From Staff Reports

CANTON — The now-defunct Pactiv Evergreen paper mill in Canton is facing allegations of illegally dumping chemicals into the wastewater system during the recent shutdown process, the Department of Environmental Quality on July 11.

Specifically, DEQ officials said “the mill faces three violations of dumping chemicals into the wasterware system, including making outlets into waters of the state without a permit, failure to mitigate and failure to comply,” the Asheville Citizen Times reported on July 17.

“The violations stem from an early June complaint claiming mill workers were disposing of sodium hydroxide solution and calcium hypochlorite into the wastewater system,”  Asheville television station WLOS (News 13) reported on July 11.

“Over the next few days, the mill and the DEQ’s Water Resources Division disagreed over what was permitted and what wasn’t.

“In a DEQ letter to the paper mill, the mill argued virgin chemicals could be disposed of through the wastewater system and met permit requirements,” News 13 noted.

“The mill argued, ‘This type of process was inherent to the shutdown operation.’ At the time of the shutdown, Water Resources staff said they told Pactiv Evergreen officials, “The dumping, disposal or discharge of unused or virgin chemical products or materials into the ... permitted wastewater system is prohibited.”

“To hear that happening just weeks ago is disheartening,” Canton Mayor Zeb Smathers told News 13. However, He added that promises made by Gov. Roy Cooper and the DEQ are holding true.

“Evergreen needs to continue to be held accountable,” Smathers told News 13. “I’m not a person who knows how it’s done, but I don’t think things should be dumped into the river.”