Water & Wastewater Treatment Plant Environmental Emergency Plan

The City has a comprehensive plan to prevent and respond to chemical spills or releases that meet Environment Canada’s Environmental Emergencies Regulation (E2) at its water and wastewater treatment plants.

Tested regularly, the plan includes protocols for storing chemicals used to treat drinking water and wastewater, such as chlorine. It also ensures all facilities are equipped with robust response systems to manage environmental impacts and protect public health. This includes gas detection, emergency alarms, leak containment and scrubber systems that collect and neutralize harmful gases before they are released.

Chemical Spill or Release Response

In the event of a chemical spill or release, the City will coordinate its response and recovery activities according to the City's Emergency Plan. The plan:

• details how the City mobilizes in a crisis and ensures all City organizations, emergency response services and key agencies are aware of their roles and responsibilities
• includes leads from City organizations and emergency response services (including police, fire and public health) who may request impacted communities to evacuate or take shelter-in-place depending on the potential health impacts (such as inhalation or skin contact hazards)

During an emergency, the City will distribute information through the following channels to ensure residents know how to protect their health, safety and welfare:

• front-line staff, including 311
• media, including radio, television and print
• City website and social media channels