Site Setbacks
In Alberta, the Municipal Government Act (MGA; Section 17) outlines setback requirements between waste disposal sites, and other development.
The following rules currently apply to the ECCO landfill:
A subdivision application for a school, hospital, or residential use cannot be approved if the lot would result in a property line that is within 450 meters of the working area of an operating landfill or 300 meters of the disposal area of an operating or non-operating landfill.
A development permit for a school, hospital, or residence cannot be issued if the building site is within 450 meters of the working area of an operating landfill or is within 300 meters of the disposal area of an operational or non-operational landfill.
These setbacks provide a buffer between waste disposal facilities and other development to mitigate nuisances or in some cases, contaminant migration. The setbacks impact the type of development allowed near the ECCO Facility. In some cases, Alberta Environment and Protected Areas and The City of Calgary can collectively approve variances to the setback rules, provided the landowner can demonstrate nuisances and/or contamination is not an issue or can be mitigated effectively.
