Disposal at sea permit application guide: permitting process for dredged material, chapter 3.2

Official Title: Disposal at Sea Permitting Process for Dredged Material, Chapter 3.2, Step II: Submission of Permit Application

The entire application assessment process can take up to 90 days for a new permit application. In addition, the Disposal at Sea Program must publish a copy of the permit in the Canadian Environmental Protection Act (CEPA) Registry. This process requires 7 days, and publication occurs every Tuesday. Without exception, a permit must be published in the Registry for 7 days before the first date on which loading or disposal can be authorized by the permit.

Applications are submitted to the nearest Disposal at Sea Program regional office. You are strongly encouraged to follow the pre-application steps in Section 3.1 prior to submitting an application package. We will contact you if the application does not contain sufficient information to initiate the review process. We will also notify you once the review process has begun.

For applications to renew existing permits, the review process can take up to 45 days, with other details as described above for new permit applications.

Related link

• CEPA, Section 133: Publication

3.2.1 Submit a permit application with supporting documentation and prescribed fee(s)

The information collected during the pre-application step should be included in the application package. Some of the information can be submitted as stand-alone documentation (for example, the Alternatives Assessment and Detailed Characterization Report), while other information should be documented in the application form. If further assistance is required in completing your application, please contact your nearest Disposal at Sea Program regional office in Appendix A, and refer to the Disposal at Sea Permit Application Form Guide for Dredged Material.

As per the Disposal at Sea Permit Fee Regulations, all applications must be accompanied by a non-refundable permit application fee of $2,555. This fee must be paid in full prior to initating the application review process and the cheque made payable to the Receiver General for Canada. Post-dated cheques, cash or credit cards will not be accepted.

In addition, you must pay a fee of $480.34 for every 1000 cubic metres in place measure, or portion thereof, of dredged material permitted to be disposed of at sea as per the Disposal at Sea Permit Fee Regulations. Half (50%) of the total fee must be received before the permit is published in the CEPA Registry, and the remaining balance must be paid before the midway mark of the permit’s term (for example, for a 1 year permit, the fee should be paid at 6 months).

Renewal application packages need to contain the following:

• completed renewal application form
• any documentation pertinent to the aspects of the project that have changed since the original permit application was submitted
• published Notice of Application
• $2,555 permit application fee
• fees according to the volume of material to be disposed, as described above.

Related links

• Service standards and fees
• Renewalable permits

Application checklist

The application package should include the information listed in the checklist below.

3.2.2 We notify you that the application is complete

You will receive written notification that your application is complete. The review of the complete permit application package and a decision to issue (signature of a permit) or refuse to issue a permit, may take up to 90 days from the date that the Disposal at Sea Program regional office notifies you that the application is complete and ready for review. The process can take additional time if additional information is required upon review of the application package or if additional consultations are needed.