New Brunswick: Province to Ban Disposal Of Wastewater From Hydraulic Fracturing In Municipal Infrastructure

The provincial government will introduce legislative amendments that will ban the disposal of wastewater from hydraulic fracturing in municipal wastewater infrastructure.

 

Once amended, the Clean Environment Act will prohibit the discharge of wastewater from hydraulic fracturing into wastewater treatment systems owned or operated by a municipality, a regional municipality, a rural community, a wastewater commission or the provincial government. The amendment will also ensure that wastewater from hydraulic fracturing in other jurisdictions is not imported into New Brunswick for disposal.

 

The use of municipal sewage treatment plants to treat wastewater from hydraulic fracturing is no longer standard industry practice. The trend is to require industry to dispose of this wastewater without using public infrastructure.