What to Do When You Receive a Permit Update Notice for Atmospheric Emissions or Industrial Wastewater Discharges from the City of Montréal

You have just received a notice from the City of Montréal asking you to update your atmospheric emissions permits or your industrial wastewater discharge permit!

This is no surprise: the City is currently asking many businesses on its territory whose permits date back several years to submit new permit applications that reflect their current production.

The City may also issue this request if it is aware of changes that should have triggered a new permit application, or if it has received complaints from residents about atmospheric emissions or industrial wastewater discharges deemed non-compliant.

What to do when you receive a permit update request from the City of Montréal

The first thing to do when you receive such a notice is to contact the City representative who signed it to discuss the reasons behind it. This will help you better understand the purpose of the requested update and prepare your permit application accordingly.

During this conversation, it is also a good idea to let the City know that you wish to obtain all the documents it holds regarding previous permit applications submitted by your company.

To release this information, the City generally requires a letter signed by your company’s authorized representative approving the exchange of information.

How to apply for a wastewater discharge permit from the City of Montréal

The industrial wastewater discharge permit application must be completed using this form provided by the City of Montréal.

Completing the form requires compiling a range of data, such as:

• Production information, including a description of production processes and equipment, along with a process flow diagram with a mass balance and a plant layout plan.
• Water supply information for the various needs of your operations: cooling, washing, processing, heating, sanitary use, fire protection, etc.
• Data on the plant’s various water discharges, including estimated maximum annual flows, a water flow diagram, a plan of the plant’s sewer networks and a characterization of discharges to the sewer (sampling and analysis).
• Information on the storage of inputs, fuels and finished products, on the management of residual materials generated, and on methods for preventing accidental spills.

Submitting such an application therefore involves preparing a permit application made up of several documents. Since the form offers limited space, it is recommended to fill in only the relevant sections and refer to attached appendices.

For example, the process description and the tables of inputs, finished products and residual materials can be presented in an appendix submitted with the permit application.

To learn more about the Communauté métropolitaine de Montréal By-law 2008-47 on wastewater treatment, read the article on the Avizo Experts-Conseils blog.

Request a quote from Avizo Experts-Conseils’ industrial wastewater management specialists for assistance with your City of Montréal wastewater discharge permit applications.

How to apply for an atmospheric emissions permit from the City of Montréal

This page on the City of Montréal website lists the information the City requires for an atmospheric emissions permit application.

An atmospheric emissions permit application requires not only a qualitative description of emission sources, but also a quantitative estimate of contaminant emissions to the atmosphere.

If no stack sampling has been carried out, the City generally accepts theoretical calculations of contaminant emissions based on recognized reference sources, such as the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) AP-42, or sampling data from similar sources. The estimated emission rates are used to confirm that the plant’s emissions comply with the ambient air concentration limits set out in Table 3.01 of the CMM By-law 2001-10 on atmospheric discharges. The City of Montréal provides a tool for calculating these concentrations based on the inputs required by formulas 3.01, 3.02 and 3.04 of the same by-law.

The permit application must also include the relevant completed forms for the use or installation of air treatment equipment. These forms are available on the web page mentioned above.

A tip to save time and money

Since much of the information required for the industrial wastewater discharge permit and the atmospheric emissions permit is the same, it usually makes sense to submit both applications at the same time. You can then include the requested information as appendices to both applications.

For example, the description of activities, processes and equipment is required in both permit applications, so this information can be provided in a single appendix attached to both.

Request a quote from Avizo Experts-Conseils’ atmospheric emissions specialists for assistance with your City of Montréal atmospheric emissions permit applications.

Avizo Experts-Conseils can help with your City of Montréal permit updates

Avizo Experts-Conseils’ environmental professionals are experienced in preparing permit applications for the City of Montréal. They can help you prepare these applications and, if needed, carry out the water and air sampling required to meet the City’s expectations.

If your discharges exceed regulatory limits, our specialists can propose tailored solutions that respect your operational constraints.

Feel free to contact us by email or by phone at 1 800 563-2005.