FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE - Oct. 8, 2003 03-199 New discharge permit given to Cosmopolis pulp mill OLYMPIA - Oyster-growing and pulp-making will be able to work side by side under a new discharge permit that has been issued to Weyerhaeuser's pulp mill in Cosmopolis. After more than a year of work, the state Department of Ecology has approved a new permit for the mill that will significantly reduce the mill's discharge of chlorine compounds, which are toxic and tend to take a long time to break down in the environment. Although the mill will be allowed to discharge a higher level of bacteria, the department believes the overall discharges will be cleaner. Ecology also expects to see fewer closures of commercial shellfish beds by the state Department of Health. "The permit balances competing interests from two industries and the environment," said Ecology's Carol Kraege. "This was a very challenging permit to work on, but we believe it protects water quality and is fair to the industries in the area." Kraege said the permit is based, in part, on a study that proved about half of the mill's bacteria dies off immediately when it is discharged into the cold marine waters of the harbor. The rest die off within a short time. A study by the company shows that the mill's fecal coliform bacteria are different from the strains of bacteria found in sewers that can harm human health, said Kraege. "Based on this information, the permit increases the mill's limit for bacteria and reduces the amount of toxic chlorine required to meet that limit, which is a bonus for the environment," she said. Commercial shellfish beds downstream from the discharge will continue to be temporarily closed by the state Department of Health if the mill discharges high levels of bacteria. The closures are required by the National Sanitation Program and will continue, when necessary, to protect people from eating shellfish that may be contaminated. The new permit calls for an enlarged "mixing," or buffer, zone at the end of the discharge pipe to create space for the bacteria to die off and to reduce the effects of chlorine disinfection on the receiving water. "We're going to be watching carefully to make sure the permit limits are met," Kraege said. "We think the number of shellfish closures will go down, but if not, we'll amend the permit." The new permit coordinates with the water quality cleanup plan (total maximum daily load, or TMDL) for the harbor, said Kelly Susewind, an Ecology water quality manager. A study connected with that cleanup plan showed that 95 percent of the total bacteria in Grays Harbor comes from runoff, not from industrial pipes. "The science is convincing that a higher bacteria limit for the mill will not harm water quality," Susewind said. Ecology developed the mill's wastewater-discharge permit with extensive public comment and review.
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