Alberta's New Remediation Requirements In Effect On May 1, 2016

On February 2, 2016, the Government of Alberta released its revised soil and groundwater remediation guidelines. The Alberta Tier 1 Soil and Groundwater Remediation Guidelines (the "Tier 1 Guidelines") list generic soil and groundwater standards that proponents must meet in order to obtain remediation certificates and reclamation certificates. The Alberta Tier 2 Soil and Groundwater Remediation Guidelines (the "Tier 2 Guidelines") allow for a site-specific approach by modifying the Tier 1 Guidelines and/or exposure pathways that are not relevant to the site.

The revised Tier 1 Guidelines introduce more stringent standards for ethylbenzene and xylenes (commonly associated with motive fuels) and for tetrachloroethylene (often associated with dry cleaning operations).