Hartland Landfill is located within the Tod Creek watershed. Surface water flowing south from the landfill is directed to Killarney Lake and Prospect Lake, and ultimately discharges to Tod Creek. As well, surface water draining north from the landfill flows northeasterly through Heal Creek and Durrance Creek, discharging to Tod Creek and ultimately Tod Inlet.
Surface water diversion ditches are used to redirect clean runoff from the natural areas adjacent to the landfill, such as Mt Work, to minimize the amount of leachate that is generated within the landfill. Water that is diverted and existing drainage courses on the landfill property and downstream of the landfill are monitored to ensure that water quality is not being adversely affected by landfilling operations. The water quality data are compared to the BC Water Quality Guidelines for Freshwater Aquatic Life.