Guide for reporting to National Pollutant Release Inventory 2001

Acknowledgments

Prepared by: Michelle Raizenne

In collaboration with Environment Canada Offices

Atlantic

Angie Giammario

Chris Roberts

Quebec

Catherine Coutu

René Damecour

Veronique Lacombe

Chantal Ménard

Ontario

Christine Brunski

Lora Ward

James Yacoumidis

Prairie and Northern

Art Beckett

Nancy Taschuk

Dan Woo

Pacific and Yukon

Michael DeAbreu

Benoit Godin

Henry Quon

Headquarters

David Allingham

François Cadoret

Nicole Folliet

Terri Inwood

Wilfrid Jan

François Lavallée

Harriet Nicholls

Patricia Pelletier

John Zaluski

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Preface

The National Pollutant Release Inventory (NPRI) is at the centre of the Government of Canada's efforts to track toxic substances. It is the only nation-wide, publicly-accessible program of its type in Canada that provides information on pollutants being released to the environment and transferred for disposal. Since its inception in 1992, the role of the NPRI has expanded to include the collection of information on NPRI substances being recycled and pollution-prevention activities.

All non-confidential information collected through the NPRI is available to the public on Environment Canada's Web site at www.ec.gc.ca/pdb/npri in the form of downloadable databases, reports and analyses, and through a query site which allows the user to view information submitted by an individual facility.

For the 2001 reporting year, there were 265 substances listed in the NPRI, 61 of which had been declared toxic under the Canadian Environmental Protection Act, 1999 (CEPA). There are 245 substances listed with the original NPRI reporting criteria (10-tonne, manufacture, process and other use reporting threshold with 1% concentration exemption, except for by-products). Twenty substances are listed with alternate reporting thresholds and criteria - mercury (and its compounds), 17 individual polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins (dioxins) / polychlorinated dibenzofurans (furans), and hexachlorobenzene (HCB).

This Guide enables facility owners or operators to review the NPRI reporting criteria and determine if they are required to report to the NPRI for the 2001 reporting year. It also explains how to complete the reporting form and submit a report to Environment Canada.

In May 2001, the Ontario Ministry of the Environment (MOE) issued the Airborne Contaminant Discharge Monitoring and Reporting Regulation (O.Reg.127/01) under the authority of the Ontario Environmental Protection Act. To reduce reporting burden on industry, Environment Canada worked with the MOE to incorporate the annual MOE reporting form into the 2001 NPRI reporting software. A separate guidance document, Guide for Reporting under O.Reg.127/01 Using the NPRI/MOE Software - 2001, is available on the NPRI reporting software CD to explain the reporting requirements and the reporting form for those facilities in Ontario required to report under O.Reg.127/01.

Highlights and important changes for 2001

Report due dates

An erratum was published on April 7, 2001, to correct a minor discrepancy in the French version of the Canada Gazette notice. An amendment to the Canada Gazette notice for the 2001 NPRI was published on December 29, 2001, to remove phosphoric acid from the NPRI List of Substances for 2001.

Correspondence

Correspondence from Environment Canada will be addressed to the company coordinator. If there is no coordinator, correspondence will be sent to the technical contact. Failure to provide correct telephone and facsimile numbers for the contacts could delay receipt of important notices from NPRI offices. See Step 4 - A4, A6 and A8.

Steps / process for reporting to the NPRI

This Guide has been organized to walk you through the seven steps required to report to the NPRI for 2001. Included are explanations of the reporting criteria, the reporting form, and how to use the software. The steps are outlined in the figure below.

Substances

The following changes were made to the NPRI List of Substances for 2001.

• addition of N,N-Dimethylformamide (CAS No. 68-12-2) to Schedule 1, Part 1, of the 2001 Canada Gazette notice
• amalgamation of the individual isomers of cresol (m-, o- and p-cresol) under the "cresol (all isomers)" listing
• changed qualifier for vanadium to "(except when in an alloy) and its compounds" from "fume or dust", and
• de-listing of phosphoric acid (CAS No. 7664-38-2).

Retaining copies of information

New for the 2001 reporting year, persons reporting to the NPRI for 2001 are required to retain copies of all information upon which their NPRI report was based. This information must be kept at the facility or parent company in Canada, for three years. Refer to Step 7 for details.

Reporting to the Ontario Ministry of the Environment under Regulation 127/01

In May 2001, the Ontario Ministry of the Environment (MOE) issued the Airborne Contaminant Discharge Monitoring and Reporting Regulation (O.Reg.127/01) under the authority of the Ontario Environmental Protection Act. In response to requests from industry for a one-window approach to reporting to inventories, Environment Canada worked with the MOE to include the reporting form for O.Reg.127/01 within the NPRI reporting form. Refer to the Guide for Reporting under O.Reg.127/01 Using the NPRI/MOE Software - 2001 for instructions on how to complete the reporting form for O.Reg.127/01. Reference material for reporting to the MOE is also provided on the 2001 NPRI reporting software CD.

Common errors

• Statement of certification

  A number of facilities either neglect to provide a signed Statement of Certification or submit a Statement of Certification that has not been signed by the company official identified in Section A16 of the NPRI reporting form. Either error renders the report incomplete.

• NPRI identification number

  A number of facilities do not report the NPRI identification number assigned to the facility. Your assigned NPRI ID number is provided in your NPRI correspondence. NPRI ID numbers are between 0001 and 9999. Contact your regional NPRI office if you cannot find your ID number.

• Industrial classification

  Many facilities report industrial classification codes that are inconsistent with their industrial activities. Facilities must verify that the Canadian Standard Industrial Classification (SIC), U.S. SIC and North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) Canada codes that they report best describe their activities. The NPRI software provides pick-lists for these codes. While there may be several choices because of differences in the classification systems, be certain to choose the classification that best describes the facility. If you have any questions about selecting industrial classification codes, contact your regional NPRI office.

• Incorrect units of measure

  Not all releases and transfers of NPRI substances are reported in units of tonnes. The NPRI reporting form identifies the appropriate unit for each substance.

• Software problems

  Some facilities do not install and test the NPRI reporting software early enough. Technical problems encountered in installing or running the software may result in submission of a late report. Facilities are urged to ensure that the software is correctly installed well in advance of the June 1 reporting deadline.

• Administrative problems

  Some facilities have replaced staff who prepared earlier NPRI reports and, as a result, new staff are unaware of the requirement to report, do not receive the NPRI reporting kit when it arrives at the facility, or cannot find the electronic data and records used to prepare the previous year's report. This may result in the facility submitting a late or incomplete report, or expending excess effort in completing the report on time. All facilities are encouraged to establish and maintain appropriate administrative procedures to ensure an orderly transition during staff and other corporate changes.

• Problems submitting the report

  Some facilities have submitted their NPRI reports, either on disk or as an e-mail attachment, with incorrect data files. After completing the reporting forms for a facility, the export function of the NPRI software must be used to create the correct data files to be submitted to the NPRI (see Step 6). Disks must be formatted before exporting NPRI reports.

Reporting to the National Pollutant Release Inventory for 2001

Introduction

The NPRI changed significantly for the 2000 reporting year with the introduction of alternate-reporting thresholds. Certain substances are listed at alternate thresholds because they pose serious risks to human health or the environment in relatively low quantities, and very limited data, if any, would be reported to the NPRI for these substances at the original 10-tonne and 1% concentration reporting threshold. Substances with alternate-reporting thresholds include mercury (and its compounds), 17 polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), and dioxins/furans and hexachlorobenzene (HCB).

This guide explains the reporting criteria for the 2001 NPRI. The reporting criteria for NPRI substances are explained in Step 1. Steps 2 through 5 explain what information must be reported to Environment Canada and how to complete the reporting form. Steps 6 and step7 explain how to submit an NPRI report to Environment Canada.

This guide should be consulted by owners and operators of facilities to determine if they must report for any NPRI substances.

The legal basis for the NPRI - understanding the Canada Gazette notice

The legal basis for the 2001 NPRI is the "Notice with Respect to Substances in the National Pollutant Release Inventory for 2001" published in the Canada Gazette, Part I, on March 24, 2001. The notice was published under the authority of subsection 46(1) of the Canadian Environmental Protection Act, 1999 (CEPA). This notice specifies that any person who owned or operated a facility during the calendar year 2001, under the conditions prescribed in the notice, must provide certain information to the Minister of the Environment by no later than June 1, 2002. An erratum was published on April 7, 2001, to correct a minor discrepancy in the French version of the notice. An amendment to the Canada Gazette notice for the 2001 NPRI was published on December 29, 2001, to remove phosphoric acid from the NPRI List of Substances for 2001. Notices are published annually in the Canada Gazette, Part I.

The 2001 Canada Gazette notice encompasses a wide range of substances, reporting criteria and requirements. It is divided into four schedules with several parts in each, as outlined below.

If you have any difficulties interpreting the requirements of the NPRI notice, consult the "Questions and answers" section of this guide or contact your regional NPRI office listed inside the front cover.

Overview of the Canada Gazette notice for yhe 2001 NPRI

Schedule 1: National Pollutant Release Inventory substances

• Part 1 lists the 245 substances to which the original NPRI reporting criteria apply (10-tonne, manufacture, process and other use reporting threshold with 1% concentration exemption, except for by-products)
• Part 2 lists mercury (and its compounds)
• Part 3 lists 17 individual PAHs
• Part 4 lists dioxins/furans and HCB

Schedule 2: criteria for reporting

• General: reporting deadline, exclusions and exemptions
• Part 1: reporting criteria for substances listed in Schedule 1, Part 1
• Part 2: reporting criteria for mercury (and its compounds) listed in Schedule 1, Part 2
• Part 3: reporting criteria for the 17 PAHs listed in Schedule 1, Part 3
• Part 4: reporting criteria for dioxins/furans and HCB listed in Schedule 1, Part 4
• Part 5: five activities to which the 20 000-hour employee threshold does not apply

Schedule 3: types of information subject to notice

Schedule 3 outlines the information that must be submitted by facilities which met the reporting criteria defined in Schedule 2.

Schedule 4: definitions

Schedule 4 provides definitions of several terms used in the notice.

National and regional NPRI offices

Headquarters

National Pollutant Release Inventory
Environment Canada
5th floor Place Vincent Massey
351 Saint-Joseph Boulevard
Hull QC
K1A 0H3

Tel: 1-877-877-8375
E-mail: ec.inrp-npri.ec@canada.ca

Newfoundland and Labrador, Prince Edward Island, New Brunswick and Nova Scotia

National Pollutant Release Inventory
Environment Canada
16th Floor, Queen Square
45 Alderney Drive
Dartmouth, NS
B2Y 2N6

Tel: (902) 426-4482 / 426-4805
Fax: (902) 426-8373
E-mail: NPRI_ATL@ec.gc.ca

Quebec

National Pollutant Release Inventory
Environment Canada
105 McGill Street, 4th Floor
Montreal, QC
H2Y 2E7

Tel: (514) 283-7303 / 283-0248
Fax: (514) 496-6982
E-mail: INRP_QC@ec.gc.ca

Ontario

National Pollutant Release Inventory
Environment Canada
4905 Dufferin Street, 2nd Floor
Downsview, ON
M3H 5T4

Tel: (416) 739-5891 / 739-4602 /
739-4608 / 739-4707
Fax: (416) 739-4326
E-mail: NPRI_ONTARIO@ec.gc.ca

Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta, Northwest Territories and Nunavut

National Pollutant Release Inventory
Environment Canada
Twin Atria #2, Room 200
4999-98 Avenue
Edmonton, AB
T6B 2X3

Tel: (780) 951-8726 / 951-8730
Fax: (780) 495-2615
E-mail: NPRI_PNR@ec.gc.ca

National Pollutant Release Inventory
Environment Canada
123 Main Street, Suite 150
Winnipeg, MB
R3C 4W2

Tel: (204) 983-4814
Fax: (204) 983-0960

National Pollutant Release Inventory
Environment Canada
Room 300, Park Plaza
2365 Albert Street
Regina, SK
S4P 4K1

Tel: (306) 780-6465
Fax: (306) 780-6466

National Pollutant Release Inventory
Environment Canada
3rd Floor, Diamond Plaza
5204 - 50th (Franklin) Avenue
Yellowknife, NT
X1A 2R2

Tel: (867) 669-4727
Fax: (867) 920-6648

National Pollutant Release Inventory
Environment Canada
P.O. Box 607
Iqaluit, NU
X0A 0H0

Tel: (867) 979-3660
Fax: (867) 979-8608

British Columbia and Yukon

National Pollutant Release Inventory
Environment Canada
224 West Esplanade
North Vancouver, BC
V7M 3H7

Tel: (604) 666-3890 / 666-3221
Fax: (604) 666-6800
E-mail: NPRI_PYR@ec.gc.ca

National Pollutant Release Inventory
Environment Canada
91782 Alaska Highway
Whitehorse, YT
Y1A 5B7

Tel: (867) 667-3402
Fax: (867) 667-7962
E-mail: Benoit.Godin@ec.gc.ca

Canadian cataloguing in publication data

Disclaimer

Should any inconsistencies be found between this supplementary guide and the official Canada Gazette notice and its amendment, the notice published on December 25, 1999, and the amendment published on December 23, 2000, in the Canada Gazette Part I will prevail.

© Minister of Public Works and Government Services Canada
Catalogue # En40-495/1-2000-3E
ISBN 0-662-29694-X