If the EPA has its way, Potlatch Corp. pulp mill in
Lewiston, Idaho, will cool its wastewater and reduce toxic
compounds flowing into the Snake River (HCN, 12/06/99). A lawsuit
filed by several Idaho environmental groups prompted the
Environmental Protection Agency to release a draft of a more
stringent water pollution permit. It says Potlatch must drop the
temperature of its wastewater to 68 degrees, down from the 92
degrees currently permitted during the summer, and reduce by 64
percent its discharge of toxic compounds produced by the chlorine
bleaching process. Final issuance of the more restrictive permit
depends on review by the National Marine Fisheries Service and the
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. They will determine the effects of
Potlatch’s pollution on salmon, steelhead and bull trout – all
listed as threatened or endangered under the Endangered Species
Act.
Comments on the Potlatch permit plan are due
by Feb. 15. To take a look at the draft permit, visit the EPA’s
Region 10 Web site at www.epa.gov/r10earth. Send comments to Carla
Fisher, EPA Region 10, 1200 6th Ave. OW-130, Seattle, WA
98101.
* Robyn
Morrison
This article appeared in the print edition of the magazine with the headline Cooling the waters.
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