Canton paper mill environmental report released: Findings offer few surprises
The sampling was performed at various locations around the mill property and along the Pigeon River. File photo
Almost a year after its internal publication, the North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality has made public a report detailing the results of comprehensive ground and surface water sampling required at and around the site on which the now shut-down Pactiv Evergreen papermill sits.
In the months since the mill announced its shutdown in March 2023, there has been increased opportunity to identify potential environmental issues, and the EPA has stepped in to help address a couple of specific problems, and now the results of the comprehensive sampling provide the clearest environmental picture yet.
The 1,164-page report is dated Jan. 31, 2024, but was only made public last week when it was published online following a request for the report submitted by The Smoky Mountain News back in May. The sampling that yielded the results was performed by EnSafe, a contractor hired by Pactiv Evergreen and approved by the EPA. EnSafe also produced the report. The sampling was conducted over September and October 2023.
The results are extensive, and the broad takeaway is that, while there were certain parameters that exceeded the standard, these were expected and tied to known issues following the mill closure.
This sampling followed work conducted by Pactiv Evergreen and contractors to remedy two problems as mandated by an administrative order of consent with the EPA. The AOC addresses the seeps of No. 6 fuel oil and black liquor impacting the Pigeon River.
The black liquor seep has been a long-known issue that was first reported to NCDEQ in in 1994. Black liquor is a byproduct from the production of paper. According to the AOC, prior to the shutdown, the mill hardwood fiberline produced up to 820 tons of paper per day, the softwood fiberline produced up to 640 tons of paper per day, which created a substantial amount of black liquor.
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No. 6 fuel oil was stored onsite and used to heat boilers and kilns as part of the paper-making process and as an energy source for mill operations. The fuel oil was kept in two massive above-ground tanks and was used until the mill shut down. After the shutdown, officials were able to identify a large leak from the bottom of one tank.
In addition, over the last couple of years, Pactiv Evergreen received notices of violation for several items, including discharge toxicity and high fecal coliform concentrations. Fecal coliform is a group of bacteria that includes disease-causing species such as E.coli. However, changes in sampling requirements based on new conditions following the shutdown allowed Pactiv to avoid further violations, and the report doesn’t address those metrics.
In its introduction, the report includes a few key takeaways.
“Groundwater, seep, and surface water contaminants of potential concern have been resolved, and future monitoring (scope to be determined when applicable) can focus on the known contaminants of concern (COCs) in groundwater and seeps; no COCs were identified in surface water and toxicity testing indicates no adverse ecological impacts to the Pigeon River,” the report reads. The report notes that historical thinking regarding COCs in groundwater has been “disproved.”
“Dioxins and furans typically related to pulp/paper mills are not a concern in site groundwater; and volatile organic compounds and semi-volatile organic compounds are not prevalent in site groundwater and only a few of each are considered COCs,” the report reads.
The report dives into specific results, beginning with pH and color tests; an elevated pH and color measurement can be indicative of the presence of black liquor in groundwater. As expected, those measurements exceeded the prescribed values at some testing sites.
In addition, the report contains information on the presence of several metals that are indicative of black liquor. Some also come from other papermaking processes, and the report claims that some are likely representative of “natural aquifer.” Metals including higher-than-normal amounts detected include chromium, cobalt, arsenic and lead. This mirrors what had been reported prior to the comprehensive sampling.
Also as expected, testing detected the presence of anions — chlorides and sulfates — that had been reported in prior tests and are known to occur in black liquor.
In addition to those results from groundwater tests, the report provides surface water test results taken from nine spots along the Pigeon River. In some spots, analyses noted that there were exceedances for copper, zinc and lead.
While PFAS analysis wasn’t required, Pactiv Evergreen, NCDEQ and the EPA agreed to sample a few locations that were mutually agreed upon. PFAS are chemicals found in many products consumers encounter on a daily basis. Research has shown that exposure to PFAS may lead to adverse health effects, including certain cancers. It has become known as the “forever chemical” due to the fact that it takes so long to break down. While the papermaking process at the Canton mill was not associated with PFAS chemicals, the aim of the analysis was to establish a baseline for the future.
“A few groundwater samples exceeded the U.S. EPA’s proposed MCLs for PFOS and PFOA including the upgradient location considered representative of background conditions,” the report reads. “PFAS detections in groundwater at the Former Canton Mill are low levels similar to results NCDEQ observed for more than half of the drinking water plant taps across North Carolina that were sampled in 2022.”
Ultimately, it was determined that where PFAS was found, its presence was likely not tied to any part of the papermaking process.
The overall conclusion of the report is that the groundwater, seep and surface water COCs have been “resolved” and that future monitoring can focus on the known COCs that were identified during the comprehensive sampling. Because the groundwater beneath the site is not used for potable water and no private potable wells are located within a half-mile of the site, There is no immediate action required.
“Surface water data and toxicity testing demonstrate that the black liquor seeps have not degraded the Pigeon River water quality, and results meet NCDEQ’s Surface Water Quality Standards,” the report reads.
“Results presented… show some PFAS detections in groundwater and surface water. There are no U.S. EPA or NCDEQ regulatory criteria or requirements for PFAS assessment or remediation at this time,” the report later notes.
Following the internal release of the report almost a year ago, work was scheduled to continue on the action items required by the AOC, especially those to address the black liquor seep; however, it isn’t known at this time how those efforts have progressed.
