PlaceDossier / Questions

Is there a landfill, sewage plant or other permitted discharge near my property in BC?

Sewage plants, landfills, sawmills, fuel depots, wrecking yards, concrete plants and composting sites need the Province's authorization to discharge waste to the air, water or land. A report lists those within 2 km of the lot line, nearest first, with what each may discharge, and flags one whose point is on the lot.

The Province lists 3,874 active waste discharge authorizations with a position, its file of 2026-07-22; we place 3,785 in 302 places. The commonest kinds are sewage treatment or discharge (855), vehicle dismantling and recycling yard (294) and fuel storage or distribution site (251); 890 may discharge to air, 1,440 effluent and 474 refuse. A report measures any BC lot against all of them. The places, by name.

The report opens at this answer, with the lot drawn on the map and every other check alongside. A PID (on the tax notice or title) always finds the lot; an address works when it's an exact match.

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What the answer means

What an authorization is
A business or public body may release waste into the air, water or land only as an authorization or a regulation allows (Environmental Management Act s. 6). The Province issues permits, which set what may be discharged, how much and how it's monitored (s. 14), short approvals of up to 15 months (s. 15), and operational certificates for sewage plants and landfills under a regional waste management plan (s. 28). Smaller, common operations (fuel storage, vehicle recycling, concrete and asphalt plants, composting, smaller sewage systems) register under a regulation or a code of practice (s. 22) that sets the rules instead.
What the list shows
Permitted discharges are from the Province's list of active waste discharge authorizations under the Environmental Management Act: permits, approvals and operational certificates, and sites registered under its regulations and codes of practice (sewage, fuel storage, vehicle recycling, concrete, asphalt, composting and others). Each is one point the Province gives for the site, which can be a plant's office or an outfall rather than the ground worked; distances are measured by us from the lot line to that point. Metro Vancouver issues its own air quality permits, which aren't on this list, and the Province's Site Registry of contaminated sites charges for searches and isn't shown here.
What it doesn't say
The list says what a site may discharge, not what it releases or how often: it holds no readings, and no record of complaints or compliance. Each site is one point, and some points are given only to about a kilometre, so a site can sit some way from where it's mapped.
Within 500 m
The nearest site within 500 m of the lot line that may discharge to air, or effluent or refuse to water or land, is named in the report's headline: close enough to ask about smell, dust, noise and trucks. It isn't flagged, as an authorization means the discharge is allowed on conditions.
Metro Vancouver's air permits
Metro Vancouver issues its own permits for discharges to air in its region (Environmental Management Act s. 31), and those aren't on the Province's list, so this list misses them.
Who to ask
An authorization sets what may be discharged, how much and on what conditions; it doesn't mean the site is out of compliance. The Province's Authorization Management System search shows each authorization's documents by its number. Odour, dust and noise are often for the local government too: ask the regional district or city, and the Province's environmental protection office about the authorization.

Our summary of the Environmental Management Act, ss. 6, 14, 15, 22, 28 and 31, read on BC Laws 2026-10-11. A listed site is one the Province has authorized, not one found to pollute. Confirm with the regional district or city, the Province's environmental protection office and the site's operator before you buy or build.

Source: Waste Discharge Authorizations – All Authorizations, Province of BC (file of 2026-07-22) (Open Government Licence – British Columbia); Environmental Management Act, SBC 2003, c. 53, ss. 6, 14, 15, 22, 28, 31 (summarised in our words, read 2026-10-11); Authorization Management System public search, Province of BC (linked for the authorization's documents, read 2026-10-11).

By place

The active waste discharge authorizations on the Province's list in 302 places, counted by kind and by what each may discharge: to air, effluent (liquid waste to water or land), refuse (solid waste to land) or hazardous waste. One authorization can allow more than one, and registrations often name none.

PlaceActiveWhat they areMay discharge
100 Mile House13sewage treatment or discharge (3); vehicle dismantling and recycling yard (3); fuel storage or distribution site (2); concrete plant (1); 4 other kinds (4)air 2; effluent 5; refuse 2; none given 4
Abbotsford156farm operation (44); vehicle dismantling and recycling yard (20); composting site (18); soil amendment (biosolids or other wastes spread on land) (16); 21 other kinds (58)air 28; effluent 17; refuse 2; hazardous waste 2; none given 110
Alberni-Clayoquot, Electoral Area A21sewage treatment or discharge (14); sawmill or other primary wood processing (5); fish processing plant (1); land-based fish farm (1)air 4; effluent 15; refuse 5; none given 1
Alberni-Clayoquot, Electoral Area C19sawmill or other primary wood processing (7); sewage treatment or discharge (6); concrete plant (2); composting site (1); 3 other kinds (3)air 5; effluent 7; refuse 8; none given 4
Alberni-Clayoquot, Electoral Area D6sewage treatment or discharge (3); land-based fish farm (2); landfill, transfer station or other solid waste site (1)effluent 3; refuse 1; none given 2
Alberni-Clayoquot, Electoral Area E1sewage treatment or discharge (1)effluent 1
Alberni-Clayoquot, Electoral Area F11pulp mill (2); vehicle dismantling and recycling yard (2); asphalt plant (1); composting site (1); 5 other kinds (5)air 3; effluent 1; refuse 2; none given 5
Anmore2sewage treatment or discharge (2)effluent 2
Metro Vancouver's own air permits not included
Armstrong3dairy plant (1); poultry processing plant (1); secondary wood processing (1)air 1; effluent 2
Ashcroft2fuel storage or distribution site (1); sewage treatment or discharge (1)effluent 1; none given 1
Barriere5sewage treatment or discharge (4); vehicle dismantling and recycling yard (1)effluent 4; none given 1
Belcarra2sewage treatment or discharge (2)effluent 2
Metro Vancouver's own air permits not included
Bowen Island3sewage treatment or discharge (2); land-based fish farm (1)effluent 2; none given 1
Metro Vancouver's own air permits not included
Bulkley-Nechako, Electoral Area A13soil amendment (biosolids or other wastes spread on land) (6); sewage treatment or discharge (3); landfill, transfer station or other solid waste site (2); pipeline facility (1); 1 other kind (1)air 2; effluent 4; refuse 1; none given 8
Bulkley-Nechako, Electoral Area B14sewage treatment or discharge (4); mine (2); sawmill or other primary wood processing (2); secondary wood processing (2); 4 other kinds (4)air 5; effluent 6; refuse 3; none given 2
Bulkley-Nechako, Electoral Area C30sawmill or other primary wood processing (8); soil amendment (biosolids or other wastes spread on land) (7); landfill, transfer station or other solid waste site (5); mine (4); 4 other kinds (6)air 6; effluent 10; refuse 7; none given 13
Bulkley-Nechako, Electoral Area D10mine (4); sewage treatment or discharge (2); fuel storage or distribution site (1); landfill, transfer station or other solid waste site (1); 2 other kinds (2)air 3; effluent 4; refuse 1; none given 3
Bulkley-Nechako, Electoral Area E8mine (3); sewage treatment or discharge (2); fuel storage or distribution site (1); landfill, transfer station or other solid waste site (1); 1 other kind (1)air 3; effluent 3; refuse 2; none given 1
Bulkley-Nechako, Electoral Area F21soil amendment (biosolids or other wastes spread on land) (10); fuel storage or distribution site (2); sawmill or other primary wood processing (2); sewage treatment or discharge (2); 5 other kinds (5)air 3; effluent 5; refuse 3; none given 14
Bulkley-Nechako, Electoral Area G9sewage treatment or discharge (3); landfill, transfer station or other solid waste site (2); concrete plant (1); fuel storage or distribution site (1); 2 other kinds (2)air 2; effluent 5; refuse 2; none given 2
Burnaby26vehicle dismantling and recycling yard (8); fuel storage or distribution site (7); hazardous waste storage or treatment (5); pipeline facility (2); 4 other kinds (4)air 1; effluent 6; hazardous waste 1; none given 18
Metro Vancouver's own air permits not included
Burns Lake2provincial government site (1); sawmill or other primary wood processing (1)air 1; effluent 1
Cache Creek6concrete plant (2); landfill, transfer station or other solid waste site (2); sewage treatment or discharge (2)air 1; effluent 2; refuse 2; none given 1
Campbell River30fuel storage or distribution site (6); landfill, transfer station or other solid waste site (4); composting site (3); concrete plant (3); 8 other kinds (14)air 5; effluent 7; refuse 6; hazardous waste 4; none given 11
Canal Flats1sewage treatment or discharge (1)effluent 1; refuse 1
Cariboo, Electoral Area A6soil amendment (biosolids or other wastes spread on land) (3); hazardous waste storage or treatment (1); secondary wood processing (1); slaughterhouse (1)air 1; effluent 1; hazardous waste 1; none given 3
Cariboo, Electoral Area B6sewage treatment or discharge (2); landfill, transfer station or other solid waste site (1); sawmill or other primary wood processing (1); secondary wood processing (1); 1 other kind (1)air 1; effluent 3; refuse 2
Cariboo, Electoral Area C7fuel storage or distribution site (2); mine (2); sawmill or other primary wood processing (2); wood-waste landfill (1)air 2; effluent 2; refuse 2; none given 1
Cariboo, Electoral Area D21soil amendment (biosolids or other wastes spread on land) (11); mine (3); sewage treatment or discharge (3); commercial waste site (1); 3 other kinds (3)air 4; effluent 5; refuse 3; none given 11
Cariboo, Electoral Area E5sewage treatment or discharge (3); sawmill or other primary wood processing (1); wood-waste landfill (1)air 2; effluent 3; refuse 1
Cariboo, Electoral Area F25soil amendment (biosolids or other wastes spread on land) (8); mine (6); landfill, transfer station or other solid waste site (3); fuel storage or distribution site (2); 4 other kinds (6)air 5; effluent 6; refuse 5; none given 12
Cariboo, Electoral Area G5sewage treatment or discharge (3); concrete plant (1); vehicle dismantling and recycling yard (1)effluent 3; none given 2

Showing the first 32 of 302 places. Show all 302, or find yours above.

From the Province's Waste Discharge Authorizations – All Authorizations, its file of 2026-07-22, placed by us in each place's boundary 2026-10-11. 89 of the 3,874 authorizations with a position lie on land without a place page here, reserves among them, and aren't listed. 194 are given only to about a kilometre, so one near a boundary may belong to the place next door. Authorizations without a position on the list aren't counted.

See also contaminated sites, major projects and pipelines.

Buying rural land? Before you buy rural land in BC: the nine questions that decide an offer, on one printable page.