The National Pollutant Release Inventory (NPRI), established in 1992, and launched in 1993, is the national
pollutant release and transfer register
A pollutant release and transfer register (PRTR) is a system for collecting and disseminating information about environmental releases and transfers of hazardous substances from industrial and other facilities.
PRTRs were established in several co ...
of Canada. This list of pollutants contains releases from a facility to the air, water, and land along with disposals at, or from a facility. Reported information is used in the creation of pollution management plans and to inform Canadians about their environment.
Facilities which meet reporting requirements are required to report to the NPRI under the
Canadian Environmental Protection Act, 1999
The ''Canadian Environmental Protection Act, 1999'' (''CEPA, 1999''; french: Loi canadienne sur la protection de l'environnement (1999)) is an act of the 36th Parliament of Canada, whose goal is to contribute to sustainable development through p ...
(CEPA 1999). Over 300 substances are listed on the NPRI, and over 8,000 facilities annually report information on their pollutant releases and transfers to
Environment and Climate Change Canada
Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC; french: Environnement et Changement climatique Canada),Environment and Climate Change Canada is the applied title under the Federal Identity Program; the legal title is Department of the Environment ...
.
NPRI data is available through an on-line Query search, downloadable
Microsoft Access
Microsoft Access is a database management system (DBMS) from Microsoft that combines the relational Access Database Engine (ACE) with a graphical user interface and software-development tools (not to be confused with the old Microsoft Access w ...
(mdb) format datasets, and downloadable map layers for use with
Google Earth
Google Earth is a computer program that renders a 3D computer graphics, 3D representation of Earth based primarily on satellite imagery. The program maps the Earth by superimposition, superimposing satellite images, aerial photography, and geog ...
(which were the first Google Earth map layers to be published by the Government of Canada).
Use of NPRI
The NPRI records information about:
* Releases from facilities to air, water and land
* Disposals at facilities and transfers to other locations for disposal
* Transfers to other locations for treatment or disposal and
* Facilities’ activities, location and contacts
All orders of government, companies and associations use NPRI data to track national environmental performance. The NPRI is also used to inform Canadians of the pollutants in their communities, identify environmental priorities and track progress in pollution prevention. Other uses include evaluating releases and transfers of any substances of concern, model air quality and implement policy initiatives. An overview of the NPRI is released annually and is known as the NPRI data highlights.
Data collected by the NPRI is accessible in a variety of ways including:
* Annual data highlights
* Annual summary report
* Online query tool
* Single year tables
* Five-year summaries
* Datasets for all years
Datasets for all years
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Data is provided in the language in which it was submitted, and updated at least once every year.
Requirements for Reporting to the NPRI
Reporting to the NPRI is mandatory under CEPA. Facility owners and operators may need to report if one or more of these conditions is met:
* The facility’s owners, operators and employees work more than 20,000 hours (about 10 full-time employees) per year
* The facility performs activities including, waste or sewage sludge incineration, wood preservation
Wood easily degrades without sufficient preservation. Apart from structural wood preservation measures, there are a number of different chemical preservatives and processes (also known as "timber treatment", "lumber treatment" or "pressure treat ...
, fuel terminal operations, municipal wastewater collection and/or treatment, pit or quarry operations, and operation of stationary combustion equipment (regardless of employee hours)
* The facility operates stationary combustion equipment that must report criteria air contaminants if the release thresholds are met (regardless of employee hours)
* The facility is a pipeline installation
Facility owners and operators report their substances by using the tools found on the on-line reporting software known as the Single Window reporting module. This software guides users through a comprehensive questionnaire in order to organize and set up their annual report.
References
External links
1. The Canadian Environmental Protection Act, 1999 and the National Pollutant Release Inventory
* ttps://ec.ss.ec.gc.ca/ 3. Single Windows
4. Data Highlights
* 5
{{Authority control
Pollutant release inventories and registers
Environment and Climate Change Canada
Environment of Canada
Pollution in Canada
1992 establishments in Canada