Water Quality

We continually work to improve water quality, in particular by reducing biodegradable organic materials in wastewater. When left untreated, biodegradable organic materials can contribute to low dissolved oxygen levels in receiving waters, which may harm some aquatic organisms. High levels of untreated solids, measured as total suspended solids, can reduce river clarity, inhibit photosynthesis, and damage fish and aquatic insect sediment habitat. All sites closely monitor their wastewater discharge to meet regulatory requirements, for efficient process operations and to reduce their impact on the environment.

One of our 2020 sustainability goals is to reduce discharged water pollutants by 10 percent per ton of production. We use biochemical oxygen demand (BOD) test results to track our progress, that metric tracks continuous manufacturing process improvements, is quantitatively associated with other regulated pollutants (e.g., total suspended solids), and is most relevant to potential receiving environment impacts. In 2011, we reduced BOD by 33 percent across our cellulose fibers and wood products businesses compared to 2010.

All of our cellulose fibers mills have wastewater discharge permits that contain stringent limitations on wastewater discharge quality and monitoring requirements for physical, chemical, and biological measures of water quality. These mills have primary treatment for solids removal, followed by high efficiency biological treatment to remove biodegradable organics and for additional solids removal. Mills use additional approaches to meet sensitive seasonal water quality needs: one facility uses constructed wetlands for additional biodegradable organics and solids removal; two facilities use treated wastewater holding ponds; and another facility injects high purity oxygen into treated wastewater. We also conduct instream biological studies to look for potential effects on biological populations and periodic bioassays to assure absence of potential aquatic toxicity in receiving waters. Additionally, we have participated in river basin and regional compacts to address our contribution to multi-user receiving waters to insure water quality standards are met.

We also work to protect water quality in areas where we grow and manage timber. We grade and maintain roads so runoff is channeled to the forest floor, keeping silt away from streams. We build culverts and bridges to allow fish passage, and we seed exposed road banks with grasses to prevent erosion.

CELLULOSE FIBERS¹ — WATER-QUALITY MEASURES
Estimated discharge² of selected pollutants in pounds per ton of production
	2007	2008	2009	2010³	2011
Biochemical oxygen demand	1.98	1.82	2.27	2.23	1.59
Total suspended solids	2.71	2.84	2.95	3.98	2.81

Data reflects performance of our current portfolio of cellulose fibers mills. In March 2007, our fine paper business and related assets were combined with Domtar Inc. to create a new fine paper company, Domtar Corporation. In August 2008, we sold our containerboard, packaging and recycling business to International Paper. Operations involved in those transactions have been removed from historical data.
Treated wastewater.
Our Port Wentworth, Ga. mill treats the industrial wastewater from Imperial Sugar's Savannah Facility. In 2010, the Imperial Sugar Facility was restarted after an extended outage and had many startup issues which resulted in elevated BOD and TSS releases for the year.

WOOD PRODUCTS¹ — WATER-QUALITY MEASURES
Estimated discharge of selected pollutants in pounds per ton of production
	2007	2008	2009	2010	2011
Biochemical oxygen demand	0.03	0.04	0.03	0.05	0.04
Total suspended solids	0.01	0.01	0.01	0.01	0.01

Wood products facilities closed since 2006 have been removed from historical data, so that data reflects performance of our current operating portfolio. In March 2007, our fine paper business and related assets were combined with Domtar to create a new fine paper company, Domtar Corporation. Sawmills included in the Domtar transaction or other sales transactions have been removed from historical data.

Sustainability in Action

Improving fish habitat and water quality at our rock quarries

Fish habitat and water quality go hand in hand at our rock quarries on the Oregon coast. Forestry Engineer, Jason Richardson, is working with his team to improve fish habitat along the Bridges Creek adjacent to our Koostone quarry treatment ponds and the Kentuck Creek at our Kenstone quarry treatment ponds.

By revitalizing and improving the stormwater treatment ponds, a best management practice that is designed to allow sediment in the quarry stormwater run-off to settle out and be retained on site, we found the double-win of making improvements to the receiving waters where the treatment ponds’ stormwater occasionally discharges. The activities involve the introduction of vegetation and log placement along the stream bank and treatment pond walls to create shade and protection for fish in each creek while still allowing access for us to maintain the treatment ponds.

The team applied for a grant through the Oregon Watershed Enhancement Board in 2011 and is expected to begin work in summer of 2013.

DISCHARGE OF ADSORBABLE ORGANIC HALIDES

Because we no longer use elemental chlorine for pulp and paper bleaching, our discharges of adsorbable organic halides have decreased by more than 95 percent between 1990 and 2011.

DISCHARGES OF ADSORBABLE ORGANIC HALIDES
Pounds of AOX discharged per ton of bleached production from our cellulose fibers mills²
	1990¹	2007	2008	2009	2010	2011
AOX	5.1	0.3	0.3	0.3	0.3	0.2

Base year is 1990.
Data reflects performance of our current portfolio of cellulose fibers mills. In March 2007, our fine paper business and related assets were combined with Domtar Inc. to create a new fine paper company, Domtar Corporation. In August 2008, we sold our containerboard, packaging and recycling business to International Paper. Operations involved in those transactions have been removed from historical data.

WASTEWATER DIOXINS

We eliminated the use of elemental chlorine to bleach and whiten pulp at all of our mills in the late 1990s. As a result, the concentration of dioxins—a byproduct of elemental chlorine—dropped to nondetectable levels in treated mill wastewater across company operations.

Today, our pulp is produced using advanced technologies such as extended pulping and oxygen delignification (removing lignin, a chemical that binds wood fibers together), that further reduce the amount of bleaching chemical used in the production process. These improvements have virtually eliminated dioxins from our wastewater while continuing to meet customer expectations for brightness in our paper products. Benchmarking research indicates that our mills using elemental chlorine free (ECF) processes are in the top-quartile of our industry peers in terms of the quantity of bleaching chemicals used.

Dioxin is also found in some of the residuals, such as boiler ash, from our mill operations and in some solids that are removed during restoration work on our wastewater-treatment systems. These solids are handled according to federal, state and provincial regulations.

Last updated June 20, 2012