ASPHALTopics | Spring 2014 | VOL 27 | NO 1

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ENVIRONMENTAL ESSENTIALS by Corey Kinart Ministry releases new noise guildeline NPC-300 On October 21, 2013, the Ontario Ministry of the Environment (MOE) released its new noise criteria guideline, Publication NPC-300, “Environmental Noise Guideline – Stationary and Transportation Noise Sources – Approval and Planning.” The creation of NPC-300 was motivated by the need to eliminate or reduce conflicts between the now superseded guidelines NPC-205, NPC-232, LU-131 and “Noise Assessment Criteria in Land Use Planning: Requirements, Procedures and Implementation.” NPC-205 and NPC-232 contained the noise criteria that the MOE used when assessing noise from stationary sources such as industries and commercial establishments in the context of granting Environmental Compliance Approvals. NPC-300 effectively harmonizes the four superseded guidelines, and has been issued for the dual purpose of Environmental Approval of stationary sources by the MOE and land use approvals by municipal authorities. For the most part, the changes introduced by the promulgation of NPC-300 are not a significant departure from the previous guidelines and in several aspects are less stringent than before. The changes of most relevance to hot mix asphalt producers are outlined below. Evening limit in Class 1 areas In general, NPC-300 has resolved the conflicts in sound level limits among the various superseded guidelines by relaxing the more stringent limit in cases where the previous limits were at odds. One of the most blatant discrepancies was that the exclusion limit during evening hours (19:00 to 23:00) for sound from stationary sources in a Class 1 (Urban) Environment was stipulated as 47 dBA in NPC-205, but 50 dBA in LU-131. NPC-300 has adopted the less stringent limit of 50 dBA for stationary sources in a Class 1 Environment during evening hours. Need to consider vacant lands One important change which may make the assessment of stationary sources more stringent is the need to consider hypothetical, potential points of reception on vacant lands that might permit sound-sensitive land uses in future. In the past, the MOE had required that Acoustic Assessments consider hypothetical points of reception only on undeveloped residentially zoned lands. NPC-300 explicitly requires that Acoustic Assessments consider potential points of reception on vacant lands with any zoning designation that allows a sound sensitive use. This could include institutional zones which could conceivably host schools, hospitals or places of worship, agricultural zones which often allow one dwelling per parcel, commercial zones which typically allow daycare facilities, and open space which often allow camping facilities. This change means that there are likely to be hypothetical points of reception closer to many stationary sources than the existing bona-fide points of reception which 38 OHMPA | ASPHALTOPICS
will now need to be considered in future Acoustic Assessments, and may result in non-compliance with NPC-300. Places of worship Places of worship located on commercially or industrially zoned lands are no longer considered sound-sensitive points of reception in NPC-300, which represents a relaxation compared to the old guidelines. Inclusion of rail traffic in determining background sound In certain circumstances, NPC-300 allows sound from rail traffic to be included, in a limited manner, in the quantification of background sound, for the purposes of establishing the applicable sound level limits for stationary sources. This has the potential to relax the limits in some cases relative to the old guidelines, although there are special conditions restricting the cases in which the rail noise can be included. Exclusion of dwellings within the property of a stationary source The definition of noise sensitive land use in NPC-300 includes a provision stating “a land use that would normally be considered noise sensitive, such as a dwelling, but is located within the property boundaries of the stationary source is not considered a noise sensitive land use.” This applies to instances where a home, such as a caretaker’s or employee’s residence, is owned by an industry and located on the site of that industry. This provision does not preclude the need for self-impact assessment for onsite receptors at facilities such as schools and hospitals. Corey Kinart, P.Eng, is a senior engineer at HGC Engineering, a leading Canadian acoustical consulting engineering firm. He is a member of the OHMPA Environment Committee. HUTCHESON QUARRY Suppliers of Quality: Your Source for FC (Friction Course) Stone in Central Ontario, North of Barrie • SP FC 1 • SP FC 2 • Ottawa-type sand • HL 3 and HL 4 modifi ed LOCATED IN HUNTSVILLE (200 km. N of Metro Toronto, via Hwy 11/400) Serving Central Ontario Road Builders 1-800-461-5521 • wrhsand@hutchesonsand.com • 1-705-789-4457 Burner supplyburner installationburner combustion service burner control systemshot oil heater service PLC control systems for complete plant automationspare parts valve trainsT.S.S.A. Approvals Combustion Efficiency Test for Optimum Fuel Utilization Safety Audits24/7 Service "WE'RE IN BUSINESS WITH OUR CUSTOMERS" Head Office: (905) 547-5757Toll Free: 1-877-235-8387Fax: (905) 549-1848 www.blackhawkcombustion.com 589 Cannon Street East, Hamilton, ON L8L 2G6 *Jim Walton - President and General Manager jim@blackhawkcombustion.com Doug Whitelaw – Manager, Asphalt Division Doug@blackhawkcombustion.com www.blackhawkcombustion.com SPRING <strong>2014</strong> 39
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ASPHALTopics | Spring 2014 | VOL 27 | NO 1

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