Mill working on lagoon stench

FORT FRANCES—With complaints coming from U.S. neighbours as well as some local residents, the Abitibi-Consolidated mill here is working on a plan to mitigate odours coming from the north-end treatment lagoons.
Environmental services manager Gary Rogozinski said Thursday the mill is working with the Ministry of the Environment to devise a timeline to at least mitigate the smelly problem.
“Changes internally have caused more sulphur to get to our treatment system, resulting in more hydrogen sulphide being formed,” he noted. “Even very low levels of that particular substance, well, you notice it.
“We’ve got a five-year plan—we’ve already started some chemical trials in the mill, not the treatment system, to try and get rid of that odour,” added Rogozinski.
“But because the system’s so big, it’s a really, really difficult task to try and eliminate odour in something that’s 200 million gallons in size.
“We know there’s an odour. But we’re not the only source of odour in the community.” he stressed. “On a south wind, all you have to do is stand across from the I. Falls mill and realize that they contribute to the odour in the community, as well.
“But on a north wind, you can definitely smell our treatment system, and we’re taking significant steps to improve it.”
Rogozinski said it’s definitely the lagoon—not the mill itself—creating the stink.
“In 1999-2000, we spent over $9 million to reduce odour coming from our pulp mill and it was really successful. We saw a big reduction in odour from our kraft mill,” he noted.
“But now the problem has shifted to our treatment system. Now it’s basically round two, back to the drawing board,” he explained.
“We’ve got both the Pulp and Paper Research Institute of Canada helping us and the National Council for Air and Stream Improvement helping us,” Rogozinski continued.
“They’re scientific-based groups and they’re both helping us in trying to not only pinpoint where exact problems are, but helping us come up with potential solutions for it.
“We’ve entered into an agreement with the ministry, where we’ve submitted a plan and they’re putting it into what they call a director’s order. That order will have timelines and dates to complete projects,” he explained.
“The process will be finalized next week and we’ll look at releasing more information to the public.”
Koochiching County commissioners on Tuesday ordered their Environmental Services Department to contact representatives from both the Abitibi and Boise Cascade mills, as well as Minnesota pollution and health agencies, to meet with the county board and discuss the lagoon odours, the Falls Daily Journal reported.
According to a letter commissioners received from the MPCA, it has received complaints about the odour for the past three years, with some U.S. residents allegedly smelling it 10 miles away.
Last month, commissioners asked the MPCA to investigate the odour and report to the board its source, its potential impact, and steps taken to eliminate it.
(Fort Frances Daily Bulletin)