Performance assurance consists of facility approvals, compliance, and enforcement. In all three of these areas staff conduct routine monitoring and inspections to ensure that they are knowledgeable regarding their systems within the region.
Approvals and Registrations
The Environmental Protection and Enhancement Act (EPEA) and the accompanying regulations set out in detail what activities require an approval or registration and the process for obtaining an approval or registration.
- Drinking Water and Wastewater Facility Approvals and Registrations Process
- Use the Authorization/Approval Viewer to find existing approvals, registrations, licenses, and permits issued under EPEA and the Water Act.
- Registrations must follow conditions stipulated in the Codes of Practice:
Inspections
The Alberta government conducts routine and unscheduled inspections to verify that wastewater systems are constructed according to the approved design and operating within their regulatory requirements. Any variances are noted and the owner is required to ensure that all corrections to the system are made. Annual facility reports that document monitoring and operational performance of wastewater facilities are completed by the system owner and are assessed by the department.
Compliance Assurance
Compliance Assurance is preventative in nature by ensuring that legislative requirements are met, and compliance assistance actions encourage continuous improvement and process optimization.
Enforcement
When incidents of non-compliance are identified or reported by the owners of the facilities as required by their approval, The Alberta government works directly with the wastewater facility owner and operator to correct the issue and optimize facility performance. To address infractions of environmental laws, the department can issue warning letters, tickets, enforcement orders, and administrative penalties. The department can also prosecute, request/enforce court orders and cancel an approval. Generally, companies experiencing difficulties in meeting the Alberta government's approval requirements voluntarily take appropriate action to achieve compliance.
For more information on the legislation or system performance, contact our offices at: