Fines for violators of a Regional District of Nanaimo sewage source control bylaw could soon be reduced.
In November, the regional district passed the bylaw, and an accompanying amendment to a municipal ticketing bylaw for the fines, but it has since learned the amounts are above a provincial limit of $1,000.
If regional district directors give final approval at an April 26 meeting, fines for illegal discharge of prohibited waste (i.e. flammable or explosive waste) will decrease to $1,000, from $2,500 and illegal discharge of restricted waste (i.e. acid, non-domestic food waste) will drop to $750, from $1,000.
Sean De Pol, regional district wastewater services manager, said it was due to an oversight.
“There was an error that was made in the original calculation,” said De Pol. “We identified fines that we're not legislated to impose.”
De Pol said whether something is considered illegal discharge is based on limits.
“There's limits of everything from nutrients to pH (levels) to levels of a variety of different contaminants, so it could be different metals, zinc, it could be hydrocarbons, but there's a certain level that their discharge can't exceed a certain limit,” said De Pol.
No one has been fined since the control bylaw was passed, De Pol said.