Canton mill receives new water quality violation
Evergreen Packaging is no longer making paper in Canton, but it’s still receiving environmental violations. A new notice issued Thursday, Oct. 26, brings the mill to 17 since May 2021.
Paper mill logs new violation: Investigation continues into black liquor seep
The now-shuttered paper mill in Canton has received a new violation for exceeding permit limits on toxicity for water released from the plant, continuing a pattern established over the last two years of averaging more than one notice of violation every two months.
Paper mill logs new violation notice
Pactiv Evergreen has been issued its second notice of violation in less than a month, bringing its total since May 2021 up to 15 — more than one violation every two months, on average.
E. coli testing yields mixed results in Little Tennessee, Hiawassee watersheds
Halfway through the season for its weekly E. coli sampling program in Western North Carolina swimming holes, MountainTrue reported 11 sites in the Hiawassee and Little Tennessee river basins that passed all seven tests and six locations that failed all tests.
‘Hard to believe’: Downstream fish populations explode following mill closure
When the impending closure of Canton’s paper mill was announced in March, conservation professionals predicted a swift improvement in downstream water quality once papermaking stopped.
What’s left behind: Canton mill closure leaves complex environmental footprint
The paper mill has been closed for years now, but the cleanup is ongoing.
Water monitoring available for local swim holes
Make sure the water’s clean before taking a swim using the Swim Guide app, a resource offering a weekly update on E. coli levels in water recreation areas across the region.
Forest loss could harm water quality, study finds
A new study from researchers focusing on the forest-water connection in the Southern U.S. found that, over the coming decades, many forested watersheds could be lost to development, lowering water quality and raising water treatment costs.
Coalition nears fundraising goal for Ela Dam removal
A coalition working to remove the aged Ela Dam in Swain County has raised $8 million of an estimated $10 million needed to complete the project.
Evergreen logs nine environmental violations in 18 months
Sept. 27, 2021, was a day of constant phone calls and email notifications for Brendan Davey, regional supervisor at the N.C. Department of Environmental Quality office in Asheville.
