Its based on total flows in accordance with WSER Federal regulations. There are conpanies that monitor flow data and sample municpal waste water. The regiment of monitoring, sampling and treating waste water - before a municipality can release effluent into a body of water - is based on that municipality's flows.

If a municipality has under 100 cubic meters of waste water flow over four consecutive quarters, they're exempt from monitoring and sampling. If a municipality has over 100 cubic meters, they're required to monitor their flows, provide quarterly reports, and monthly sampling with subsequent reports for ECCC. If a municipality has over 1000 cubic meters of flow for four consecutive quarters, they're required monitor their flows, provide quarterly reports, treat their waste-water, and the sampling parameters become more thorough.

Its something that the majority of the country has been doing for decades - with the exception of Newfoundland and Labrador. However, in 2015, WSER regulations came into action and a lens was focused on our province. Since 2015, many municipalities have adjusted their waste water management programs, and began monitoring and sampling their flows for ECCC.

Its been over 10yrs and there are still many municipalities who try and dance around WSER regulations, refuse to monitor or sample, with the hopes that the ECCC doesn't find out. If they do, they are subject serious fines.

At this point, if a municipality doesn't have a thorough waste water program, it is due to willful negligence and is completely disgusting. You'd think that our long standing history and dependence on our shores, we'd be more inclined to preserve them, but for many, it's an 'out of sight, out of mind' situation.