Contaminated Sites: Which Cleanup Standards?

More stringent cleanup standards for contaminated sites will come into effect July 1, 2011, under 2009 amendments to Regulation 153/04. Some property owners with ongoing cleanups may prefer to use the old numbers, i.e. the "March 9, 2004 Soil, Ground Water and Sediment Standards" ("2004 standards") to obtain a record of site condition after July 1, 2011. If they do, they must file a notice, which is now available.

Section 21.1 of the Regulation allows such owners to extend the use of the 2004 standards and certain associated provisions if the owner:

• meets the requirements of section 21.1;
• chooses to use the 2004 standards;
• submits a Record of Site Condition for filing after July 1, 2011 but before January 1, 2013.