What are pulp and paper mills doing to make sure their wastewater discharges are not hurting the environment?
In the last several years, advanced treatment technologies have helped to minimize the environmental impact of pulp and paper mill effluent. Monitoring techniques have continued to improve and regulations have become more stringent. The amount of material in effluent is measured in terms of two key parameters: total suspended solids (TSS) and biochemical oxygen demand (BOD). Between 1975 and 2000, levels of TSS and BOD were reduced by about 94% and 98% respectively, due primarily to the installation of treatment facilities at mills throughout Ontario. The industry worked closely with the provincial government to develop new regulations for pulp and paper mill effluent, which became fully effective in 1996. In addition, recent federal regulations require mills to monitor effluent quality, plus the health of fish and other aquatic life nearby. Many companies are also involved in the voluntary ARET program, which stands for the Accelerated Reduction and Elimination of Toxics. ARET is an i
