Rumford mill inadvertently discharged pulp fiber into Androscoggin River
Catalyst Paper mill in Rumford accidentally discharged about 15,600 gallons of hot water and pulp fiber into the Androscoggin River on Thursday afternoon.
The Sun Journal reported that mill spokesman Tony Lyons said the discharge occurred when a meter that measures water clarity malfunctioned and allowed water to be released into the river when it should have remained within the mill's treatment facilities. The water released is the same type of cooling water that is typically discharged into the river, but in this case, it contained paper fiber, Lyons told the Sun Journal.
The spokesman for the Maine Department of Environmental Protection told the Portland Press Herald that it appeared the incident didn’t require a response from DEP to be onsite, but it would continue to monitor the situation. Lyons said the department determined the spill was "non-emergency" in nature.
Catalyst Paper Corp., based in British Columbia, bought the Rumford mill in January. It owns five paper and pulp mills in North America and a distribution facility near Canada’s Pacific coast. The Rumford mill makes coated paper used in magazines and food and beverage packaging, and employs about 800 people.
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