ontario regulation 250/26

made under the

Ontario Water Resources Act

Made: July 16, 2026
Filed: July 27, 2026
Published on e-Laws: July 27, 2026
Published in The Ontario Gazette: August 15, 2026

Amending O. Reg. 525/98

(APPROVAL EXEMPTIONS)

1. (1) Paragraph 4 of subsection 2 (1) of Ontario Regulation 525/98 is amended by striking out “sewer” wherever it appears and substituting in each case “sanitary sewer or storm sewer”.

(2) Subsection 2 (1) of the Regulation is amended by adding the following paragraph:

5.  The use, operation, establishment, alteration, extension or replacement of or a change in a private sanitary sewer that serves up to five private residences, within the meaning of the Safe Drinking Water Act, 2002, and that discharges to a service connection.

2. Clause 3 (b) of the Regulation is revoked and the following substituted:

(b)  discharges into a conveyance ditch, municipal drain, conveyance swale or a storm sewer that is not a combined sewer;

3. The Regulation is amended by adding the following section:

Storm water management works, construction activities

3.1 Subsections 53 (1) and (3) of the Act do not apply to the use, operation, establishment, alteration, extension or replacement of or a change in a temporary storm water management works that is,

(a)  used, operated, altered or extended only for the purpose of erosion and sediment control during construction activities;

(b)  removed or decommissioned within 90 days after the construction activity ends; and

(c)  located at a site that is not directly associated with mines, mine development, mine reclamation, pits or quarries.

4. (1) Subsection 6 (1) of the Regulation is amended by striking out “in respect of a construction project” at the end.

(2) Paragraph 2 of subsection 6 (4) of the Regulation is revoked.

5. The Regulation is amended by adding the following sections:

Publicly owned sanitary sewage works

13. Subsections 53 (1) and (3) of the Act do not apply to a publicly owned sanitary sewage works designed for the partial treatment of sewage that is to drain or be discharged into a sanitary sewer.

Pumping facility and forcemain

14. Subsections 53 (1) and (3) of the Act do not apply to a pumping facility and forcemain that serves only one lot or parcel of land and that discharges to a service connection.

Splash pads, etc.

15. (1) Subsections 53 (1) and (3) of the Act do not apply to a splash pad, swimming pool, water fountain or water feature.

(2) This section does not apply to the use, operation, establishment, alteration, extension or replacement of or a change in a sewage works that is designed for the treatment of domestic sewage combined with the treatment of sewage from a splash pad, swimming pool, water fountain or water feature.

Sand filtration equipment

16. Subsections 53 (1) and (3) of the Act do not apply to sand filtration equipment that is used to filter water that is taken for use in a manufacturing or industrial operation if the water is discharged,

(a)  to a municipal sewer; or

(b)  as sanitary sewage to a sewage works,

(i)  that is subject to an environmental compliance approval, or

(ii)  in respect of which an activity has been registered for the purposes of subsection 20.21 (1) of the Environmental Protection Act.

Reuse, etc.

17. Subsections 53 (1) and (3) of the Act do not apply to a sewage works that is designed and operated so that,

(a)  subject to clause (b), all sewage is retained within the sewage works for reuse;

(b)  no sewage is directly or indirectly discharged from the sewage works other than to a waste management system,

(i)  that is subject to an environmental compliance approval, or

(ii)  in respect of which an activity has been registered for the purposes of subsection 20.21 (1) of the Environmental Protection Act; and

(c)  the sewage works does not retain, manage or handle domestic sewage.

Commencement

6. This Regulation comes into force on the later of September 1, 2026 and the day this Regulation is filed.