Effluent Regulatory Reporting Information System user guide: chapter 8

8.0 ERRIS Guidelines

Once you have an account and have logged into ERRIS via SWIM, you can create and submit regulatory reports pertaining to the Wastewater Systems Effluent Regulations.

8.1 ERRIS Home Page

The ERRIS Home page is the initial page displayed when you select Effluent Regulatory Reporting Information System from the list of EC applications.  From this page, a user can navigate the system, and submit and approve electronic reports (e.g. Identification Reports).  Proceed by selecting View/Edit Identification Report under the Reports tab at the top of the page.

Figure 8-1: ERRIS Welcome Page

The system has a “Time-out” function, which means that after 20 minutes of inactivity, the system will warn you that your session is about to terminate.  You have one minute to extend your session otherwise it will end and any information not yet saved will be lost.

In order to save the identification report, all fields marked as ‘(required)’ must be completed, as shown in Figure 8-2. Otherwise an error message will be displayed when you attempt to save the Identification Report.

8.2 Wastewater System Identification Details

1.   Enter all known data fields identifying your wastewater system.  At a minimum, you must complete all the mandatory fields marked as ‘(required)’.

When starting a new Identification Report, a number of the fields may be pre-populated based on the Facility information previously provided in SWIM.

Figure 8-2: Wastewater System Identification

2.   Enter Owner Information, including civic address and mailing address (i.e.: these addresses may or may not be the same)

When starting a new Identification Report, a number of fields may be pre-populated based on Organization information previously provided in SWIM.

Figure 8-3: Wastewater System Identification

3.   Complete the operator information fields.  If Operator information is the same as the Owner, click the “Same as Owner” button in order to populate all Operator fields. 

Verify that all information is correct before proceeding especially if you used the "Same as Owner" option.

Figure 8-4: Operator Information

4.   Enter Contact Information for the facility. 

Contact Definition:  The person who prepared the report and who will be able to answer any questions pertaining to its content.  Correspondence from Environment Canada regarding Wastewater Systems Effluent Regulations will be sent to the contact identified.

Using the “Copy From” tab, you may select either Owner or Operator in order to copy the civic address and mailing address fields from one of these sources, if applicable.  Otherwise, the Contact address fields will need to be entered manually.

The “Copy From” option only copies address related information. The Contact Name, Title, Phone Number, Fax Number and Email address must be entered manually.

It is recommended that you verify all information is correct before proceeding, especially if you used the “Copy From” option.

Figure 8-5: Contact Information

8.3 Wastewater System Operational Details

This section describes how to enter Operational Details of your wastewater system. 

The system determines the value of two fields on the Identification Report based on other fields you enter. 

The system automatically determines the reporting frequency and averaging period based on values you enter for the following fields in the Identification Report:

a)     System Type(Continuous or Intermittent);

b)     Average Daily Effluent Volume (i.e.: the average daily volume of effluent deposited via the wastewater system’s final discharge point for the calendar year before the calendar year in which the Identification Report is sent);

c)     If applicable, the Average Daily Influent Volume and/or Average Daily Influent Design Volume.

The fields “Reporting Frequency for the Facility” and “Averaging Period for the Facility” are displayed on the Identification Report for informational purposes only.  These values represent the frequency of reporting for Effluent Monitoring and the averaging period used to calculate the averages for CBOD (carbonaceous biochemical oxygen demand) and suspended solids.

Please refer to Section 6 (2) Averaging Period of the “Wastewater Systems Effluent Regulations Fisheries Act” for more details on averaging periods.

 Figure 8-6: Operational Details

 1.   Enter the System Type (i.e. continuous or intermittent).

 Intermittent Wastewater System definition:  A wastewater system with a hydraulic retention time of at least 90 days that deposits effluent via its final discharge point during at most four periods per calendar year, each of which is separated from every other period by at least seven clear days during which no deposit occurs.

 Continuous Wastewater System definition:  Any wastewater system other than an intermittent wastewater system.

2.   If your System Type is Continuous, you must select either Yes or No to the question regarding hydraulic retention.

3.   Enter the Average Daily Effluent Volume.

 Average Daily Effluent Volume Definition:  The average daily volume, expressed in m³, of effluent deposited via the wastewater system’s final discharge point for the calendar year before the calendar year in which the identification report is sent.

4.   Select the Method of Calculation used to Determine Average Daily Volume that applies to your wastewater system.

 If “Other method of calculation based on measurement” is selected, a description will need to be entered under “Description of Other Method of Calculation”. 

5.   Reporting Frequency for the facility: This value is system generated based on System Type, Average Daily Effluent Volume and, if applicable, the Average Daily Influent Volume and/or Design Volume.

The value describes the Reporting Frequency for this facility for the effluent monitoring reports required by the WSER.

6.   Averaging Period for the facility: This value is system generated based on System Type, Average Daily Effluent Volume and, if applicable, the Average Daily Influent Volume and/or Design Volume.

The value describes the Averaging Period for calculating average carbonaceous biochemical oxygen demand and average suspended solids that will be included in the effluent monitoring reports.

7.   Enter the Average Daily Influent Volume, if available.

8.   Enter the Average Daily Influent Design Volume, if available. 

9.   Select all Treatment Types that apply for the Wastewater System.

Treatment types could include:

Preliminary Treatment

• Grit Removal
• Screening

Physical/Chemical Primary Treatment

• Chemical Flocculation
• Primary Sedimentation/Clarification
• Skimming

Biological or Secondary Treatment

• Activated Sludge
• Extended Aeration Activated Sludge
• Lagoon - Aerated
• Lagoon - Aerobic
• Lagoon - Anaerobic
• Lagoon - Facultative
• Lagoon - Non-aerated
• Lagoon - Non-aerated Filtered
• Oxidation Ditch
• Pure Oxygen Activated Sludge
• Rotating Biological Contactor
• Storage Ponds
• Sequencing Batch Reactor
• Trickling Filter

Tertiary Treatment

• Biofiltration
• Biological Ammonia Removal - Nitrification Only
• Biological Nitrogen Removal - Nitrification and Denitrification
• Biological Nutrient Removal (Nitrogen and Phosphorus)
• Biological Phosphorus Removal
• Chemical Precipitation (Phosphorus)
• Filtration
• Peat Filter
• Polishing Ponds

Other

• Disinfection
• Other type(s) of treatment (describe below)
• No treatment

 If you have a treatment type which is not included in this list, please describe it in the space given next to “Other Treatment Type Description”.

10.  If your wastewater system qualifies as a fictional consolidated system, check this box and either of the radio buttons below it. 

Fictional Consolidated System definition:  An owner of at least 10 wastewater systems can plan to consolidate the wastewater systems into one or more wastewater systems.  

If this applies to your situation and you require further guidance, please contact the Environment Canada Wastewater Section at: ww-eu@ec.gc.ca.

11.  Check whether or not chlorine is one of the compounds used in the treatment of effluent in your facility.

12.  Check which most description most accurately characterizes the discharge place. 

 Discharge Place Definition:  The “place where it is deposited” can include but is not limited to: a dry ditch, wetland, drainage channel or conduit.

8.4 Wastewater System Discharge Points

In this section, enter the discharge points related to the wastewater system.

The Point of Entry (in relation to the Final Discharge Point) as well as the Final Discharge Point are both mandatory points. Upon initial display of the ID Report, the system presents a placeholder for each of these points in the Discharge Point grid.

Figure 8-7: Discharge Point Grid

You will be presented the following screen when editing an existing discharge point or adding a new one.  The following steps provide guidance on the fields to enter.

Figure 8-8: Discharge Add/Edit Form

Point of Entry and Final Discharge Point

1.   Enter the available information for the POE (in relation to the Final Discharge Point) as follows:

a)     Click the Edit button to the right of the POE in the Discharge Point grid.

b)     Enter the available information.  Mandatory fields for the POE include:

• Discharge Type;
• Latitude (up to 4 decimal places);
• Longitude (up to 4 decimal places);
• Description of Use of Water*;
• Description of Water Frequented by Fish*.

* If you select Other as the value for either one or both of these fields, you must enter an actual description in the corresponding line reserved for that purpose (i.e.: immediately below the respective field populated with Other).

c)     Enter any available information for the optional fields including:

• Name of body of water frequented by fish;
• Name of water at point of entry;
• Station ID;
• Station Name.

d)     Click Save Discharge Point.

e)     If you need to change to any POE information, click Edit to the right side of the POE item in the discharge point grid, make the modification and then click Save Discharge Point.

2.   Enter the available information for the Final Discharge Point (FDP) as follows:

a)     Click the Edit button to the right of the FDP in the Discharge Point grid

b)     Enter the available information.  The mandatory fields for the FDP include:

• Discharge Type;
• Latitude (up to 4 decimal places);
• Longitude (up to 4 decimal places);

c)     Enter any available information for the optional fields including:

• Name of body of water frequented by fish;
• Name of water at point of entry;
• Description of Use of Water*;
• Description of Water Frequented by Fish*;
• Station ID;
• Station Name.

* If you select Other as the value for either one or both of these fields, you must enter an actual description in the corresponding line reserved for that purpose (i.e.: immediately below the respective field populated with Other).

d)     Click Save Discharge Point.

e)     If you need to change to any FDP information, click Edit to the right side of the FDP item in the discharge point grid, make the modification and then click Save Discharge Point.

3.   Recommendation:  Click Save Identification Report after entering the Point of Entry and Final Discharge Point.

The reason for this is to save the information you entered thus far and to minimize the risk of your session timing out.  This is especially important if you have several other discharge points to enter for your wastewater system which will require a significant amount of time.

This is an opportunity to resolve errors, if any occurred, the system would have displayed at the top of the Identification Report.

Combined Sewer Overflow and Sanitary Sewer Overflow Discharge Points

4.   For each Combined Sewer Overflow and Sanitary Sewer Overflow discharge point, that apply for your wastewater system, perform the following steps:

a)     Click Add Discharge Point.

b)     Select the Type of Discharge Point*

Note: Influent and Other Sampling Point discharge types are not required under the WSER.  These discharge points could be used for future reporting.

c)     Enter the available information

The mandatory fields for Combined Sewer Overflow and Sanitary Sewer Overflow include Discharge Point, Latitude, Longitude, Description of Use of Water and Description of Water Frequented by Fish.  The other fields are optional for these discharge points.

d)     Click Save Discharge Point.

e)     If you need to change to any information you entered, click Edit on the right hand side of the grid (i.e.: corresponding to the discharge point just entered), make the modification and then click Save Discharge Point.

*Discharge Point Type - The following is a list of definitions for each type:

Final Discharge Point: Final discharge point means the point, other than an overflow point, of a wastewater system beyond which its owner or operator no longer exercises control over the quality of the wastewater before it is deposited as effluent in water or a place.

Point of entry, in relation to the final discharge point of a wastewater system, means:

a)     The point where effluent is deposited in water frequented by fish via the final discharge point; or

b)     Any point where the effluent enters that water from the place where it was deposited via the final discharge point.

Combined sewer overflow point means a point, other than a final discharge point or a sanitary sewer overflow point, of a wastewater system via which excess wastewater may be deposited in water or a place and beyond which its owner or operator no longer exercises control over the quality of wastewater before it is deposited as effluent.

Point of entry, in relation to a combined sewer overflow point of a wastewater system, means:

a)     The point where effluent is deposited in water frequented by fish via the combined sewer overflow point; or

b)     Any point where the effluent enters that water from the place where it was deposited via the combined sewer overflow point.

 Sanitary sewer overflow point means a point, other than a final discharge point or a combined sewer overflow point, of a wastewater system via which excess wastewater may be deposited in water or a place and beyond which its owner or operator no longer exercises control over the quality of wastewater before it is deposited as effluent.

Point of entry, in relation to a sanitary sewer overflow point of a wastewater system, means:

a)     The point where effluent is deposited in water frequented by fish via the sanitary sewer overflow point; or

b)     Any point where the effluent enters that water from the place where it was deposited via the sanitary sewer overflow point.

Save the Identification Report

1.   After entering all the Discharge Points, verify all the information that you entered on the Identification Report and make any changes if deemed necessary.

2.   Save the Identification Report as follows:

a)     If you are logged on as a Regulatee role for the wastewater system, click on Save Identification Report at the bottom of the page to validate and save the report.

b)     Otherwise, if you are the Signing Authority, click on Save Identification Report and Approve at the bottom of the page to validate and save the report.  The system will then display the approval section.

Figure 8-9: Save Identification Report

8.5 Identification Report Approval

After the identification report is submitted, the Signing Authority needs to complete the Identification Report Approval section.

1.   To approve that the information provided in the identification report is accurate and complete, check the box and verify that it is your name that is displayed.

2.   Click the Approve Report button.

Figure 8-10: Approve Identification Report

3.   The system will confirm that the Identification Report is approved at top of page.

Figure 8-11: Approve Confirmation

8.6 How to End your ERRIS/SWIM Session

Please ensure to logout once you have completed your ERRIS session to prevent unauthorized access to ERRIS using your account.

To log out of ERRIS: 

1.   Click Logout from the ERRIS right-side of screen.

Figure 8-12: Select Logout

• The Logout screen is displayed.

2.   Depending on what screen you were on, you may need to click Logout a second time to exit completely. 

Figure 8-13: Confirm Logout

• The Environment Canada's Single Window Welcome page is displayed.