Hello Hive! Since tomorrow is Earth Day, we would like to remind everyone that WATER IS LIFE!!! No living organism on the planet can survive without it, and yet despite our advances in science and scientific understanding of this precious resource, we still collectively make choices to destroy clean water at a rate that is staggering. Here at CWEET we take our role as water protectors seriously, because we know every living thing in our little corner of Appalachia depends on it.
Here at CWEET we have been very focused the last few months on the upcoming wastewater permit renewal for Blue Ridge Paper in Canton, NC, just upstream of us on the Pigeon River. In an effort to get this info on our tiny local fight out to the global community, 
Let's talk a little bit about this paper mill. It was started in 1906 and over the past century it has caused environmental damage and detriment beyond belief to the Pigeon River, its ecosystems, and its human inhabitants through the waste that goes into the river. In fact, CWEET was founded through the efforts of river guides in Hartford, TN, who took up the fight in the beginning of the 2000's.
A lot has been done in that time. The mill is now owned by Evergreen Packaging, and the extensive collaboration of many different groups over several years led to finally forcing a legal settlement along with some serious improvements over where it was before. CWEET has continued to be a watchdog, advocate for the river, monitor the ecosystem and it's health, and work to raise public awareness as well as support for demanding that the mill works to continue to improve for the sake of our river, our ecosystems, and all the humans who live, work, and play in this area.
Hartford, Tennessee is one of the premier places in the US to come whitewater rafting, and this area is lush with national forests, the national park, the Appalachian Trail, and a broad expanse of natural lands/resources. Yet the attitude of the mill and it's supporters is still focused on the single bottom line of money and since the forced improvements and settlements, things have become stagnant and improvements are no more, simply holding a status quo from a decade ago that should not be considered an end point to environmental responsibility but rather one stepping stone.
BRP is the largest mill in Haywood County, NC and provides about 1000 jobs in the town of Canton where it's located, so the people of that county rely heavily on the money the mill brings in ~ but what is the true cost of those paychecks?
The purpose of the EPA's National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System
(NPDES) is to regulate the water quality in a manner consistent with the
Clean Water Act (CWA). The federal government has given the states the
ability to oversee the regulations. The state of North Carolina has
announced intent to issue NPDES Wastewater Discharge Permit
#NC0000272 with Proposed Removal of Color Variance for Blue Ridge
Paper in Canton, NC.
The renewal of NPDES Permit #NC0000272 with the removal of the color
variance must be denied and amended to better reflect the values of the
CWA. This permit should be offering greater protection of water quality to
show measured improvements in the wastewater pollution discharge.
There will be an online public hearing at 6pm on April 14, 2021.
(Information on how to register and submit comments on other side)
“Blue Ridge Paper Products Inc. has requested renewal of their National
Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) discharge permit
NC0000272 allowing discharge of industrial, stormwater, municipal and
landfill leachate wastewaters to waters of the state. This fact sheet
summarizes the rationale used to develop the limits and monitoring
conditions for the draft permit. North Carolina Division of Water Resources
(Division) also recommends renewal of the temperature variance and
deletion of the color variance.”
Before you submit your comments, there's a few things you should be
aware of.
Did you know that the permit allows Blue Ridge Paper to simply collect
and monitor their own data such as conductivity, temperature, and
dissolved oxygen?
Did you know that the draft permit allows for more toxic pollution to the
Pigeon River?
In addition, Blue Ridge Paper submitted the latest Balanced and Indigenous
Species Study on the Pigeon River in 2012.
Did you know that the regulations they adhere to for pollutants, discharge,
and more, are from standards set primarily in the 1980's and 1990's?
Did you know that chloroform is dangerous?
Did you know that the effluent levels have not been lowered since the 2010
permit?
Please help us to save our beloved Pigeon River by demanding regulations
and permits are consistent with the Clean Water Act, that monitoring and
data collection be performed by an independent body from Blue Ridge
Paper, and that the color variance continue to be required.
You can email or mail in comments until April 30, 2021 to the following:
(please be sure to include Blue Ridge Paper Products, NC #0000272 in the
email subject line): publiccomments@ncdenr.gov
Since Hartford, TN has such a booming whitewater rafting industry in the season, this is something that affects much more than the public in TN and NC. We get tourists from around the world.
One more thing ~ If ANY of you have any ties to the public in NEW ZEALAND, Evergreen Packaging is owned by Graeme Hart, the richest person in NZ, so please share this story there. I am confident that if this mill was located in Mr. Hart's home country, Evergreen Packaging would not be able to operate in the manner they find so easy in other countries such as the US where environmental accountability is often overlooked for the dollar. While the paper industry may be commending Evergreen for their "sustainable" practices (they are one of, or THE largest paper producer in the world), the rest of us know the truth.
Please take time to email a public comment before April 30th. This would be a great Earth Day activity that will only take a few minutes of your time!
Here's some links to explore if you would like to know more:
https://www.wvlt.tv/2021/01/14/could-water-be-impacted-in-east-tennessee-due-to-paper-plant-permit/
https://files.nc.gov/ncdeq/Variance%20Notification%20of%20Public%20Hearing.docx