THUNDER BAY — The province has issued a Notice of Violation to Thunder Bay Pulp and Paper requiring the mill immediately cease discharging waste until it can find the source of a problem with the effluent it was pouring in the Kaministiquia River and identify measures to stop the problem from happening again.
According to a spokesperson for the Ministry of Environment, Conservation and Parks, their Spills Action Centre received a report on Aug. 23, from the Ministry of Natural Resources, about a "discoloured plume and strong odour" near the mill’s effluent discharge location.
City residents had already noticed discolouration in the water near the mill and reported fish death in the area.
According to their spokesperson, the ministry has contacted the mill for details of the events leading to the discharge and the mill's water sampling information and the mill reported effluent "exceedances" from samples taken on Aug. 20 and Aug. 25.
The ministry has also collected samples which they are analyzing.
Fort William First Nation is also conducting it's own testing, Chief Michele Solomon told Newswatch on Thursday. At the time she said the First Nation had not been notified of the issue by any official body.
The ministry is continuing to investigate the incident and is directing the public to contact the Thunder Bay District Health Unit for any information about health-related issues, including the safety of water for swimming.
