Paper Mill on the Pigeon River
Defending North Carolina’s Fish and Waterways
Groups Reach Agreement in Canton Paper Mill Controversy
Establishing stricter limits on the temperature of the wastewater discharged into the Pigeon River from the paper mill in Canton, North Carolina, has enabled five conservation and river advocacy groups and downriver Cocke County, Tennessee, to reach an agreement with mill owner Blue Ridge Paper Products and the North Carolina state agency that issued the mill’s permit to discharge into the river. Read more in the press release.
Case Summary
SELC seeks to overturn a state wastewater permit granted to a paper mill in Canton, North Carolina, that imperils fish and water quality in the Pigeon River, which flows from the mountains of North Carolina into Tennessee and is a major draw for recreational fishing, white water rafting, and related tourism.
Dead in the Water
In the past, temperature fluctuations caused by water discharges from the Blue Ridge Paper Company’s mill have caused severe fish kills, claiming 8,000 fish in one day alone in 2007. When reissuing this permit, the state failed to set daily temperature limits, although cost-effective technologies are available that would significantly reduce fish kills and discoloration in the river (another problem with the plant’s discharges). On July 23, 2010, SELC filed its challenge in the North Carolina Office of Administrative Hearings in Raleigh. By allowing excessive pollution discharges in the Pigeon River, the state endangered not only water quality, but also downstream enterprises that rely on the health of this waterway.