An effluent leak at the Abitibi- Consolidated mill here that was detected yesterday afternoon was contained quickly and repaired by late last night.
The leak was detected around 1 p.m. The paper mill was shut down immediately and isolated from the kraft mill effluent system.
“We had a crack in the line,” said mill manager John Harrison, referring to the 24-inch diameter pipe that carries effluent to the lagoon north of Eighth Street.
“It was a significant flow,” he added, describing the leak shortly before everything was shut down.
“We just diverted it right into the mill itself,” Harrison said, stressing none of the effluent went into the river.
“Absolutely not,” he confirmed.
“Everything was contained and run through the treatment system. We have the whole river bank diked.”^Last year when flood waters threatened to spill over the banks of the river and flood the lower mill yard, a dike system was established to stop the rising waters.
That same system kept the effluent leak contained on mill property.
The site of the leak was excavated and repaired by 11 p.m. “The job went really well,” Harrison said. “The crews did an excellent job.”^By 2 a.m., the mill had re-started the paper mill process.
Harrison said the cracked pipe and subsequent leak is not common, though it does happen on occasion, giving little or no warning.
In August, 2001, untreated effluent flooded several backyards between Walker Avenue and Cornwall Avenue. In that case, the pipe carrying the effluent had been broken by a contractor working for the town.
Fort Frances Times
Local News from Across the Rainy River District
