Policy Paper 2.5 POLICY G.05: PLANNING HORIZON Policy Statement The Region of Peel shall ensure that the design of water and wastewater infrastructure recognizes the potential for growth beyond the planning horizon of the Official Plan Best Practices, Criteria and Rationale Official Plans have a typical planning horizon of 20 years, although amendments or regular updates during the horizon are common. A 20-year horizon for planning population growth and land use is reasonable and promotes orderly growth. However, the life expectancy of most water and wastewater infrastructure is significantly longer and frequently exceeds 60 years. Therefore, to avoid disruption through the urban core every 20 years to upgrade or expand infrastructure, a longer time frame needs to be used. Strategic oversizing is a common result of a longer planning horizon for infrastructure since pipe capacity increases exponentially with diameter while capital costs tend to increase linearly with diameter. The extent of oversizing will vary with local conditions such as the impact of topography or with Regional boundaries and should be addressed on a case-by-case basis. Care must be taken to ensure that short-term operation is not negatively impacted by excessive oversizing. This concern is particularly significant in ensuring that cleansing velocities are maintained in sewers and force mains. It is essential to develop a cost-effective approach to upgrade capacity or expand facilities in the future. Issues such as initial capital outlay, building dimensions, space for new pumps, space for building expansion, space in right-of-ways for future infrastructure need to be considered in the overall evaluation. This process also applies to property requirements, ensuring allowance for growth on the property and ensuring optimum site locations for the initial phases. The impact of strategic oversizing on Development Charges must also be considered such that the capacity for servicing within the Official Plan planning horizon and the capacity for servicing beyond the planning horizon are identified and financed appropriately. March 31,

16 Regional Municipality of Peel Water and Wastewater Policy Paper 2.6 POLICY G.06: MAXIMIZE USE OF EXISTING INFRASTRUCTURE Policy Statement The Region of Peel shall maximize the use of existing capacity prior to the upgrading or expansion of infrastructure Best Practices, Criteria and Rationale The investment in the existing infrastructure coupled with the cost and social and environmental impacts of constructing new facilities should be considered where capacity already exists. In utilizing existing capacity of infrastructure, there needs to be a balance struck in maximizing the use of the existing infrastructure while maintaining reserve capacity and ensuring acceptable operating conditions are sustained. The maximum acceptable criteria should not be exceeded, including pipe velocities, operating pressures, sewer pipe surcharging conditions and firm pumping capacities. The use of existing infrastructure should not compromise the level of service being provided to existing customers. However, should existing infrastructure exist and have available capacity, considering servicing alternatives should evaluate the ability to utilize this capacity versus new infrastructure to determine the most cost-effective and technically viable solution. The availability of calibrated hydraulic water and wastewater models is critical in achieving this policy. It is also recognized that other planning criteria may outweigh the desirability to maximize every facet of the current systems. March 31,

17 Regional Municipality of Peel Water and Wastewater Policy Paper 2.7 POLICY G.07: RESERVE CAPACITY Policy Statement The Region of Peel shall maintain sufficient reserve capacity in its water and wastewater infrastructure and facilities to provide operational flexibility and meet potential changes in servicing conditions Best Practices, Criteria and Rationale Just-in-time infrastructure development offers advantages in managing cash flow for capital programs and in the ability to employ the best available technology. However, care must be taken to ensure that projects are initiated in sufficient time to allow the necessary steps for implementation. These steps include: 1. Consultant Selection Processes The Region has a formalized process for consultant selection that encompasses expression of interest, short-listing of qualified firms, detailed proposals, analysis and council ratification of the recommended firm. 2. MEA Class EA For straightforward projects without significant social or environmental issues the requirements of the EA process typically require about six months to complete. For projects that are controversial or require significant input for agencies such as the MOE or the conservation authorities, a minimum time frame of 12 to 18 months should be budgeted. Controversial projects may take significantly longer. 3. Property Negotiations The EA process allows the Region to initiate property negotiations at any time without this being considered pre-empting due consideration for all alternatives. However, if required, at least 12 months should be allowed for expropriation. 4. Design and Construction The time frame for linear works such as feeder mains or trunk sewers is generally less than for multidisciplinary works such as pumping or treatment works. A time frame of 18 months is not unreasonable for major feeder mains through urban or sensitive areas or could be considered as a minimum time frame for pumping station or reservoir projects. The Region should allow 30 to 36 months for major works at the treatment plants. The extra time may be utilized for equipment procurement or prequalification of contractors as well as the tendering and award process. 5. Commissioning Considering the anticipated time frame to implement infrastructure upgrades, sufficient scheduling and planning needs to take place to ensure the upgrades are commissioned prior to reaching existing infrastructure capacity. March 31,

18 Regional Municipality of Peel Water and Wastewater Policy Paper During the implementation of any project, the Region can expect that the demand load on the existing facilities will continue to grow. While growth rate over the long term may be averaged, market-driven fluctuations in the growth rate may result in achieving the design projects sooner or later than expected. Coordination between engineering planning and land use planning will help to ensure that facilities are in place as needed. The projections used to estimate the year in which the infrastructure will reach capacity can be subject to actual in-field fluctuations in the base criteria due to conditions such as: Weather; Per capita consumption/generation; Changing growth rates; Desired level of service under extreme conditions such as power failures; Planned or unplanned equipment shutdowns; and Decreasing system and equipment performance. As such, maintaining reserve capacity to ensure upgrades are not provided just-to-late is good practice. March 31,

19 Regional Municipality of Peel Water and Wastewater Policy Paper 2.8 POLICY G.08: STANDARDS AND BY-LAWS Policy Statement The Region of Peel shall adopt Region-wide development standards, design standards, and By-laws Best Practices, Criteria and Rationale Maintaining a high level of service requires that water and wastewater facilities be constructed to reasonable levels of quality of equipment and materials and be designed with operational requirements in mind. It is important to have reasonable uniformity in the basic layout of facilities and to limit the number of manufacturers of specialty equipment. These objectives help to reduce the inventory of spare parts needed, assist staff in troubleshooting problems, and improve their ability to resolve issues quickly. Region-wide standards and By-laws help to achieve consistency in development and design, optimize operations and maintenance, and consolidate practices from the municipalities. The following principles should be followed to achieve these goals: Adopt Region-wide development standards; Adopt Region-wide design standards; Adopt Region-wide by-laws; and Adopt Region-wide acceptable manufacturers lists. March 31,

20 Regional Municipality of Peel Water and Wastewater Policy Paper 2.9 POLICY G.09: SYSTEM EFFICIENCY AND OPTIMIZATION Policy Statement The Region of Peel shall implement best practices and standards to ensure system efficiency and optimization through infrastructure planning, design, operation and maintenance Best Practices, Criteria and Rationale All aspects of planning, design, operation and maintenance should consider efficiency and optimization and not be limited to specific power supplies, materials, design, layout or operational practices. Where applicable, implementation of energy-efficient components and practices and their impacts on the full lifecycle costing should be evaluated. Consideration shall be given to replacing equipment that is no longer energy efficient, particularly where long-term cost savings can be realized. The Region of Peel should minimize losses from the water distribution system through water loss audits, district metering and leak detection programs. Maintenance management systems should be developed such that all equipment is properly maintained. This will reduce down time for individual pieces of equipment, resulting in reduced loads on parallel systems and overall operating efficiency. Feedback and operational experience should be incorporated to guide the optimization of the design and operation of future facilities and also to design retrofits to existing facilities. March 31,

21 Regional Municipality of Peel Water and Wastewater Policy Paper 2.10 POLICY G.010: COMMUNICATION Policy Statement The Region of Peel shall maintain operating procedures that support open communications between the Region s departments, the public and review agencies Best Practices, Criteria and Rationale Each Region of Peel department may be impacted by the performance of Public Works and by the policies implemented by Public Works. Communication between departments and with the public and regulatory agencies should follow an established protocol that would address: Points of public contact; Points of contact with regulatory agencies; and Points of internal staff contact. March 31,

22 Regional Municipality of Peel Water and Wastewater Policy Paper 2.11 POLICY G.11: LOCATION OF MUNICIPAL/REGIONAL SERVICES AND FACILITIES Policy Statement The Region of Peel shall locate all of its services and facilities on public property or on Regional municipally owned easements Best Practices, Criteria and Rationale Operation and maintenance of Regional facilities and services could be compromised if staff does not have direct access. The Region should ensure that new and existing infrastructure is located within road rights-of-way or on property owned by the Region of Peel, including designated lots and easements. Adequate property should be maintained to facilitate all day-to-day activities and emergency responses, such as to repair a water main break. March 31,

23 Regional Municipality of Peel Water and Wastewater Policy Paper 2.12 POLICY G.12: MONITORING Policy Statement The Region of Peel shall continue to monitor water and wastewater system conditions and water production/wastewater collection flow information Best Practices, Criteria and Rationale The Region of Peel is currently recording system information on a regular basis. It is essential that relevant system data be recorded and maintained in a useable format to support day to-day planning, analysis, operations and maintenance of the water and wastewater systems. From a planning and design perspective, system data and historical information will provide the basis for establishing and using planning and design criteria for the Master Plan. Key data include: Water production records from the water treatment plants; Water consumption records from the billing system; System pressures and flows from system operations records, hydrant tests and other system data recording projects; Pumping station operating records including pump run times, flow rates and station pressures; Reservoir operating level records; Water quality data at the water treatment plants and throughout the distribution system; Wastewater flow records from the wastewater treatment facilities; System flows from in-line monitoring and other system data recording projects; and Pumping station operating records including pump run times, flow rates and station pressures. These data need to be correlated from system databases, SCADA information and project records. March 31,

24 Regional Municipality of Peel Water and Wastewater Policy Paper 2.13 POLICY G.13: SUSTAINABILITY OF WATER RESOURCES Policy Statement The Region of Peel shall conserve and sustain water resources for present and future generations Best Practices, Criteria and Rationale The Region of Peel will prepare sustainability plans for water and wastewater services and will endeavor to foster innovative water and wastewater technologies, services and practices in order to conserve and sustain water resources for present and future generations. March 31,

25 Regional Municipality of Peel Water and Wastewater Policy Paper 2.14 POLICY G.14: CLIMATE CHANGE Policy Statement The Region of Peel will consider and plan for the effects of climate change, and take actions to reduce greenhouse gas emissions Best Practices, Criteria and Rationale The Region of Peel will promote sustainable infrastructure in its planning, design, implementation and operation of its water and wastewater services. The Region will endeavor to address water, natural heritage and land management issues related to climate change through integrated watershed management. It is considered good practice to review the feasibility of reducing vulnerabilities due to climate change through redesign and retrofit of water collection and conveyance infrastructure. March 31,

26 Regional Municipality of Peel Water and Wastewater Policy Paper 2.15 POLICY G.15: TORONTO-PEEL WASTEWATER AGREEMENT Policy Statement The Region of Peel shall meet the servicing requirements of the Toronto-Peel Wastewater Servicing Agreement Best Practices, Criteria and Rationale A draft agreement exists between the Region of Peel and the City of Toronto regarding the acceptance of wastewater flows by the Region of Peel from York Region and vice versa. The conditions and approved flows must be met as per agreement, once this document is finalized. March 31,

27 Regional Municipality of Peel Water and Wastewater Policy Paper 3 WATER POLICIES Policies and guiding principles that impact water servicing are outlined in this section. A summary of the Water Policies is provided in Table 2. This summary is followed by separate subsections for each policy that provide additional details. March 31,

28 Regional Municipality of Peel Water and Wastewater Policy Paper Table 2 Summary of water policies WATER POLICIES Policy Policy Area Policy Statement Best Practices and Criteria Discharge a high quality effluent from Peel s wastewater treatment plants and comply with Toronto and Region RAP, Etobicoke and Mimico Creek Watershed Strategy, Humber River Watershed Plan, Credit River Water Management Strategy, F-5-5 targets, CCME Strategy, and/or new regulations as applicable. W.01 Raw Water Quality Continue participation in the International Joint Commission on the Great Lakes and address water quality issues for Lake Ontario The Region of Peel shall endeavour to protect its raw Interact with the stormwater and water resources policies Monitor water quality of the lake and, if necessary, evaluate and optimize the water treatment plant intake water sources. location Water quality should meet or exceed all legislated criteria Water quality objectives should meet or exceed historical performance Maximize the potential capacity and performance of the facilities and equipment to achieve the best water W.02 Water Treatment The Region of Peel shall meet or exceed legislated quality on an on-going basis and Distribution water quality criteria. Review the economics, reliability and water quality impacts of implementing new technology Implement best practices to ensure sustainability of Operations and Maintenance, Maintenance Management Systems, Training, Manuals and other monitoring/trending data. W.03 Water Treatment and Distribution The Region of Peel shall provide potable water at adequate pressure and flow to its customers. Provide pressures and flows which meet current design criteria and standards MOE Guidelines identify a typical recommended operating range of kpa ( psi) Evaluate impacts of tightening operating pressure range. W.04 Water Treatment and Distribution The Region of Peel shall provide reliability and security throughout the water distribution system. Objectives can be achieved through implementing best practices including the following: Multiple supply points to service areas and pressure districts Twinning major feeder mains Looping of water mains Providing stand-by power Providing sufficient valves to ensure that critical water mains can be isolated for maintenance or repair Regular maintenance Repair and replacement programs Staff training. W.05 Water Treatment and Distribution The Region of Peel shall ensure that acceptable water quality is maintained throughout the distribution system. Objectives can be achieved through implementing best practices including the following: Looping of water mains Regular and unidirectional flushing of the water mains Rechlorination where necessary to maintain residual criteria Optimizing operational practices for storage facilities and booster pumping stations Examine use of back flow preventors (industrial vs. other areas) Replacement of cast iron water mains Monitoring of facilities for malfunction and for intrusion. March 31,

29 Regional Municipality of Peel Water and Wastewater Policy Paper WATER POLICIES Policy Policy Area Policy Statement Best Practices and Criteria W.06 Water Treatment and Distribution The Region shall consider the Ministry of the Environment Guidelines and the Insurance Underwriters Guidelines for establishing the acceptable Provide pressures and flows that meet current design criteria and standards Consider establishing separate minimum criteria and standards for both urban and rural servicing Dialogue with fire department, industry leaders and insurance industry level of fire protection. W.07 Water Treatment and Distribution The Region of Peel shall adopt the Ministry of the Environment Guidelines as the minimum acceptable level of water storage. Provide adequate level of storage which meets current design criteria and standards. Consider establishing separate minimum criteria and standards for both urban and rural servicing. Consider level of storage required under floating versus pumped conditions. W.08 Emergency Conditions The Region of Peel shall have an adequate combination of reservoir capacity, pumping capacity and stand-by power to meet the desired level of service under emergency conditions. Determine the level of service to be provided under emergency conditions including the following criteria: Water demand conditions to be met (i.e., average day vs. maximum day) Acceptable pressures and flows Duration to be met. W.09 Water Conservation The Region of Peel shall encourage and promote water conservation. Consider the impact to the design criteria. Consider the impact to scheduling future infrastructure. Objectives can be achieved through implementing best practices including the following: o Restricted lawn watering by-law o Public education o Plumbing code requirements for new construction including low-flow aerators, shower heads and toilets o Use of rain barrels o Encouraging low-maintenance landscaping and native species o Implementing an increasing block water rate structure. W.10 Design and Costing Criteria The Region of Peel shall utilize reasonable design and costing criteria for establishing and evaluation servicing scenarios. Criteria should be based on: o Historical records and projections thereof o MOE guidelines. Consider separate criteria for urban and rural areas Consider differentiating criteria for land uses March 31,

30 Regional Municipality of Peel Water and Wastewater Policy Paper 3.1 POLICY W.01: RAW WATER SOURCE PROTECTION Policy Statement The Region of Peel shall endeavour to protect its raw water sources Best Practices, Criteria and Rationale This policy applies to all Region of Peel communal systems, including both lake-based and groundwaterbased systems. 1. Discharge a high-quality effluent from the Region of Peel s wastewater treatment facilities. The Region has direct legislated responsibility for the collection and disposal of wastewater and in the level of treatment prior to discharge. This distinct policy will ensure that the Region meets its commitments to the existing criteria and to new regulations, as applicable. 2. Monitor water quality of the lake and if necessary, evaluate and optimize the water treatment plant intake location. The lake water quality has changed over the past few decades as stricter controls have been enforced on both storm and wastewater discharge. Agricultural practices have also improved with better nutrient management, driven more by the cost of fertilizers than by legislation. Therefore, the Region does not expect to see a deterioration of the lake water quality. By standard operating practice the raw water quality would be recorded on an ongoing basis and gradual changes, if any, could be trended. However, new point sources such as new wastewater outfalls could impact the intake under specific conditions of wind deviation and currents. There may also be a desire to extend the intake to deeper water to get lower year-round temperatures. 3. Continue participation in the International Joint Commission on the Great Lakes and address water quality issues for Lake Ontario. Lake water quality will be influenced more by the land uses and discharges across the whole of the Great Lakes than by actions taken by the Region of Peel on its own. Therefore, the Region should participate in the policies promoted by the International Joint Commission. March 31,

31 Regional Municipality of Peel Water and Wastewater Policy Paper 3.2 POLICY W.02: TREATED WATER QUALITY Policy Statement The Region of Peel shall meet or exceed legislated water quality criteria Best Practices, Criteria and Rationale 1. Water quality should meet all legislated criteria. The rationale to meet legislated criteria is straightforward in that the Province has established the requirements for maximum permissible concentrations for parameters based on mitigating either healthrelated issues or aesthetic issues. The social and legal consequences of not meeting the requirements can be significant and certainly not be contemplated. 2. Water quality objectives should meet or exceed historical performance. The Region has the opportunity to exceed certain parameters on an on-going basis and has historically achieved this goal. The raw water quality within the Lake Ontario basin already exceeds the requirements for many of the criteria and the level of treatment needed to meet and exceed legislated criteria is already in place. Historical performance was recognized when reviewing the water quality objectives to be enforced within the agreement for contracting out the operations. While the operations may eventually become a Regional responsibility, the treatment objectives should continue as tabled. Seasonal changes do occur in the lake and raw water quality and treatability will be impacted by those changes, including temperature change, storm events, and algae decay. However, throughout the year there will be the ability to achieve a level of optimization of the available equipment to produce the best water quality in the given circumstances. 3. Maximize the potential capacity and performance of the facilities and equipment to achieve the best water quality on an on-going basis. As with all best practices, the concept of reasonableness should apply to balance of cost and effort to achieve an incremental gain. 4. Review the economics, reliability and water quality impacts of implementing new technology. Abundant technologies are available, or likely to become available, to improve water quality. The policy statement is not intended to commit the Region to implement each technological advance as it becomes available. Rather, it is expected that Region staff will monitor technological advances and trends in legislation and monitoring the needs and desires of its customers. At key milestones, such as when implementing expansions or major equipment replacements, it is expected that the implementation process would incorporate a first principles approach to decision making with respect to the opportunity to upgrade the facilities. A set of criteria, with appropriate weighting, would be employed to achieve the optimum balance of economics, ease of operations and maintenance, proven technologies, level of treatment performed, land area requirements, energy consumption, and quantity and quality of water generated. March 31,

32 Regional Municipality of Peel Water and Wastewater Policy Paper 5. Implement best practices to ensure sustainability of Operations and Maintenance, Maintenance Management Systems, Training, Manuals and other monitoring and trending data. Maximizing the use and lifespan of the past investment in water, or wastewater, infrastructure is a fundamental economic responsibility of all staff. To ensure that all levels of staff can fulfill their roles, it is appropriate that the tools be in place and that performance is monitored. The tools would include: Maintenance management systems; Benchmarking; Staff training in water treatment technologies, in mechanical and electrical equipment troubleshooting and maintenance, and in health and safety; Availability of descriptive manuals; and ISO is also a useful mechanism to ensure repeatability in the level of performance. March 31,

33 Regional Municipality of Peel Water and Wastewater Policy Paper 3.3 POLICY W.03: SYSTEM OPERATING CONDITIONS Policy Statement The Region of Peel shall provide potable water at adequate pressure and flow to its customers Best Practices, Criteria and Rationale 1. Provide pressures and flows that meet current design criteria and standards. The fundamental purpose of the distribution system is to convey water to the consumer and deliver it at useful flow rates and pressures. The demands imposed on the system vary with the type of consumer and the waterworks industry recognizes the variation in both volume demand and diurnal needs for the district categories of residential, commercial and industrial demands. Within these broad land uses it is expected that there will be some variation in needs as well as a desire to achieve the highest possible level of fire protection. It is industry accepted practice that reasonable limits be applied to balance economics with the community needs. Hence, design criteria for demand and residual pressures are routinely established such that the distribution system planner may adequately size the system and such that the consumer has an expectation of the level of service available. This is particularly important to the industrial and commercial sector for water consuming industries and for the design of sprinkler systems. The establishment of general design criteria does not suggest that exceptions could not occur in individual cases. 2. MOE Guidelines identify a typical recommended operating pressure range in the distribution system of 275 to 700 kpa (40 to 100 psi). Historically, the MOE has used a pressure range of 275 to 700 kpa (40 to 100 psi) as an acceptable range of useful pressures at the street level that provides adequate residual pressure to deliver the desired flows to low-rise development. High-rise development regularly uses booster pumping systems installed as part of the plumbing of the building to provide adequate pressure for upper floors. The upper range of pressures give adequate factors of safety for the use of pressurized hot water tanks, and a reasonable life span to tap washers. 3. Evaluate impacts of tightening the operating range. As the land rises from the lake the available pressure in the system decreases accordingly. Given the total range of topography in the Region of Peel service area, multiple pressure zones are required. As development across the escarpment is disjointed multiple pressure zones have resulted. These have generally been based on supplying residual pressures between 275 kpa (40 psi) under peak demand conditions and 700 kpa (100 psi) under low demand conditions. Within the zones, where land does not rise gradually or uniformly, local high and low points will occur. Within these areas, it is not uncommon to have pressures outside the desirable range. Residents with lower than acceptable pressures suffer more adverse impacts as the time to fill multiple water consuming devices may be excessive. Within the alternatives to be reviewed within the Master Plan it is proposed to look at the potential to revise the design criteria for the acceptable range of residual pressures. However, the Region expects that existing reservoir elevations and pump systems are in place on the basis of the existing criteria, we March 31,

34 Regional Municipality of Peel Water and Wastewater Policy Paper expect the economic impact to be substantial. Rather, the Region will look at how identified local low pressure areas may be resolved on an individual basis. The economic impact of changing design criteria for new development areas will be tabled. March 31,

35 Regional Municipality of Peel Water and Wastewater Policy Paper 3.4 POLICY W.04: SYSTEM RELIABILITY Policy Statement The Region of Peel shall provide reliability, redundancy, and security throughout the water distribution system Best Practices, Criteria and Rationale Recognizing that all systems are susceptible to some level of failure or breakdown, or need to be taken out of service for regular maintenance, it is reasonable to provide a level of reliability to ensure an acceptable level of service is maintained. While municipalities do not generally guarantee service, the economic impact on business of a failure of the system can be significant. The provision of basic services can be a decisive factor in determining where an industry will locate. A high level of service to all consumers will also be dependent on maintaining continuous flow under all but the most exceptional or circumstances. A number of examples of how security of supply within the distribution system can be maintained or enhanced are as follows: Multiple supply points to service areas and pressure zones; Twinning major feeder mains; Looping of water mains; Providing standby power; Providing sufficient valves to ensure that critical water mains can be isolated for maintenance or repair; Regular maintenance; Repair and replacement programs; and Staff training. March 31,