Under regulation 153/04, the benchmark for contaminated site cleanups in Ontario has, since October 1, 2004, been the Soil, Ground Water and Sediment Standards for Use under Part XV.1 of the Environmental Protection Act, March 9, 2004. This standard becomes obsolete July 1, 2011, when substantial amendments to the contaminated sites rules come into effect.
Since January 1, 2010, the new standards (scheduled to come into effect July 1, 2011) have been a set of standards that the Ministry of the Environment confusingly dated July 27, 2009. This spring, by Reg. 179/11, the 2009 standards were updated and corrected, and now bear the date of April 15, 2011. Thus, the standards that will actually come into effect on July 1, 2011 will be the Soil, Ground Water and Sediment Standards for Use under Part XV.1 of the Environmental Protection Act, April 15, 2011.
All clear now?
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