Environment Canada and the Ministry of the Environment have been notified after a pipe carrying waste water at the Abitibi-Consolidated kraft mill here broke early Monday morning.
The pipe, carrying effluent water from the kraft mill, was found to be broken around 3 a.m., forcing the mill to close down about 6:30 a.m.
“Fortunately, the river flow at this time is high and it will be moved out and there will be full dilution,” noted Gary Rogozinski, Pulping and Utilities Technical Superintendent for Abitibi here.
“We’ll do an investigation but I don’t anticipate any impact,” agreed John Barr, the MoE’s regional supervisor in Kenora.
A streak of foam was visible for several kilometres west of the dam after the pipe–which pumps waste water at a rate of 500 gallons a minute–leaked for roughly three-and-a-half hours.
“I’ve looked at the flows and the concentration, and based on bio-chemical action demand, they’ve only reached about half their daily limit,” Barr noted.
The waste water came from a pipe which would have dumped it into a secondary lagoon north of Eighth Street.
The kraft mill immediately began to shut down when the leak–which is underground–was discovered.
“They went through a shutdown sequence and attempted to contain some of the spillage before it got to the river,” said Barr.
Fort Frances Times
Local News from Across the Rainy River District
