Both the Port Townsend Paper Corp. mill and Nippon Paper Industries USA Co. in Port Angeles were assessed $4,000 in penalties for violating their permits during the past six months.
The state Department of Ecology announced the fines — levied in April against the Port Townsend mill and in February against the Nippon mill — last week when it issued a summary of penalties issued throughout the state during the first six months of the year.
The penalties were assessed for permit violations that occurred in fall 2010.
Both paper mills have paid the fines.
First in eight years
Nippon’s penalty was “our first fine in eight years,” said Paul Perlwitz, the environmental manger for the mill on Marine Drive, on Friday.
Nippon was fined $4,000 on Feb. 14 for “samples that exceeded biochemical oxygen demand, which can deplete oxygen levels in the receiving waters,” Ecology said.
That means the mill discharged waste water with oxygen-consuming bacteria above permitted levels into the Strait of Juan de Fuca, Perlwitz said.
Biochemical oxygen demand — or BOD — is a measure of how much oxygen is consumed by microorganisms in response to substances in the wastewater.
Too much biochemical oxygen demand depletes oxygen in the water, and this can harm fish and other aquatic life.
Nippon’s discharge line goes outside Port Angeles Harbor into the Strait, Perlwitz said.
An equipment malfunction in October led to the plant “discharging more material to the wastewater treatment plant than we normally do,” Perlwitz said.
Nippon reported the event immediately, as well as in its monthly report to Ecology, he said.
He said usually the mill operates at 20 percent to 25 percent of its permit limit, “so typically, we are 75 percent below our permit limit.”
Port Townsend
The Port Townsend mill was fined April 18 for nitrogen oxides emissions from power boiler 10 that exceeded the mill’s permitted maximum on four occasions in 2010.
The occasions were Oct. 18, two separate time periods Dec. 2 and on Dec. 6, said Kim Schmanke, Ecology spokeswoman.
“There were four exceedances in late 2010 that violated the company’s air operating permit,” she said.
The mill issues monthly reports to Ecology, which evaluates the emissions against the maximum the mill is allowed to emit.
Chuck Madison, vice president of human resources at the Port Townsend mill, said he had no comment in compliance with the company’s policy of making no statements to the media.
Ecology issued $519,957 in penalties of $1,000 or more in the first six months of 2011.
To see the penalties issued in the first quarter of the year, visit http://tinyurl.com/3uo2x9p.
To see those issued in the second quarter, visit http://tinyurl.com/3zygq3q.
Ecology issues individual statements only for penalties of $10,000 or greater.
Ecology uses money from penalties for environmental restoration and enhancement projects, research and development, permitting and regulatory programs, and education and assistance, the agency said.
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Managing Editor/News Leah Leach can be reached at 360-417-3531 or leah.leach@peninsuladailynews.com.
