appendix i - government of nova scotia · process beginning at boat harbour regulations was...

Appendix I

Environmental Assessment Registration DocumentReplacement Effluent Treatment FacilityJanuary 2019

Engagement Materials

Appendix I1 – Public Engagement MaterialsAppendix I1 – A – Newspaper AdverƟsement of Open House SessionsAppendix I1 – B – Project Launch Materials at Open Houses and Engagement SessionsAppendix I2 – What We’ve Heard SummaryAppendix I3 – Record of Project WebsiteAppendix I4 – Stakeholder MeeƟng Minutes

Appendix I1


Public Engagement Materials

Appendix I1 – A


News Paper Advertisement of Open House Sessions

Northern Pulp Nova Scotia’s existing effl uent treatment system needs to

be replaced, as required by the Nova Scotia Boat Harbour Act. The detailed

design of the new effl uent treatment facility, including outfall design and

location, has yet to be fi nalized. This Environmental Assessment study will

provide input to the design and construction of the facility, through identi-

fying constraints and mitigation measures to achieve sound environmental

planning. Dillon Consulting Limited has been contracted by Northern Pulp

Nova Scotia to complete the Environmental Assessment.

Engagement is an important component of the study. There will be oppor-

tunities throughout the study to provide input and meet with the project

team. You are invited to the fi rst Open House. Our goal is share information

on the project, gather information on the existing conditions (natural and

socio-economic), and identify key areas of consideration. The Open House

will be a drop-in session format. It will be held at two locations, with the

same information presented at each:

Tuesday December 5, 2017

Glasgow Square

155 Riverside Parkway

New Glasgow

5:00 pm – 7:30 pm

Additional information on the project is available at

www.NorthernPulpEffl uentTreatmentFacility.ca

If you would like to be notifi ed directly of future project updates, please

contact us to be added to the notifi cation list.

CONTACT US

You can contact us at any time with your feedback, ideas, and questions

using any of the options below:

Kathy Cloutier

Communications DirectorPaper Excellence Canada

Northern Pulp Nova Scotia Corporation

P.O. Box 549, Station Main

New Glasgow, NS B2H 5E8

902-752-8461 ext.231

[email protected]

Annamarie Burgess, LPP, P.Eng

Project CoordinatorDillon Consulting Limited

137 Chain Lake Drive, Suite 100

Halifax, NS B3S 1B3

1-877-635-8553 x5050

npns.effl [email protected]

Wednesday December 6, 2017

Abercrombie Fire Hall

2030 Granton Abercrombie Road

Abercrombie

5:00 pm – 7:30 pm

NORTHERN PULP NOVA SCOTIA

ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENTREPLACEMENT OF EFFLUENT

TREATMENT FACILITY

Appendix I1 – B


Project Launch Materials Presented at Open Houses andEngagement Sessions

Repl

acem

ent o

f the

Efflu

ent T

reat

men

t Fac

ility

Nor

ther

n Pu

lp N

ova

Scot

ia M

ill

COM

MU

NIT

Y O

PEN

HO

USE

S –

DE

CEM

BER

2017

& JA

NU

ARY

2018

WEL

CO

ME.

TH

AN

K Y

OU

FO

R A

TTEN

DIN

G.

Repl

acem

ent o

f Effl

uent

Tre

atm

ent F

acili

ty, N

orth

ern

Pulp

Nov

a Sc

otia

, Env

ironm

enta

l Ass

essm

ent,

Dece

mbe

r 201

7

WHA

T W

ORK

HAS

BEE

N D

ON

E?Th

e Pr

ojec

t Tea

m h

as b

een

wor

king

har

d to

gat

her i

nfor

mat

ion

and

com

plet

est

udie

s in

orde

r to

mee

t with

the

com

mun

ity a

nd st

art d

iscu

ssin

g th

e pr

opos

edef

fluen

t tre

atm

ent f

acili

ty re

plac

emen

t.W

e ar

e cu

rren

tly w

orki

ng o

n re

port

s and

will

shar

e th

e re

sults

and

info

rmat

ion

with

you

whe

n co

mpl

ete.

WHA

T IS

BEI

NG

PRO

POSE

D?Ba

sed

on th

e st

udie

s don

e to

dat

e, th

ere

is a

tech

nica

lly re

com

men

ded

appr

oach

. A tr

eatm

ent f

acili

ty w

ould

be

cons

truc

ted

adja

cent

to th

e N

orth

ern

Pulp

mill

to tr

eat t

he m

ill e

fflue

nt. F

eder

al a

nd P

rovi

ncia

l reg

ulat

ions

wou

ld b

em

et b

efor

e le

avin

g th

e sit

e. A

pip

elin

e ca

rrie

s the

trea

ted

efflu

ent t

o an

out

fall.

Stud

ying

flow

dyn

amic

s, it

was

cle

ar th

at th

e ou

tfal

l nee

ds to

be

in th

eN

orth

umbe

rland

Str

ait.

The

exis

ting

faci

lity a

nd p

ipel

ine

will

then

be

clos

ed.

GOAL

S FO

RCO

MM

UN

ITY

OPE

NHO

USE

S

We

need

you

r inp

ut a

ndid

eas t

o fin

d a

path

forw

ard.

We

wan

t to

mee

t with

the

com

mun

ity a

nd b

egin

adi

alog

ue th

at w

ill c

ontin

ueov

er th

e st

udy.

WHA

T’S

NEX

T?W

e ar

e co

mpl

etin

g an

Env

ironm

enta

l Ass

essm

ent (

EA) S

tudy

, whi

ch w

ill ta

kem

onth

s to

com

plet

e be

fore

it is

subm

itted

to N

ova

Scot

ia E

nviro

nmen

t. Th

ere

is da

ta to

col

lect

, stu

dies

to b

e do

ne, a

nd m

ore

conv

ersa

tions

will

be

need

ed to

find

a pa

th fo

rwar

d.

PANEL 1

APPR

OAC

H TO ENGAG

EMEN

T

Replacem

ent o

f Efflue

nt Treatmen

t Facility, N

orthern Pu

lp Nova Scotia, Enviro

nmen

tal A

ssessm

ent, De

cembe

r 201

7

Nor

ther

n P

ulp

is p

art o

f the

com

mun

ity.

We

wan

t to

find

a so

lutio

n th

at w

orks

for a

ll of

us.

Our

app

roac

h to

eng

agem

ent a

nd c

onsu

ltatio

n is

bas

ed o

n fiv

e pr

inci

ples

:

Involve those to

be affe

cted

in th

e de

cisio

n‐making

process.

Inclusivity

Address inp

ut

received

in a

timely fashion.

Respon

sivene

ssThe complex

shou

ld be made

clear. Materials

and processes

made accessible

to a diverse ra

nge

of participants.

Accessibility

Clearly

commun

icate ho

w

inform

ation

received

was used

in th

e de

cisio

n making process.

Tran

sparen

cy

Transparen

cy

A safe and

comfortable

environm

ent is

always

maintaine

d,

whe

re individu

als

can freely

contrib

ute their

opinions and

directions.

Respect

Inclusivity

Respon

siven

ess

Respect

Accessibility

PANEL 2

ENVIRO

NMEN

TAL AS

SESSMEN

T STUDY

Replacem

ent o

f Efflue

nt Treatmen

t Facility, N

orthern Pu


nmen

tal A

ssessm

ent, De

cembe

r 201

7

FALL 201

7En

vironm

ental

Assessmen

t Study

Initiation

FALL/W

INTER 20

17En

vironm

ental Scien

ces

Backgrou

nd re

search and

fie

ld studies to

docum

ent

existing cond

ition

s.

WINTER 20

17Co

nsultatio

n an

d En

gagemen

t: ‘Project Launch’. R

eceive inpu

t on

existing cond

ition

s. U

nderstand

commun

ity/stakeho

lder con

cerns

WINTER 20

18En

vironm

ental Scien

ces

Begin evaluatin

g po

tential for im

pacts

and approp

riate enviro

nmen

tal

planning.

SPRING 201

8Co

nsultatio

n an

d En

gagemen

t:Re

ceive feed

back on prop

osed

en

vironm

ental plann

ing.

SPRING 201

8En

vironm

ental Scien

ces

Complete fin

al field stud

ies. Finalize

en

vironm

ental plann

ing and project.

SUMMER

201

8Re

gister th

e En

vironm

ental

Assessmen

t

Engagemen

t and

con

sulta

tion will occur during ou

r study

in order fo

r the

project te

am to

und

erstand

commun

ity con

cerns and de

velop a more complete un

derstand

ing of th

e area

prio

r to Project R

egistratio

n.

Environm

ental plann

ing to protect or m

itiga

te risks w

ill be developed from

this un

derstand

ing.

Octob

erNovem

berDecem

ber

Janu

ary

Februa

ryMarch

April

May

June

July

August

PANEL 3

ENVIRO

NMEN

TAL AS

SESSMEN

T PR

OCE

SS

Replacem

ent o

f Efflue

nt Treatmen

t Facility, N

orthern Pu


nmen

tal A

ssessm

ent, De

cembe

r 201

7

Wha

t’san

Environm

entalA

ssessm

ent(EA

)?•

Ade

cisio

n‐makingtool

used

toprom

otesustainablede

velopm

entb

yevaluatin

gthepo

tentiale

nviro

nmen

tal

effectsof

developm

entsbe

fore

they

proceed.

•Pu

blic,Ab

original

Commun

ities,stakeh

olde

rs,alon

gwith

governmen

tde

partmen

tsand

agen

cies

are

engaged.

•Prom

otes

better

projectp

lann

ingby

iden

tifying

andaddressin

gen

vironm

entaleffe

ctsat

theearlieststagesof

projectd

evelop

men

t.

Governm

ent A

gencies that have be

en

enga

ged in th

e process:

Provincial:

NovaScotiaEnvironm

ent(NSE)

Departmen

tofN

aturalRe

sources

Fede

ral:

FisheriesandOceansCanada

Environm

ent&

Clim

ateCh

ange

Canada

Canadian

Environm

entalA

ssessm

entA

gency

TransportC

anada

Register th

e En

vironm

ental

Assessmen

t (Summer 201

8)Co

mpletion of EA Stud

y

30 Day Pub

lic Review

Minister’s

Decision

(one

of the

following five op

tions)

•Ad

ditio

nal information requ

ired

•Ap

proval

•Re

jection

•Focus R

eport

•EA

Rep

ort, EA

board and

pub

lic hearin

g

NSE’s Process (50 days total)

PANEL 4

ORIGINS OF TH

E BO

AT HAR

BOUR TR

EATM

ENT FA

CILITY

Replacem

ent o

f Efflue

nt Treatmen

t Facility, N

orthern Pu


nmen

tal A

ssessm

ent, De

cembe

r 201

7

From

Abe

rcro

mbi

e P

oint

unt

reat

ed e

fflue

nt is

pi

ped

alon

g th

e bo

ttom

of t

he E

ast R

iver

and

ac

ross

land

to th

e B

oat H

arbo

ur F

acili

ty.

NO

RTH

ER

N

PU

LP M

ILL

3 companies were attracted

to th

e Co

unty th

rough these

incentives (M

iche

lin Tire

, Northern Pu

lp's pred

ecessor

and Canso Ch

emicals).

Boat Harbo

urbe

gan

operating as a treatm

ent

facility in 1967.

It is the wish

of P

ictou

Land

ing First N

ation that

Boat Harbo

ur be returned

to

tidal and

be made a place

that th

e commun

ity can

once

again en

joy.

Northern Pu

lp su

pports th

e governmen

t’s actions to

fulfill

the prom

ise m

ade to Pictou

Land

ing First N

ation to close

the existing facility.

The remed

iatio

n of Boa

t Harbo

ur is a se

parate project.

This enviro

nmen

tal assessm

ent focuses on the

replacem

ent o

f the

effluen

t treatmen

t facility only.

1965

As a

n incentive to attract indu

stry to

Pictou Co

unty, the

provincial governm

ent o

ffered raw water sup

ply and efflu

ent

treatm

ent to po

tential incom

ing indu

strie

s.

PANEL 5

EXISTING BOAT

HAR

BOUR TR

EATM

ENT FA

CILITY

What is n

ow ope

rated as th

e Bo

at

Harbou

r Efflue

nt Treatmen

t Facility

(ETF) is v

ery diffe

rent th

an how

it

began.

In fa

ct, orig

inally th

ere was no

form

al treatm

ent p

rocess. It w

as

believed that nature and tim

e were

enou

gh to

treat the

efflue

nt.

Shortly

following op

eration, it was

recognize

d that add

ition

al treatm

ent

was necessary.

In 199

5 NPN

S took

over o

peratio

ns

of th

e facility un

der a

lease

agreem

ent o

riginally fo

r 10 years,

extend

ed until 20

30.

Treatm

ent p

rocess at B

oat H

arbo

ur was im

proved

to includ

e settling po

nds a

nd an

aerated basin

.

Canso chem

ical chlor‐alkali facility closed, stop

ping

produ

ction of so

dium

hydroxide using mercury as a

catalyst.

Beginn

ing in 1992 and fin

ishing in 1996, m

ultip

le upgrade

s were made to th

e EFT includ

ing: add

ition

al aeration, se

paratio

n curtains in

the aeratio

n basin

, and the additio

n of a nutrie

nt fe

ed sy

stem

to optim

ize microbiological activity

.

The bleaching process w

as upgrade

d to m

eet n

ew fe

deral regulations fo

r dioxins

and furans by sw

itching

to chloride dioxide instead of elemen

tal chlorine (Pulp

and Pape

r Efflue

nt Regulations (P

PER)).

Boat Harbo

ur Act enacted

in 2015, re

quiring

the curren

t Boat H

arbo

ur Treatmen

t Facility

to cease ope

ratio

ns by Janu

ary 31, 2020. A new

efflue

nt treatm

ent facility is now

requ

ired.

1972

1992

1996

1997

2015Tr

eatm

ent p

lant began

ope

ratin

g1967

Replacem

ent o

f Efflue

nt Treatmen

t Facility, N

orthern Pu


nmen

tal A

ssessm

ent, De

cembe

r 201

7

PANEL 6

ALTERN

ATIVE TR

EATM

ENT PR

OCE

SSES

CONSIDER

ED

Replacem

ent o

f Efflue

nt Treatmen

t Facility, N

orthern Pu


nmen

tal A

ssessm

ent, De

cembe

r 201

7

Alternative techno

logies

(processes) w

ere iden

tified

based on

their p

oten

tial to meet

Pulp and

Paper Efflue

nt

Regulatio

ns, m

inim

ize

environm

ental risk

s, and

be

econ

omically viable.

Several treatmen

t process

alternatives and

com

bina

tions

were considered

:•

Sequ

encing

Batch

Reactors;

•Ro

tatin

g Biological

Contactors;

•Biological Aerated

Filters;

•Moving Be

d Bio‐Re

actors;

•An

aerobic Treatm

ent;

•Tertiary Treatmen

t; an

d•

Closed

Loo

p (Zero

Efflu

ent).

An Activated

Sludge Treatm

ent (AS

T) process

is recommen

ded based on

evaluation of th

ese

crite

ria and

other alte

rnatives.

Optim

ization

What p

rocess will

reliably result in

quality

treatm

ent,

given the

characteristics

need

ing to be

treated?

Efficiency

Does th

e techno

logy m

atch th

e requ

iremen

t?

Econ

omic

Viab

ility

Can the

process a

llow

for the

continue

d viable

operation of

the mill?

Footprint

Can the process fit on

the mill

prop

erty, w

ithou

t impacting

adjacent natural fe

atures and

prop

erty owne

rs?

Flexibility

Can the process fun

ction

across various ope

ratin

g cond

ition

s?

The recommen

ded process was determined

con

side

ring:

PANEL 7

WHY NOT A CLOSED LOOP SYSTEM

?WHAT

TYP

E OF PU

LP M

ILLS CAN

BE ZERO

‐EFFLU

ENT?

Zero‐effluen

t mills d

o exist, bu

t use differen

t processes. B

ecau

se

they m

ake differen

t produ

cts, th

ey can

use differen

t pulping

processes:

MEC

HAN

ICAL

PULPINGwhe

re “grinde

rs” separate woo

d fib

res to

form

pulp.

•Pu

lp used for n

ewspaper, m

agazines and

paperbo

ards

•Process u

ses less w

ater th

an kraftpu

lping.

Replacem

ent o

f Efflue

nt Treatmen

t Facility, N

orthern Pu


nmen

tal A

ssessm

ent, De

cembe

r 201

7

UNBLEA

CHED

KRA

FTpu

lp is a differen

t process to

form

pulp.

•Pu

lp used for shipp

ing bo

xes a

nd brown bags

•“Zero‐efflu

ent” ope

ratio

ns are not all the tim

e every day.

It’s intermitten

t.•Some of th

ese mills u

se th

e treated efflu

ent for irrig

ation,

making them

“zero‐efflue

nt” for that p

eriod of time.

PANEL 8

NORT

HER

N PULP IS A BLEAC

HED

KRA

FT M

ILL.

WHY NOT A ZERO

EFFLU

ENT BLEA

CHED

KRA

FT M

ILL?

BLEA

CHED

KRAF

Tpu

lpisachem

icalprocessto

form

pulp.

Thebleachingprocessgene

ratesthemajority

oftheefflu

entfrom

ableached

kraft

mill.

The

efflu

ent

contains

chlorid

esthat

cause

equipm

entcorrosio

n.

Replacem

ent o

f Efflue

nt Treatmen

t Facility, N

orthern Pu


nmen

tal A

ssessm

ent, De

cembe

r 201

7

11 bleache

d kraftp

ulp mills h

ave attempted

zero‐efflu

ent systems, but th

ey

weren

’t zero‐efflue

nt all the tim

e.

•Some had full efflu

ent closure fo

r only short p

eriods of tim

e or partia

l closure on

ly of the

bleach plant e

fflue

nt stream:

•Ope

ratin

g issue

s with

the closure system

occurred regardless of the

bleaching process used

.•

Of the

10 mills that rem

ain in ope

ratio

n today, all have efflue

nt treatm

ent

plants and

disc

harge the treated efflu

ent.

Full closure of a bleache

d kraftm

ill effluen

t cycle is not te

chnically fe

asible on a sustaina

ble ba

sis

The bleaching process used

at N

orthern Pu

lp (E

lemen

tal‐C

hlorine‐Free, o

r ECF, b

leaching) is considered

“Best‐Av

ailable‐Techno

logy” by

every governm

ent in the world.

This is the same reason

you

use catho

dic

protectio

n op

erating a bo

at in

salt water.

!

PANEL 9

WHAT

IS IN

TYP

ICAL

BLEAC

HED

KRA

FT PULP M

ILL EFFLUEN

T?HOW DOES IT

CHAN

GE DURING TRE

ATMEN

T?

Replacem

ent o

f Efflue

nt Treatmen

t Facility, N

orthern Pu


nmen

tal A

ssessm

ent, De

cembe

r 201

7

Parameter

Before Treatmen

tAfter T

reatmen

t

Fresh water

No change

Organ

ics na

turally present in

woo

d –lignin,

resins, fatty acids, sugars, alcoh

ols, etc

85 to

95%

removal th

rough the biological activity

in th

e treatm

ent system

Metals n

aturally present in

water and

woo

dMost m

etals leave with

the biological slud

ge

Woo

d fib

re80

to 90%

removal via se

ttling (prim

ary treatm

ent)

Sand

or d

irt

80 to

90%

removal via se

ttling (prim

ary treatm

ent)

Lime

80 to

90%

removal via se

ttling (prim

ary treatm

ent)

Woo

d ash

80 to

90%

removal via se

ttling (prim

ary treatm

ent)

Black liq

uor (lignin, cellulose and

sod

ium

sulphide

, sod

ium hydroxide

) 85

to 95%

removal th


in th

e treatm

ent system

Chlorin

ated

Com

poun

ds45

to 65%

removal th


in th

e treatm

ent system

Lime can help in pH ad

justment o

f effluent

Woo

d ash can provide some of th

e nu

trients (nitrog

en, pho

spho

rus) re

quire

d for e

ffective treatm

ent

PANEL 10

Removal

ofbiod

egradable

non‐settlable

organicpo

llutantsusingmicroorganism

s

Removalof

solidsfrom

theefflu

ent

Second

ary Treatm

ent

Prim

ary Treatm

ent

FEDER

AL PULP AND PAP

ER EFFLU

ENT RE

GULA

TIONS

WHY TR

EAT TH

E EFFLUEN

T?

Kraftp

ulpmillefflu

entm

ustb

etreatedto

protectthe

receivingwater

anden

sure

fishareno

tharmed

Fede

ralPulpandPape

rEfflue

ntRe

gulatio

ns(PPER)

develope

dinthemid1990’sto

protectfish

•Prom

pted

manymillsinCanada

toinstallSecon

dary

Treatm

entS

ystems

•Priortothat,m

anymillsh

adno

treatm

entsystemsor

prim

arytreatm

ento

nly

Replacem

ent o

f Efflue

nt Treatmen

t Facility, N

orthern Pu


nmen

tal A

ssessm

ent, De

cembe

r 201

7

Theprocessisvery

similartothetreatm

entp

rovide

dform

unicipalefflu

enttreatmen

tsystems

•Thesemicroorganism

soccurn

aturallyandconsum

eorganicfood

sourcespresen

tinwater.

•Second

arytreatm

entu

sesthissameprocess,bu

tinan

accelerated,

controlledway.

•Microorganism

s are concen

trated

and

given

the prop

er con

ditio

ns (foo

d, nutrie

nts, oxygen) to

degrade

this

organic po

llutio

n more qu

ickly than

what n

ature alon

e can achieve.

PANEL 11

IN‐M

ILL IM

PROVE

MEN

TS:

OXY

GEN

DELIGNIFICAT

ION

Replacem

ent o

f Efflue

nt Treatmen

t Facility, N

orthern Pu


nmen

tal A

ssessm

ent, De

cembe

r 201

7

Two‐stage Oxygen De

lignification techno

logy will be incorporated

into th

e pu

lp m

aking process.

The system

, which con

sists of o

xygen reactors and

wash presses, will be installed after the

brown stock washing

stage and be

fore

the existing

bleaching stages. The system

uses o

xygen gas to react w

ith re

sidual lignin that re

mains in th

e pu

lp after brown stock washing. The lignin

removed

in th

is ne

w stage will re

sult in th

e use of less bleaching

che

micals to whiten the pu

lp in

the existing bleach plant.It is a sig

nificant

and well‐p

roven process for ECF

pulp and as su

ch it is often

referred

to as the

first stage of b

leaching

(oxygen bleaching).

Yellow: Existing Equipm

ent.

Pink: Future oxygen

de

lignification eq

uipm

ent

which will be installed in th

e mill.

The en

vironm

ental ben

efits of O

xygen De

lignification:

•Re

duces C

hlorine Dioxide bleaching chem

icals b

y 30

–40% ‐correspo

nding redu

ction in efflue

nt organic loading and chlorin

ated

com

poun

ds•

Redu

ces e

fflue

nt color

•Re

duces w

ood losses

•Increases recovery of lignin to

the liquo

r cycle –redu

ction in carbo

n footprint

•Re

duces e

nergy consum

ption by re

ducing

aeration requ

iremen

ts in th

e ne

w ETF –redu

ction in carbo

n footprint

•Re

duces n

utrie

nt add

ition

in th

e ne

w ETF

PANEL 12

IN‐M

ILL IM

PROVE

MEN

TS:

EFFLUEN

T RE

DUCT

ION

Replacem

ent o

f Efflue

nt Treatmen

t Facility, N

orthern Pu


nmen

tal A

ssessm

ent, De

cembe

r 201

7

Fresh water trickles dow

n the medium, as a

ir is blow

n across. Coo

ling occurs th

roug

h evap

oration.

Cooling towers a

re re

quire

d to re

duce high summer water

flows. This w

ill in

turn re

duce th

e total efflue

nt flow

.

•New

ETF is designe

d for 8

5,000 m

3 /day pe

ak efflue

nt flow

•Cu

rren

t ann

ual average < 70,000 m

3 /day efflu

ent flow

•Efflu

ent flow varies b

y season

al water te

mpe

rature

•Non

‐con

tact coo

ling water m

akes up a considerable

portion of th

e total efflue

nt flow

•Summer efflue

nt flow

s will be redu

ced as will ann

ual

average efflu

ent flow

Colder incoming water →

less coo

ling water neede

d

PANEL 13

FRESHWAT

ER RIVER

S FEED

ING IN

TO PICTO

U HAR

BOUR

Replacem

ent o

f Efflue

nt Treatmen

t Facility, N

orthern Pu


nmen

tal A

ssessm

ent, De

cembe

r 201

7

Three freshw

ater

rivers flo

w into

Pictou

Harbo

ur

and the

Northum

berla

nd

Strait

RV And

erson

Stud

y (Decem

ber 2

015)

was und

ertaken

to determine the

Middle River

sustainable water

with

draw

al ra

te.

PANEL 14

HISTO

RY OF EFFLUEN

T QUAL

ITY

Replacem

ent o

f Efflue

nt Treatmen

t Facility, N

orthern Pu


nmen

tal A

ssessm

ent, De

cembe

r 201

7

Redu

ced organic load

ing; re

duced

chlorin

ated

com

poun

ds; small

increase in

solids load

ing

Replacem

ent facility (A

ST) is in

operation, and

existing facility at

Boat Harbo

ur(ASB

) ceases

operation.

2020

Target

1970

’s19

90’s

Today

2017

Future (2

020)

Pred

icted

Efflu

ent Q

uality

Discharged to Strait

Date

Significant Events

Affecting Efflu

ent Q

uality

Apparent th

at add

ition

al

mod

ificatio

ns were requ

ired

1967

•NPN

S start‐up

1971

•Canso Ch

emicals start‐up

1972

•Settling basin

s add

ed; A

SB con

structed

at

Boat Harbo

urGen

eration of m

ercury and

dioxins &

furans from

chlor‐alkali process c

eases

1992

•Canso Ch

emicals c

loses

Significant im

provem

ent in all

efflu

ent p

aram

eters to meet

Fede

ral PPER

1995

•Closure of NPN

S woo

droo

m(w

et

debarking)

1996

•Upgrade

d aeratio

n system

in ASB;

curtains add

ed in ASB

Gen

eration of dioxins & fu

rans

from

chlorine bleaching ceases

to m

eet Fed

eral PPER

1997

•Nutrie

nt sy

stem

add

ed•

NPN

S sw

itche

s from chlorine to chlorine

dioxide bleaching

Improvem

ent in all efflue

nt

parameters

2004

•Ad

ditio

nal aeration installed in ASB

Boat Harbo

urbasin

still

providing po

lishing

effe

ct on

efflu

ent (organics & so

lids)

2010

•Fede

ral PPER regulatory point m

oved

from

outlet o

f Boat H

arbo

urbasin

to inlet

of Boat H

arbo

urbasin

Improvem

ent in all efflue

nt

parameters

2011

•Closure of brown stock screen

room

2013

•Re

cycle of lime water in th

e lim

e kiln area

PANEL 15

EFFLUEN

T QUAL

ITY

BIOCH

EMICAL

OXY

GEN

DEM

AND (B

OD)

Replacem

ent o

f Efflue

nt Treatmen

t Facility, N

orthern Pu


nmen

tal A

ssessm

ent, De

cembe

r 201

7

Historical im

provem

ents have be

en

made with

regards to organic loading

in efflue

nt.

Northern Pu

lp currently ope

rates well

unde

r the

PPER lim

it for B

OD.

With

the additio

n of th

e Oxygen

Delignification process and sw

itching

to th

e AS

T process, Northern Pu

lp will

see furthe

r red

uctio

ns in

organic

loading

BOD ‐m

easure of o

rganic pollutant in

efflue

ntBO

D is regulated by Enviro

nmen

t Canada un

der P

PER

PANEL 16

EFFLUEN

T QUAL

ITY

TOTA

L SU

SPEN

DED

SOLIDS

Replacem

ent o

f Efflue

nt Treatmen

t Facility, N

orthern Pu


nmen

tal A

ssessm

ent, De

cembe

r 201

7

Historical im

provem

ents were made at

NPN

S regarding solids loading in efflue

nt.

NPN

S curren

tly ope

rates well und

er th

e PP

ER limit for T

SS.

Switching

to th

e AS

T Process will not have

the po

lishing

effe

ct of the

Boat H

arbo

ur

Basin

.

Solids loading will be sim

ilar to the curren

t discharge of th

e AS

B into th

e Bo

at Harbo

ur

basin

and

remain well below

PPER lim

its.

TSS at th

e en

d of a biological treatmen

t process is > 98

% biode

gradable organic

material.

TSS ‐m

easure of solids in efflue

ntTSS is re

gulated by Enviro

nmen

t Canada un

der P

PER

PANEL 17

RECO

MMEN

DED

APP

ROAC

HEFFLUEN

T TR

EATM

ENT FA

CILITY

The pipe

line will carry treated

efflu

ent to an

outfall and multi‐

port diffuser in

the Pictou

Road

area

of the

Northum

berla

nd

Strait. The

propo

sed locatio

n of

the diffu

ser is w

ithin th

e same

body

of w

ater (P

ictou Ro

ad) a

s the

discharge po

int for th

e existing

Boat Harbo

ur fa

cility.

We are particularly looking for

your inpu

t on the recommen

ded

route and ou

tfall area.

We will be completing furthe

r stud

ies to und

erstand sensitivitie

s in th

e prop

osed

route. Right now

, what w

e have iden

tified is a

'corrid

or' rathe

r than a specific

path.

Replacem

ent o

f Efflue

nt Treatmen

t Facility, N

orthern Pu


nmen

tal A

ssessm

ent, De

cembe

r 201

7

Our propo

sal is to construct a

n ETF on

land

at the

mill prope

rty, and

lay a pipe

line on

the bo

ttom

of

Pictou

Harbo

ur, avoiding constraints as m

uch as possib

le.

PANEL 18

PROPO

SED EFFLU

ENT TR

EATM

ENT FA

CILITY

PR

OCE

SS STEPS

DIAGRA

M

Replacem

ent o

f Efflue

nt Treatmen

t Facility, N

orthern Pu


nmen

tal A

ssessm

ent, De

cembe

r 201

7

PANEL 19

DESIGN CONSIDER

ATIONS IN NEW

AST FAC

ILITY:

ODOUR CO

NTR

OL

Replacem

ent o

f Efflue

nt Treatmen

t Facility, N

orthern Pu


nmen

tal A

ssessm

ent, De

cembe

r 201

7

TREA

TMEN

TPR

OCE

SS STA

GE

CURR

ENT FA

CILITY

PROPO

SEDAS

T FA

CILITY

Prim

ary

Clarificatio

n

Largesettlingpo

nds,whe

resolidssettle

over

timeand

decompo

seun

der

anaerobic

cond

ition

s,gene

ratin

ghydrogen

sulfide

,hen

cecreatin

god

oursim

ilartorotten

eggs.

Solids removal is don

e on

a con

tinuo

us basis. Solids resid

ence

time is less th

an one

day: this leaves little

time for sep

tic

cond

ition

s to be created

Efflu

ent C

ooling

Efflu

entiscooled

bytheactio

nof

thesurfaceaerators

that

throwtheefflu

entintotheairtoallowitto

absorb

oxygen

.Thisactio

nalso

allowssulphu

rcompo

unds

tobe

released

totheatmosph

ereby

volatiliza

tion.

Uses ind

irect coo

ling (w

here coo

ling water is used to coo

l the

efflu

ent w

ithou

t com

ing into con

tact with

it). Efflu

ent coo

ling

therefore occurs while th

e efflu

ent is fully con

tained

: no od

ours

can be

gen

erated

from

this step

of the

process

Treatm

ent

Process

Solidsde

compo

seat

thebo

ttom

oftheAS

Blagoon

,which

cancreate

odou

rs.

Aeratio

nis

provided

bysurfaceaerators,which

spray

efflu

entintheairtobringitincontactw

ithoxygen

and,

becauseof

this,

potentially

releaseod

orou

scompo

unds

totheairthrou

ghvapo

uriza

tion.

Solids are removed

con

tinuo

usly and

never allowed

to se

ttle

with

in th

e basin

. The aeratio

n system

selected

is a com

binatio

n of su

bsurface

mixers a

nd air injection (fine

bub

ble diffu

ser). This system

, combine

d with

a su

b‐surface feed

of the

coo

led efflu

ent,

minim

izes the po

tential to volatilize

odo

rous com

poun

ds

Slud

ge Handling

Slud

geremovalfrom

thesettlingpo

ndsandAS

Blagoon

occurspe

riodically

asslu

dgeinventoriesdictate.

The second

ary clarifiers remove slu

dge continuo

usly to

prevent

sludge accumulation that cou

ld lead

to se

ptic con

ditio

ns.

The de

watered

solids will be collected

and

mixed

in with

existing biom

ass and bu

rned

in th

e Po

wer Boiler.

IMPR

OVE

D ODO

UR CO

NTR

OL

PANEL 20

PANEL 20

Replacem

ent o

f Efflue

nt Treatmen

t Facility, N

orthern Pu


nmen

tal A

ssessm

ent, De

cembe

r 201

7

CONSTRA

INTS ANAL

YSIS:

LOCA

TING THE OUTFAL

L

Possible Locations fo

r Outfall were Mod

eled

and

Evaluated

on:

The Northum

berla

nd Strait w

as iden

tified as

the ou

tfall location in order to

minim

ize

potential impact on the en

vironm

ent

Mod

ellin

g Efflu

ent

Movem

ent

and Be

haviou

r

Cost

Other Socio‐

Econ

omic

Sensitivitie

s

Natural

Environm

ent

Commercial,

Recreatio

nal

and Ab

original

Fisheries

Constructability

Constraints M

apping

Used in

Outfall Mod

elling (Stantec

2017

)

PANEL 21

Replacem

ent o

f Efflue

nt Treatmen

t Facility, N

orthern Pu


nmen

tal A

ssessm

ent, De

cembe

r 201

7

RECE

IVING W

ATER

STU

DY

LOCA

TING THE MAR

INE OUTFAL

L

A serie

s of m

odels were created to evaluate the flo

w

dynamics, disp

ersal rates, settling

rates, water che

mistry

and tempe

rature profiles of the

efflue

nt disc

harge locatio

n op

tions. The

stud

y area is sh

own above.

Mod

eling was com

pleted

to iden

tify the po

tential area for the

ou

tfall, and the route the pipe

line wou

ld ta

ke to

get th

ere.

There are a lot o

f con

straints ‐things we ne

ed to

avoid ‐

includ

ing available commercial, recreational, and

Aboriginal fisheries sensitivitie

s, bird

and

shoreline

sensitives, and

other so

cio‐econ

omic sen

sitivities.

We've

iden

tified a solutio

n we be

lieve

balan

ces the

se

constraints.

A key consideration, in

con

sulta

tion with

Pictou Land

ing First

Nation, was to

develop

a so

lutio

n that doe

s no

t impact Boat

Harbou

rin the future tidal state.

Stud

ies have sh

own that if th

e ou

tfall w

as insid

e Pictou

Harbo

urthe slo

w currents a

nd other enviro

nmen

tal factors insid

e the

Harbou

rcou

ld re

sult in eutroph

ication. Eutroph

ication is the

creatio

n of con

ditio

ns th

at stim

ulate the grow

th of p

lants and

algae that will con

sume oxygen

in th

e water which will harm

aquatic

spe

cies.

The Northum

berla

nd Strait w

as iden

tified as th

e ou

tfall location.

In th

is dynamic locatio

n, m

odelling pred

icts th

ere will not be an

accumulation of nutrie

nts.

PANEL 22

OUTFAL

L DESIGN : MULTI‐P

ORT

DIFFU

SER

Once the efflu

ent is treated

on the mill

site in th

e ETF, a pipeline will carry th

e treated efflu

ent to the ou

tfall location.

Based on

the de

sign completed

to date:

•The ou

tfall w

ill be a six

‐port d

iffuser

–Selected

for b

etter m

ixing and

therefore less poten

tial for

environm

ental impact.

•The pipe

line will be approxim

ately a

36" diam

eter pipe made ou

t of h

igh

density

poly‐ethylene

(HDP

E) m

aterial.

–HD

PE is strong

and

has so

me

flexibility to allow fo

r the

und

ulating

ocean bo

ttom

profile.

•A rock m

attress will be placed

und

er

the ou

tfall pipeline on

the bo

ttom

of

Pictou

Harbo

ur, and

then

covered

in

armou

r‐ston

e for p

rotective cover.

Replacem

ent o

f Efflue

nt Treatmen

t Facility, N

orthern Pu


nmen

tal A

ssessm

ent, De

cembe

r 201

7

The ou

tfall w

as designe

d to

follow th

e Canadian

Cou

ncil of

Ministers o

f Enviro

nmen

t (CCM

E) M

arine Guide

lines:

applicable efflue

nt

parameters m

eet b

ackgroun

d cond

ition

s with

in 100

m of the

diffu

ser.

Estim

ated

mixing area

considering tid

al m

ovem

ent

Exam

ple

illustrations of a

multi‐po

rt diffuser

PANEL 23

Replacem

ent o

f Efflue

nt Treatmen

t Facility, N

orthern Pu


nmen

tal A

ssessm

ent, De

cembe

r 201

7

Parameter

Wha

t is it?

Wha

t types of e

ffects could the pa

rameter

cause?

Pred

icted distan

ce (S

tantec

2017

) from

diffuser to

meet w

ater criteria:

Total N

itrogen

(TN)

A nu

trient.

Largeconcentrations in th

e ne

arshore can cause excessive algae grow

th

(algae bloom

s), w

hich can

limit the am

ount of o

xygen in th

e local area.

With

in 2 m

etres ‐

meets backgroun

d (Pictou Ro

ad)

Total Pho

spho

rus

(TP)

A nu

trient.


e ne


th

(algae bloom

s), w

hich can

limit the am

ount of o

xygen in th

e local area.

With

in 2 m

etres ‐

meets backgroun

d (Pictou Ro

ad)

Colour

Measures the

colou

rof w

ater.

Aesthetic

con

sideration for h

umans. Potentia

l visibility issue

for fish

if

extensive.

With

in 40 metres ‐

meets backgroun

d (Pictou Ro

ad)

Adsorbab

le

Organ

ic Halides

(AOX)

AOX isa parameter group

that encom

passes organic halogen

compo

unds from

simple volatile substances su

ch as c

hloroform,

to com

plex organic m

olecules su

ch as d

ioxins/furans (in

trace

amou

nts).

High

AOX levels may have varia

ble effects d

epen

ding

on the specific

chem

icals that com

prise

AOX and their levels in water.

Backgrou

nd data no

t available.

With

in 2 m

etres –

well below

World

Bank

guideline for p

ulp mills.

Total Suspe

nded

Solid

s (TSS)

TSS de

scrib

es th

e am

ount of solids (clay, sand, silt, organic

matter a

nd particulates) that a

re su

spen

ded in water.

High

TSS can affect dissolved oxygen

(DO) levels o

r lon

g term

exposure

to elevated levels may affe

ct m

arine species.

With

in 2 m

etres ‐

meets CCM

E Marine

Aquatic

Life

Guide

lines

(long

term

and

short term exposure)

pHpH

indicates if a

water bod

y is acidic (low

pH) or b

asic (h

igh

pH).

Althou

gh changes in pH can cause a varie

ty of e

ffects, th

e ocean will

rapidly ne

utralize the effects o

f pH changes.

With

in 5 m

etres –

meets backgroun

d (Pictou Ro

ad)

Bioche

mical

Oxygen Dem

and

(BOD5)

BOD measures the am

ount of o

xygen used

to decom

pose

organic materials.

High

BOD can redu

ce dissolved oxygen

(DO) levels a

nd m

ay affe

ct marine

species.

Backgrou

nd data no

t available.

With

in 100

metres –

meets levels typical

of nearsho

re waters

Dissolved

Oxygen

(DO)

Amou

nt ofo

xygen dissolved in th

e water.

Low levels of dissolved oxygen

may m

ean there is less available oxygen

for m

arine species to use.

With

in 100

metres –

meets backgroun

d (Pictou Ro

ad)

Chem

ical Oxygen

Dem

and (COD)

Amou

nt of o

xygen requ

ired or used by che

mical re

actio

ns

with

in th

e water. Req

uired to breakdo

wn organicand some

inorganic material.

High

COD may re

duced dissolved oxygen

(DO) and

may affe

ct marine

species.

Backgrou

nd data no

t available.

With

in 100

metres –

well below

levels

considered

unpo

lluted by UNESCO

Water

Tempe

rature

How hot or cold the water is.

Marine life requ

ire a sp

ecific range of te

mpe

ratures.

With

in 8 m

‐meets CCM

E Marine

Aquatic

Life

Guide

lines of +

/‐1oC

Salin

itySalt conten

t of the

water.

Marine life requ

ire a sp

ecific range of sa

linity.

With

in10

0 m –meets backgroun

d (Pictou Ro

ad)

PRED

ICTED CONCE

NTR

ATIONS OF EFFLUEN

TIN THE NORT

HUMBE

RLAN

D STR

AIT

Res

ults

from

Pre

limin

ary

Rec

eivi

ng W

ater

Stu

dy fo

r Nor

ther

n P

ulp

Effl

uent

Tre

atm

ent P

lant

Rep

lace

men

t, P

icto

u H

arbo

ur, N

ova

Sco

tia. 2

017.

Fin

al R

epor

ts S

tant

ec 2

017.

PANEL 24

NEX

T STEP

S

Anna

marie Burgess, LPP

, P.Eng

Project C

oordinator

Dillon Co

nsultin

g Limite

d13

7 Ch

ain Lake Driv

e, Suite 100

Halifax, N

S B3S 1B3

1‐87

7‐63

5‐85

53 x50

50np

ns.efflue

nttreatm

[email protected]

Thank you for e

ngaging with

us o

n the project.

Your com

men

ts and

feed

back are im

portant.

Please com

plete a commen

t form. O

ver the

next few

mon

ths w

e will com

plete additio

nal

stud

ies, re

fine the en

gine

ering de

sign,

and continue

evaluatin

g for p

oten

tial impacts a

nd app

ropriate

environm

ental plann

ing.

We will sh

are the results of o

ur work.

We will su

mmarize

com

men

ts and

ideas p

rovide

d and

make this do

cumen

t pub

licly available.

Engagemen

t and

con

sulta

tion will con

tinue

. Focused sessions with

stakeh

olde

rs and

the commun

ity.

Appendix I2


What We’ve Heard Summary Report

NORTHERN PULP NOVA SCOTIA CORPORATIONREPLACEMENT EFFLUENT TREATMENT FACILITYENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENTProject Launch: Summary of Engagement

What We Heard

March 2018

www.NorthernPulpFuture.caMarch 2018

What We HeardNovember 5, 2017 – January 10, 2018

GOALS FOR THE PROJECT LAUNCHü Educate about the requirement to replace the

effluent treatment facility (ETF);ü Describe the proposed ETF Project approachü Provide information on the environmental

assessment (EA) process;ü Gather and document comments, questions, and

suggestions.

…during the PROJECT LAUNCHA ‘What We Heard’

document will beprepared for each

project phase.

KEY THEMES WE HEARD:Potential for Environmental Impact - Respondentsconsistently stated the need to protect theenvironment.

Effluent Treatment Facility Design & Alternatives-Reasons for proposed location of the outfall,intended emergency spill procedures, and method oftreatment.

Feedback on Attended Sessions- Feedback on theinformation sessions, and additional opportunitiesfor public engagement.

Water Quality/Marine Protection- Theenvironmental effects of the effluent on marine life,particularly commercial fisheries.

Socio-Economics- Need to respect the environmentand the socio-economic importance of both forestryand commercial fisheries to the province.

EA and Project Process- Ability to meet Boat HarbourAct (January 2020) timeframe. Questions regardingthe project timeline, and EA process.


1.0 Project Introduction1.1 A Replacement Treatment System to meet the Boat Harbour Act

Northern Pulp Nova Sco a Corpora on’s (NPNS) pulp mill in Abercrombie Point, Pictou County hasoperated since 1967. NPNS uses water during the process to produce the kra pulp product that NPNSsells both domes cally and interna onally. A er the water is used in produc on, it is currently treatedat the exis ng effluent treatment system at Boat Harbour across the East River of Pictou. The NorthernPulp mill and effluent treatment system are operated under permit (Industrial Approval). This exis ngtreatment system needs to be replaced to meet the requirements of the Boat Harbour Act.

The Boat Harbour Act enshrines in law a government commitment to close theprovincially-owned effluent treatment plant and build a new facility by 2020, allowingfor the remediation of Boat Harbour.

A replacement Effluent Treatment Facility (ETF) is proposed to be designed, built, and operated usingcurrent best prac ces to allow the mill opera on to con nue. The main components of the proposednew ETF will be located on NPNS property, adjacent to the mill. This means all treatment will occur on-site. The water, once treated and ready for discharge, will be released through a pipe to an ou allloca on. The technically recommended loca on for the ou all is in the Northumberland Strait.

1.2 Project TeamThe core Project Team for the Environmental Assessment includes:• Northern Pulp Nova Sco a Corpora on (NPNS), the proponent;• Dillon Consul ng Limited (Dillon), the Environmental Assessment consultant; and• KSH Engineering, the overall designer and engineering consultant.

Nova Sco a Transporta on and Infrastructure Renewal (NSTIR) represents the government of NovaSco a, as owner of the exis ng Boat Harbour effluent treatment facility.

Unifor Local 440 represents the union employees at NPNS.

1.3 Environmental Assessment ProcessIn accordance with the Nova ScoƟa Environment Act, the design and construc on of the treatmentfacility is a 'modifica on to an exis ng undertaking'. The design and construc on of the newreplacement facility will follow the process of a Class 1 Environmental Assessment (EA). EA approvalfrom the provincial Minister of Environment is required prior to construc on and opera on of the ETF.

The detailed design of the ETF, including ou all design and loca on, has not been finalized.


The purpose of the EA study is to iden fy constraints, evaluate poten al effects, and develop mi ga onmeasures to protect the environment and associated socio-economic impacts, which will beincorporated into the final design and construc on of the ETF.

Dillon Consul ng Limited (Dillon) was contracted by NPNS to conduct the EA. We hope that you willengage with us on this important project.

Nova Sco a has a regulatory system in place to ensure that projects and ac vi es proceed in anenvironmentally sustainable manner. We are commi ed to doing everything we can to fulfil and exceedthe requirements for registra on.

1.4 Engagement and ConsultationA key part of the EA is building a dialogue with the Pictou Landing First Na on, local communi es, thepublic, key stakeholders, and government en es early in the EA process. Through this dialogue duringmee ngs, discussions, and community sessions, we want to understand interests and concerns that willallow us to find a path forward that protects the environment and allows NPNS to con nue to operate.

Our approach to engagement and consultation is informed by these 5 principles:

Transparency Respect

Inclusivity Responsiveness Accessibility


2.0 Connecting with the CommunityTo launch the project and begin these conversa ons we:• Developed a project website to provide up to date informa on on the project and EA process;• Mailed the Project Ini a on newsle er, which included the invita on to the first open house

sessions, to residents and businesses of Pictou County, fishers groups, and government; and• Placed ads in newspapers that included the project ini a on and open house invita on.

2.1 Notification and Invitation

No fica on of the project EA ini a on and the engagement programwas completed through newspaper adver sements, and direct mail.

20,000 project no fica on le ers with open house invita ons weremailed to residents of Pictou County and stakeholders such asgovernment agencies and representa ves, fishers, and local businessowners.

Newspaper no fica ons with open house invita ons were published in the Advocate (November 29,2017), New Glasgow News (November 27, 2017), and the Chronicle Herald (November 27, 2017).

A project website (www.NorthernPulpFuture.ca) was launched toprovide interested members of the public with a central point toaccess updates on the progress of the EA and relevant reports. Theproject website has received 2650 views to January 2018, since goinglive on November 5, 2017.

2.2 How Comments have been and can continue to be submittedEmailA project specific email address (npns.effluen reatmen [email protected]) was set up to provide thepublic with an addi onal means of submi ng comments or asking ques ons regarding the project. Todate, 17 people have submi ed comments or ques ons via the project email.

Comment FormsComment forms were provided at the open house sessions; completed forms could be mailed or faxedto Dillon. To date 80 comment forms have been received from the informa on sessions, by mail, oremail.


WebsiteThere is also an online submission form available on the project website. To date an addi onal 60comment forms have been received through the project website.

3.0 What We HeardDuring the project launch we heard from approximately 750 individuals through engagement sessions ormee ngs (see Sec on 4.0).

Many comment forms and emails have been received. Many more conversa ons have occurred over thecourse of the project launch phase. These conversa ons, in addi on to wri en feedback, providevaluable input to the project team to iden fy concerns, share informa on on the exis ng environment,and guide the detail design of the replacement ETF.

Feedback collected to date though comment forms, project emails, mee ngs, and the eight informa onsessions are summarized below. A total of 158 comment forms and emails were received as of January10, 2018. Comment forms were provided to par cipants at in-person sessions and were received byDillon in person (during a session), by email, and mail.• 53 comment forms were submi ed in person at the December 4th-6th sessions;• 9 comment forms were submi ed by mail;• 51 comments were submi ed via the project website “Contact Us” page; and• 32 comments were submi ed via email.

The issues iden fied and concerns raised, for the purposes of thissummary have been categorized into seven main themes desribedin the subsec ons below. 98% of the comments related to one ormore of these themes, with the others rela ng to futureprocurement opportuni es or the remedia on of Boat Harbour.

Everyone agrees: the protecƟon of the Northumberland Strait andsurrounding natural environment is very important for ecological,economic, and recreaƟonal reasons.


Poten al for Environmental ImpactIssue Iden fied: Comments which confirmed the importance of protec ng the natural environment.

Frequency: Approx. 80%

Concerns Raised: Respondents consistently stated the need to protect the environment. For some, thatmeant the marine ou all pipe should not be constructed because any risk to theenvirionment is not acceptable, there’s too much at stake. Others expressed favouror acceptance of the project providing it could be demonstrated that appropriateenvironmental protec on plans are in place.

Effluent Treatment Facility Design & Alterna vesIssue Iden fied: Each comment or ques on related to how the proposed new ETF design and ou all

loca on was determined and why it is considered as the op mal solu on.It is noted that for many, the basis of their ques ons is from an environmentalperspec ve and poten al for marine impacts is a concern.


Concerns Raised: Focused on reasons for the proposed loca on of the ou all; intended emergency spillprocedures; method of treatment; effec veness and environmental impacts of similarsystems in opera on; reasons for proposed design; alterna ve solu ons considered.

Feedback on A ended SessionsIssue Iden fied: Each comment or ques on related to the effec veness of the public consulta on

program to-date and feedback on how to improve consulta on going forward.


Concerns Raised: Approximately 80% of the comments received on this topic related to the December4th-6th informa on sessions and were posi ve. People commented on the quality ofthe informa on presented, the format of the open houses, and found the projectteam to be informa ve, friendly, and knowledgable.

Approximately 20% of the comments received on this theme related to the December4th-6th informa on sessions were nega ve. Among concerns raised included thepublic venues being too noisy, the lack of a public ques on and answer period/panel,and the project team not answering ques ons to the sa sfac on of the ques oner.

Comments received related to this theme also included ques ons regarding futureinforma on sessions being planned, and sugges ons on future engagement sessionssuch as youth, and holding a session in other loca ons.


Water Quality/Marine Protec onIssue Iden fied: Each comment or ques on related to how the proposed new ETF system would

impact water quality and marine life, par cularly commercial fisheries.


Concerns Raised: Focused on quality of water a er treatment; concentra on of chemicals andpar culates in treated effluent; impacts of fresh water discharge/changes in salinity;diffusion rates; impacts of water temperature differences in pipe and at point ofdischarge; discharge volume/rates; risk posed to commercial fisheries in area; longterm impacts on marine life and ecosystems of suspended solids and chemicals.

ForestryIssue Iden fied: Each comment or ques on related to the greater socio-economic impacts of NPNS

opera on closure or disrup on.


Concerns Raised: Focused on the importance of NPNS to the province’s forestry industry and theregion’s economy as a direct and indirect employer and producer; the need to find asolu on in a mely manner to avoid economic disrup on and unemployment for theNPNS, woodlot owners, suppliers, and contractors; importance of NPNS to manageprovincial forests.

EA Study and Project ProcessIssue Iden fied: Each comment or ques on related to the meline and requirements for the EA,

detailed design, and/or construc on.


Concerns Raised: The perceived short meframes for the EA; the short meframes given for detaileddesign and construc on in two years; the need for effec ve consulta on with localFirst Na ons and fishers; desire for independent review; desire for a longer publicreview period and Class II EA requirements; concerns regarding the economic impactsof NPNS closure or disrup on.

Air QualityIssue Iden fied: Each comment or ques on related to how the new ETF would impact air quality

performance.


Concerns Raised: Frequency of sludge burning; concentra ons and quan ty of chemicals in the sludgeto be burned; impact on air quality from the addi onal burning.


4.0 Details of Engagement During Project LaunchThe Project EA Launch was ini ated in late November with the project website going live on November5, 2017, followed by project no fica on in the major newspapers and directed mailings to Pictou Countyresidents and stakeholders to provide background and provide an invita on to the open houses orpresenta ons.

The project website provides specific informa on on the project and the EA process, as well asopportunity to submit comments. A project email and toll free phone line for direc ng ques ons orcomments was also arranged.

December , Media Informa on SessionAn informa on session open to members of the media was held on December 4, 2017 at the PictouCounty Wellness Centre between 3:00 and 5:00 pm. Invita ons were sent to the local newspapers andHalifax media outlets. Six (6) representa ves from four media outlets (two local newspapers and twomajor provincial television news networks) a ended. The informa on panels were displayed throughoutthe room and a 30 minute presenta on was provided by project representa ves from NPNS, Dillon, andKSH Engineering (KSH Engineering is responsible for designing the new ETF). Representa ves from NPNS,NSTIR, KSH Engineering, Dillon, and Unifor Local 440 were available for ques oning and interviewsduring the remainder of the session.

Fishing Industry Mee ngA fishing industry informa on session was held on December 4, 2017 at the Pictou County WellnessCentre between 7:00 and 9:30 pm. Mee ng invita ons were sent to individual fishers through the majorindustry associa ons represen ng the various sectors and geographies (e.g. NorthumberlandFisherman’s Associa on). The informa on panels were displayed throughout the room and a 30 minutepresenta on was provided by project representa ves from NPNS, Dillon, KSH Engineering.Representa ves from NPNS, NSTIR, KSH Engineering, Dillon, and Unifor Local 440 were available for aques on and answer period for the remainder of the session (2 hours). 178 people a ended the session.While those in a endance were largely from Pictou County, there were also fishers from An gonishCounty, Prince Edward Island, and New Brunswick.

December , Government Representa ves and Agencies Informa on SessionAn informa on session open to government officials and agencies was held on December 5, 2017 atGlasgow Square, New Glasgow, between 1:00 and 3:00 pm. Invita ons were sent to Mayors, CAOs, andCouncillors at the five local governments in the area (Municipality of Pictou County, Westville, NewGlasgow, Town of Pictou, and Stellarton), the Pictou County MLAs, and various applicable provincialagencies. Elected officials from An gonish, Truro and Colchester County received invita ons to a end aswell. Eleven (11) government officials a ended the session. The informa on panels were displayedthroughout the room and project representa ves from NPNS, Unifor Local 440, NSTIR, Dillon, and KSHEngineering were available to answer ques ons.


Industry Informa on SessionAn informa on session open to local businesses and forestry industry representa ves was held onDecember 5, 2017 at Glasgow Square, New Glasgow, between 3:00 and 5:00 pm. Invita ons were sentto NPNS suppliers, NPNS employees, and key industry contacts. There were 92 people in a endance.Informa on panels were displayed throughout the room and project representa ves from NPNS, UniforLocal 440, NSTIR, Dillon, and KSH Engineering were available to answer ques ons.

Public Informa on SessionAn informa on session open to the public was held on December 5, 2017 at Glasgow Square, NewGlasgow, between 7:00 and 9:00 pm. Invita ons were provided in the local newspapers. There were 147people in a endance. Informa on panels were displayed throughout the room and projectrepresenta ves from NPNS, Unifor Local 440, NSTIR, Dillon, and KSH Engineering were available toanswer ques ons.

December , Government Representa ves and Agencies Informa on SessionAn informa on session open to government officials and agencies was held on December 6, 2017 atAbercrombie Fire Hall, Abercrombie between 1:00 and 3:00 pm. Invita ons were sent to Mayors, CAOs,and Councillors at the five local governments in the area (Pictou County, Westville, New Glasgow, Townof Pictou, and Stellarton), the Pictou County MLA’s, and various applicable provincial agencies. Ninegovernment officials a ended the session. The informa on panels were displayed throughout the roomand project representa ves from NPNS, Unifor Local 440, NSTIR, Dillon, and KSH Engineering wereavailable to answer ques ons.

Industry Informa on SessionAn informa on session open to local businesses and forestry industry representa ves was held onDecember 6, 2017 at Abercrombie Fire Hall, Abercrombie between 3:00 and 5:00 pm. Invita ons weresent to NPNS suppliers, NPNS employees, and key industry contacts. There were 97 a endees of thesession. Informa on panels were displayed throughout the room and project representa ves fromrepresenta ves from NPNS, Unifor Local 440, six representa ves from Dillon, and one representa vefrom KSH Engineering were available to answer ques ons.

Public Informa on SessionAn informa on session open to the public was held on December 6, 2017 Abercrombie Fire Hall,Abercrombie between 7:00 and 9:00 pm. Invita ons were provided in the local newspapers. There were161 a endees of the session. Informa on panels were displayed throughout the room and projectrepresenta ves from NPNS, Unifor Local 440, six representa ves from Dillon, and one representa vefrom KSH Engineering) were available to answer ques ons.

December , Leadership from Commercial Fisheries Associa onsCommercial fishers asked the project team to bring them to the design table seeking ra onale behind anou all pipe into the Northumberland Strait as the marine discharge op on. Leadership from severalcommercial fishery associa ons met with the project team to share concerns about the project anddiscuss how to con nue discussions to find a path forward. Leaders outlined their strong opposi on to


an ou all marine pipe within the Northumberland Strait. Project representa ves from NPNS, KSHEngineering, Dillon, and NSTIR met with representa ves from the Northumberland Fishermen’sAssocia on, the Gulf Nova Sco a Fishermen’s Coali on, the Gulf Nova Fleet Planning Board, theInverness South Fishermen’s Associa on, the Mari me Fishermen’s Union, PEI Fishermen’s Associa on,and the Gulf Nova Sco a Bonafide Fishermen’s Associa on.

January , Pictou Landing First Na onOn the evening of January 8, 2017, beginning at 5:30 p.m., a community engagement session was heldfor the Pictou Landing First Na on community in the school gymnasium.

Invita ons were distributed by the Pictou Landing First Na on. Approximately 70 people a ended thesession, including members of the public and Pictou Landing First Na on. The informa on panels weredisplayed throughout the room. Project representa ves from NPNS, Unifor Local 440, NSTIR, Dillon, andKSH Engineering were available to answer ques ons.

January , Na ve Council of Nova Sco a (NCNS)The NPNS project team reviewed project informa on with the Na ve Council of Nova Sco a (NCNS)Chief, staff, and affiliated organiza on staff mid-day on January 10, 2018. The mee ng was heldbetween 1:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. at the NCNS office in Truro with project representa ves from NPNS,KSH, NSTIR, Unifor Local 440 and Dillon.

5.0 Next StepsThe discussions that began during the Project Launch phase will be con nued:• Follow up sessions will be sought with;

– Pictou Landing First Na on,

– leadership from commercial fisheries,

– NPNS employees,

– Forest industry representa ves and stakeholders,

– all levels of government and agencies,

– local residents and businesses,• Na ve Council of Nova Sco a will be kept informed on the project;• Responses to ques ons that have been submi ed will be provided directly to respondents;• Reports prepared will be made available via the project website during the EA; and• Frequently Asked Ques ons on the project website will con nue to be updated.

Appendix A


A Project Launch Newsletter

Appendix B


B Newspaper Advertisement ofOpen House Sessions

Northern Pulp Nova Scotia’s existing effl uent treatment system needs to

be replaced, as required by the Nova Scotia Boat Harbour Act. The detailed

design of the new effl uent treatment facility, including outfall design and

location, has yet to be fi nalized. This Environmental Assessment study will

provide input to the design and construction of the facility, through identi-

fying constraints and mitigation measures to achieve sound environmental

planning. Dillon Consulting Limited has been contracted by Northern Pulp

Nova Scotia to complete the Environmental Assessment.

Engagement is an important component of the study. There will be oppor-

tunities throughout the study to provide input and meet with the project

team. You are invited to the fi rst Open House. Our goal is share information

on the project, gather information on the existing conditions (natural and

socio-economic), and identify key areas of consideration. The Open House

will be a drop-in session format. It will be held at two locations, with the

same information presented at each:

Tuesday December 5, 2017

Glasgow Square

155 Riverside Parkway

New Glasgow

5:00 pm – 7:30 pm

Additional information on the project is available at

www.NorthernPulpEffl uentTreatmentFacility.ca

If you would like to be notifi ed directly of future project updates, please

contact us to be added to the notifi cation list.

CONTACT US

You can contact us at any time with your feedback, ideas, and questions

using any of the options below:

Kathy Cloutier

Communications DirectorPaper Excellence Canada

Northern Pulp Nova Scotia Corporation

P.O. Box 549, Station Main

New Glasgow, NS B2H 5E8

902-752-8461 ext.231

[email protected]

Annamarie Burgess, LPP, P.Eng

Project CoordinatorDillon Consulting Limited

137 Chain Lake Drive, Suite 100

Halifax, NS B3S 1B3

1-877-635-8553 x5050

npns.effl [email protected]

Wednesday December 6, 2017

Abercrombie Fire Hall

2030 Granton Abercrombie Road

Abercrombie

5:00 pm – 7:30 pm

NORTHERN PULP NOVA SCOTIA

ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENTREPLACEMENT OF EFFLUENT

TREATMENT FACILITY

Appendix C


C Project Launch Materials Presented at OpenHouses and Engagement Sessions

Repl

acem

ent o

f the

Efflu

ent T

reat

men

t Fac

ility

Nor

ther

n Pu

lp N

ova

Scot

ia M

ill

COM

MU

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Y O

PEN

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USE

S –

DE

CEM

BER

2017

& JA

NU

ARY

2018

WEL

CO

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TH

AN

K Y

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FO

R A

TTEN

DIN

G.

Repl

acem

ent o

f Effl

uent

Tre

atm

ent F

acili

ty, N

orth

ern

Pulp

Nov

a Sc

otia

, Env

ironm

enta

l Ass

essm

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Dece

mbe

r 201

7

WHA

T W

ORK

HAS

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ON

E?Th

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ojec

t Tea

m h

as b

een

wor

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har

d to

gat

her i

nfor

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ion

and

com

plet

est

udie

s in

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r to

mee

t with

the

com

mun

ity a

nd st

art d

iscu

ssin

g th

e pr

opos

edef

fluen

t tre

atm

ent f

acili

ty re

plac

emen

t.W

e ar

e cu

rren

tly w

orki

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n re

port

s and

will

shar

e th

e re

sults

and

info

rmat

ion

with

you

whe

n co

mpl

ete.

WHA

T IS

BEI

NG

PRO

POSE

D?Ba

sed

on th

e st

udie

s don

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dat

e, th

ere

is a

tech

nica

lly re

com

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ded

appr

oach

. A tr

eatm

ent f

acili

ty w

ould

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cons

truc

ted

adja

cent

to th

e N

orth

ern

Pulp

mill

to tr

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he m

ill e

fflue

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al a

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ulat

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wou

ld b

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e sit

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pip

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efflu

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o an

out

fall.

Stud

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flow

dyn

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s, it

was

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at th

e ou

tfal

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eN

orth

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Str

ait.

The

exis

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faci

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ine

will

then

be

clos

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GOAL

S FO

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MM

UN

ITY

OPE

NHO

USE

S

We

need

you

r inp

ut a

ndid

eas t

o fin

d a

path

forw

ard.

We

wan

t to

mee

t with

the

com

mun

ity a

nd b

egin

adi

alog

ue th

at w

ill c

ontin

ueov

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udy.

WHA

T’S

NEX

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e ar

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etin

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Env

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enta

l Ass

essm

ent (

EA) S

tudy

, whi

ch w

ill ta

kem

onth

s to

com

plet

e be

fore

it is

subm

itted

to N

ova

Scot

ia E

nviro

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ere

is da

ta to

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lect

, stu

dies

to b

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nd m

ore

conv

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will

be

need

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find

a pa

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rwar

d.

PANEL 1

APPR

OAC

H TO ENGAG

EMEN

T

Replacem

ent o

f Efflue

nt Treatmen

t Facility, N

orthern Pu


nmen

tal A

ssessm

ent, De

cembe

r 201

7

Nor

ther

n P

ulp

is p

art o

f the

com

mun

ity.

We

wan

t to

find

a so

lutio

n th

at w

orks

for a

ll of

us.

Our

app

roac

h to

eng

agem

ent a

nd c

onsu

ltatio

n is

bas

ed o

n fiv

e pr

inci

ples

:

Involve those to

be affe

cted

in th

e de

cisio

n‐making

process.

Inclusivity

Address inp

ut

received

in a

timely fashion.

Respon

sivene

ssThe complex

shou

ld be made

clear. Materials

and processes

made accessible

to a diverse ra

nge

of participants.

Accessibility

Clearly

commun

icate ho

w

inform

ation

received

was used

in th

e de

cisio

n making process.

Tran

sparen

cy

Transparen

cy

A safe and

comfortable

environm

ent is

always

maintaine

d,

whe

re individu

als

can freely

contrib

ute their

opinions and

directions.

Respect

Inclusivity

Respon

siven

ess

Respect

Accessibility

PANEL 2

ENVIRO

NMEN

TAL AS

SESSMEN

T STUDY

Replacem

ent o

f Efflue

nt Treatmen

t Facility, N

orthern Pu


nmen

tal A

ssessm

ent, De

cembe

r 201

7

FALL 201

7En

vironm

ental

Assessmen

t Study

Initiation

FALL/W

INTER 20

17En

vironm

ental Scien

ces

Backgrou

nd re

search and

fie

ld studies to

docum

ent

existing cond

ition

s.

WINTER 20

17Co

nsultatio

n an

d En

gagemen

t: ‘Project Launch’. R

eceive inpu

t on

existing cond

ition

s. U

nderstand

commun

ity/stakeho

lder con

cerns

WINTER 20

18En

vironm

ental Scien

ces

Begin evaluatin

g po

tential for im

pacts

and approp

riate enviro

nmen

tal

planning.

SPRING 201

8Co

nsultatio

n an

d En

gagemen

t:Re

ceive feed

back on prop

osed

en

vironm

ental plann

ing.

SPRING 201

8En

vironm

ental Scien

ces

Complete fin

al field stud

ies. Finalize

en

vironm

ental plann

ing and project.

SUMMER

201

8Re

gister th

e En

vironm

ental

Assessmen

t

Engagemen

t and

con

sulta

tion will occur during ou

r study

in order fo

r the

project te

am to

und

erstand

commun

ity con

cerns and de

velop a more complete un

derstand

ing of th

e area

prio

r to Project R

egistratio

n.

Environm

ental plann

ing to protect or m

itiga

te risks w

ill be developed from

this un

derstand

ing.

Octob

erNovem

berDecem

ber

Janu

ary

Februa

ryMarch

April

May

June

July

August

PANEL 3

ENVIRO

NMEN

TAL AS

SESSMEN

T PR

OCE

SS

Replacem

ent o

f Efflue

nt Treatmen

t Facility, N

orthern Pu


nmen

tal A

ssessm

ent, De

cembe

r 201

7

Wha

t’san

Environm

entalA

ssessm

ent(EA

)?•

Ade

cisio

n‐makingtool

used

toprom

otesustainablede

velopm

entb

yevaluatin

gthepo

tentiale

nviro

nmen

tal

effectsof

developm

entsbe

fore

they

proceed.

•Pu

blic,Ab

original

Commun

ities,stakeh

olde

rs,alon

gwith

governmen

tde

partmen

tsand

agen

cies

are

engaged.

•Prom

otes

better

projectp

lann

ingby

iden

tifying

andaddressin

gen

vironm

entaleffe

ctsat

theearlieststagesof

projectd

evelop

men

t.

Governm

ent A

gencies that have be

en

enga

ged in th

e process:

Provincial:

NovaScotiaEnvironm

ent(NSE)

Departmen

tofN

aturalRe

sources

Fede

ral:

FisheriesandOceansCanada

Environm

ent&

Clim

ateCh

ange

Canada

Canadian

Environm

entalA

ssessm

entA

gency

TransportC

anada

Register th

e En

vironm

ental

Assessmen

t (Summer 201

8)Co

mpletion of EA Stud

y

30 Day Pub

lic Review

Minister’s

Decision

(one

of the

following five op

tions)

•Ad

ditio

nal information requ

ired

•Ap

proval

•Re

jection

•Focus R

eport

•EA

Rep

ort, EA

board and

pub

lic hearin

g

NSE’s Process (50 days total)

PANEL 4

ORIGINS OF TH

E BO

AT HAR

BOUR TR

EATM

ENT FA

CILITY

Replacem

ent o

f Efflue

nt Treatmen

t Facility, N

orthern Pu


nmen

tal A

ssessm

ent, De

cembe

r 201

7

From

Abe

rcro

mbi

e P

oint

unt

reat

ed e

fflue

nt is

pi

ped

alon

g th

e bo

ttom

of t

he E

ast R

iver

and

ac

ross

land

to th

e B

oat H

arbo

ur F

acili

ty.

NO

RTH

ER

N

PU

LP M

ILL

3 companies were attracted

to th

e Co

unty th

rough these

incentives (M

iche

lin Tire

, Northern Pu

lp's pred

ecessor

and Canso Ch

emicals).

Boat Harbo

urbe

gan

operating as a treatm

ent

facility in 1967.

It is the wish

of P

ictou

Land

ing First N

ation that

Boat Harbo

ur be returned

to

tidal and

be made a place

that th

e commun

ity can

once

again en

joy.

Northern Pu

lp su

pports th

e governmen

t’s actions to

fulfill

the prom

ise m

ade to Pictou

Land

ing First N

ation to close

the existing facility.

The remed

iatio

n of Boa

t Harbo

ur is a se

parate project.

This enviro

nmen

tal assessm

ent focuses on the

replacem

ent o

f the

effluen

t treatmen

t facility only.

1965

As a

n incentive to attract indu

stry to

Pictou Co

unty, the

provincial governm

ent o

ffered raw water sup

ply and efflu

ent

treatm

ent to po

tential incom

ing indu

strie

s.

PANEL 5

EXISTING BOAT

HAR

BOUR TR

EATM

ENT FA

CILITY

What is n

ow ope

rated as th

e Bo

at

Harbou

r Efflue

nt Treatmen

t Facility

(ETF) is v

ery diffe

rent th

an how

it

began.

In fa

ct, orig

inally th

ere was no

form

al treatm

ent p

rocess. It w

as

believed that nature and tim

e were

enou

gh to

treat the

efflue

nt.

Shortly

following op

eration, it was

recognize

d that add

ition

al treatm

ent

was necessary.

In 199

5 NPN

S took

over o

peratio

ns

of th

e facility un

der a

lease

agreem

ent o

riginally fo

r 10 years,

extend

ed until 20

30.

Treatm

ent p

rocess at B

oat H

arbo

ur was im

proved

to includ

e settling po

nds a

nd an

aerated basin

.

Canso chem

ical chlor‐alkali facility closed, stop

ping

produ

ction of so

dium

hydroxide using mercury as a

catalyst.

Beginn

ing in 1992 and fin

ishing in 1996, m

ultip

le upgrade

s were made to th

e EFT includ

ing: add

ition

al aeration, se

paratio

n curtains in

the aeratio

n basin

, and the additio

n of a nutrie

nt fe

ed sy

stem

to optim

ize microbiological activity

.

The bleaching process w

as upgrade

d to m

eet n

ew fe

deral regulations fo

r dioxins

and furans by sw

itching

to chloride dioxide instead of elemen

tal chlorine (Pulp

and Pape

r Efflue

nt Regulations (P

PER)).

Boat Harbo

ur Act enacted

in 2015, re

quiring

the curren

t Boat H

arbo

ur Treatmen

t Facility

to cease ope

ratio

ns by Janu

ary 31, 2020. A new

efflue

nt treatm

ent facility is now

requ

ired.

1972

1992

1996

1997

2015Tr

eatm

ent p

lant began

ope

ratin

g1967

Replacem

ent o

f Efflue

nt Treatmen

t Facility, N

orthern Pu


nmen

tal A

ssessm

ent, De

cembe

r 201

7

PANEL 6

ALTERN

ATIVE TR

EATM

ENT PR

OCE

SSES

CONSIDER

ED

Replacem

ent o

f Efflue

nt Treatmen

t Facility, N

orthern Pu


nmen

tal A

ssessm

ent, De

cembe

r 201

7

Alternative techno

logies

(processes) w

ere iden

tified

based on

their p

oten

tial to meet

Pulp and

Paper Efflue

nt

Regulatio

ns, m

inim

ize

environm

ental risk

s, and

be

econ

omically viable.

Several treatmen

t process

alternatives and

com

bina

tions

were considered

:•

Sequ

encing

Batch

Reactors;

•Ro

tatin

g Biological

Contactors;

•Biological Aerated

Filters;

•Moving Be

d Bio‐Re

actors;

•An

aerobic Treatm

ent;

•Tertiary Treatmen

t; an

d•

Closed

Loo

p (Zero

Efflu

ent).

An Activated

Sludge Treatm

ent (AS

T) process

is recommen

ded based on

evaluation of th

ese

crite

ria and

other alte

rnatives.

Optim

ization

What p

rocess will

reliably result in

quality

treatm

ent,

given the

characteristics

need

ing to be

treated?

Efficiency

Does th

e techno

logy m

atch th

e requ

iremen

t?

Econ

omic

Viab

ility

Can the

process a

llow

for the

continue

d viable

operation of

the mill?

Footprint

Can the process fit on

the mill

prop

erty, w

ithou

t impacting

adjacent natural fe

atures and

prop

erty owne

rs?

Flexibility

Can the process fun

ction

across various ope

ratin

g cond

ition

s?

The recommen

ded process was determined

con

side

ring:

PANEL 7

WHY NOT A CLOSED LOOP SYSTEM

?WHAT

TYP

E OF PU

LP M

ILLS CAN

BE ZERO

‐EFFLU

ENT?

Zero‐effluen

t mills d

o exist, bu

t use differen

t processes. B

ecau

se

they m

ake differen

t produ

cts, th

ey can

use differen

t pulping

processes:

MEC

HAN

ICAL

PULPINGwhe

re “grinde

rs” separate woo

d fib

res to

form

pulp.

•Pu

lp used for n

ewspaper, m

agazines and

paperbo

ards

•Process u

ses less w

ater th

an kraftpu

lping.

Replacem

ent o

f Efflue

nt Treatmen

t Facility, N

orthern Pu


nmen

tal A

ssessm

ent, De

cembe

r 201

7

UNBLEA

CHED

KRA

FTpu

lp is a differen

t process to

form

pulp.

•Pu

lp used for shipp

ing bo

xes a

nd brown bags

•“Zero‐efflu

ent” ope

ratio

ns are not all the tim

e every day.

It’s intermitten

t.•Some of th

ese mills u

se th

e treated efflu

ent for irrig

ation,

making them

“zero‐efflue

nt” for that p

eriod of time.

PANEL 8

NORT

HER

N PULP IS A BLEAC

HED

KRA

FT M

ILL.

WHY NOT A ZERO

EFFLU

ENT BLEA

CHED

KRA

FT M

ILL?

BLEA

CHED

KRAF

Tpu

lpisachem

icalprocessto

form

pulp.

Thebleachingprocessgene

ratesthemajority

oftheefflu

entfrom

ableached

kraft

mill.

The

efflu

ent

contains

chlorid

esthat

cause

equipm

entcorrosio

n.

Replacem

ent o

f Efflue

nt Treatmen

t Facility, N

orthern Pu


nmen

tal A

ssessm

ent, De

cembe

r 201

7

11 bleache

d kraftp

ulp mills h

ave attempted

zero‐efflu

ent systems, but th

ey

weren

’t zero‐efflue

nt all the tim

e.

•Some had full efflu

ent closure fo

r only short p

eriods of tim

e or partia

l closure on

ly of the

bleach plant e

fflue

nt stream:

•Ope

ratin

g issue

s with

the closure system

occurred regardless of the

bleaching process used

.•

Of the

10 mills that rem

ain in ope

ratio

n today, all have efflue

nt treatm

ent

plants and

disc

harge the treated efflu

ent.

Full closure of a bleache

d kraftm

ill effluen

t cycle is not te

chnically fe

asible on a sustaina

ble ba

sis

The bleaching process used

at N

orthern Pu

lp (E

lemen

tal‐C

hlorine‐Free, o

r ECF, b

leaching) is considered

“Best‐Av

ailable‐Techno

logy” by

every governm

ent in the world.

This is the same reason

you

use catho

dic

protectio

n op

erating a bo

at in

salt water.

!

PANEL 9

WHAT

IS IN

TYP

ICAL

BLEAC

HED

KRA

FT PULP M

ILL EFFLUEN

T?HOW DOES IT

CHAN

GE DURING TRE

ATMEN

T?

Replacem

ent o

f Efflue

nt Treatmen

t Facility, N

orthern Pu


nmen

tal A

ssessm

ent, De

cembe

r 201

7

Parameter

Before Treatmen

tAfter T

reatmen

t

Fresh water

No change

Organ

ics na

turally present in

woo

d –lignin,

resins, fatty acids, sugars, alcoh

ols, etc

85 to

95%

removal th


in th

e treatm

ent system

Metals n

aturally present in

water and

woo

dMost m

etals leave with

the biological slud

ge

Woo

d fib

re80

to 90%

removal via se

ttling (prim

ary treatm

ent)

Sand

or d

irt

80 to

90%

removal via se

ttling (prim

ary treatm

ent)

Lime

80 to

90%

removal via se

ttling (prim

ary treatm

ent)

Woo

d ash

80 to

90%

removal via se

ttling (prim

ary treatm

ent)

Black liq

uor (lignin, cellulose and

sod

ium

sulphide

, sod

ium hydroxide

) 85

to 95%

removal th


in th

e treatm

ent system

Chlorin

ated

Com

poun

ds45

to 65%

removal th


in th

e treatm

ent system

Lime can help in pH ad

justment o

f effluent

Woo

d ash can provide some of th

e nu

trients (nitrog

en, pho

spho

rus) re

quire

d for e

ffective treatm

ent