IP's Cantonment, Fla., Mill Gets Go-Ahead for Rerouting of Effluent Discharge

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International Paper, Memphis, Tenn., USA, has been awarded a permit to reroute the wastewater discharge at its cantonment, Fla., mill. The paper mill effluent will be redirected from Eleven Mile Creek to an existing 1,400 acre wetland area owned by IP that includes Tee and Wicker Lakes west of Saufley Field. From there, the effluent will be distributed and will flow into lower Eleven Mile Creek and Perdido Bay., according to a report this past week in NorthEscambia.com.

"The final order will, after years of legal challenges, issue a permit for the mill. The permit strictly outlines all of the necessary improvements International Paper needs to make in order to protect the area's natural resources as well as enhance the biological diversity and productivity of the nearby wetlands," said Michael W. Sole, Florida Department of Environmental Protection secretary, in a written statement. IP's permit and accompanying consent order will result in an upgrade of its industrial wastewater treatment plant and relocation of its discharge, NorthEscambia.com reports. "IP's use of the wetland tract will set the Eleven Mile Creek on a course of recovery, improve the environmental health of Perdido Bay, and set aside substantial areas of important habitat for permanent protection," Sole said in the news report.

IP's Cantonment mill has been operating under an administratively continued 1989 wastewater permit and Consent Order. The Consent Order, which accompanied the permit, required the mill to conduct water quality studies and engineering evaluations, and develop plans to achieve compliance with water quality criteria for Eleven Mile Creek and Perdido Bay. By 1995, IP, then known as Champion International, had invested millions of dollars in mill modifications toward meeting this requirement, according to NorthEscambia.com. On April 5, 2005, DEP noticed its intent to approve the requested permit to authorize the industrial wastewater treatment improvements, including relocation of the discharge from Eleven Mile Creek to the wetland. These actions were petitioned by the Friends of Perdido Bay and additional residents near the mill in May 2005. After several legal proceedings, IP conducted additional studies, modified the project, and re-applied for authorizations, NorthEscambia.com noted.