18-Env-B6 Agricultural Waste Management · December 2016
Nivaar worked solution (AI-drafted; not reviewed by a licensed engineer)
National Exams, December 2016 — 04-Env-B6, Agricultural Waste Management (3 hours, open book, all questions to be attempted, 100 marks total).
Reference texts: Rynk et al., On-Farm Composting Handbook (NRAES-54); OMAFRA, Nutrient Management Act, 2002 and O. Reg. 267/03 / Nutrient Management Protocol (NMAN); Metcalf & Eddy, Wastewater Engineering (anaerobic digestion chapter); ASABE Standards (manure storage, land application equipment).
Question text not reproduced: the examination questions are © Engineers and Geoscientists BC. Open the official past paper (linked at the top of this page) to read the question, then follow the worked solution below.
1. Nutrient Management Act, 2002 (and its regulation O. Reg. 267/03). The primary, purpose-built statute for manure and nutrient management in Ontario — it sets requirements for Nutrient Management Strategies and Plans, manure storage design/capacity, land application setbacks, and NASM (Non-Agricultural Source Material) classification and approval.
2. Environmental Protection Act (Ontario), R.S.O. 1990, c. E.19. Ontario's general environmental statute; it prohibits the discharge of a contaminant that causes or is likely to cause an adverse effect, and governs spill reporting — it applies to manure management activities that fall outside, or in addition to, the Nutrient Management Act's specific provisions.
3. Ontario Water Resources Act. Protects surface and ground water quality directly, prohibiting the discharge of any material (including manure) that may impair water quality, and is the statute most directly engaged when manure reaches a watercourse or well (as in Question 4's tile-drainage scenario).
Two further Acts are also commonly cited and worth naming as additional context: the Clean Water Act, 2006 (source-water protection planning, which can restrict manure storage/application within vulnerable wellhead/intake areas) and the Farming and Food Production Protection Act, 1998 (the "Normal Farm Practices" act, which provides a defence for manure-management activities that follow accepted normal farm practice against nuisance complaints).
