Spi News 985-2131 Classified 986-6222 Distribution 986-3337 103 pages 2>~ into H. Sound 2ND SPILL THIS MONTH FROM WOODFIBRE MILL ONLY ONE day after several thousand fitres of caustic soda flowed into Howe Sound from Western Pulp Partner- ships’ Woodfibre pulp mill earlier this month, a second spill occurred at the mill. sending an estimated 50,000 litres of a *thighly toxic’’ chemical into the waterway. But while ensironmentalists maintain thy March 8 spill is cause for concern, a mill spokesman said the spill was very minor. A spokesman for the B.C. en- vironment ministry's conservation branch in Squamish would only confirm the spill accurred. He “Tf you touched this stuff with vour hands it would burn the skin Off...” — Greenpeace DJiological expert Brian Killeen declined to release any more in- formation, saving only that the spill was “being investigated.”* Bill Rempel, Woodfibre’s technical and environmental man- ager, said he did not know the ex- act size of the March 8 spill, which involved the mill's chemical ‘black liquor’, but added that the mill was able to quickly coniain the spill] in its effluent treatment system. “We had a pump failure ow a filtrate tank. foo wasn’t normal black liquor...if was atau ipter- mediate stage.” said Rempel. ‘lt wasn'ta spill into the receiving one vironment. When the pump filed the chemical went onto a slab and then went into our nonmnal etivent containment system. Hoo. au. opull, wren lasted te wide ules, was ser Rempel added that the conipans tested its effluent outfall shorty after the spif and) found that the amount of ctfhuent being dischare ed inte Howe Sound on the « the spall did not exceed Uhe ale whte Limit for the pulp mul “You comd harddy telbi (chem: SH NORTH ical) was in the water.” said Rempel But Greenpeace biological expert Brian Killeen said it was his under- standing that 50,000 litres of black liquor seey-cd into Howe Sound and said the chemical accident would hase an impact equivalent to that of an oil spill. “This stulf is very highly toxic material. If you touched this scuff with your bare hands it would burn the skin right) off vour hands,"* said Killeen, He added that Woodfibre does not have an cffluent treatment centre but that ik only has a con- tainment pond and if the black li- quor overflowed from that pond it would end up in Howe Sound. “It’s a thick globby type of chemical,’ he said. “Tf it did leak into Howe Sound it would still be floating around out there today. If any murine life comes into contact with that stuff they would be covered in it.”" He added that Woodfibre should be taking a more serious approach to the spill. “Ht doesn’t surprise me that Bill Rempel would say if was net serious. Any ame Woodfibre has a spillthey try to downplay it,” said Killeen, whe added that the ‘black fiquor’ chermical is used to break down the fore in wood, Environment Wat, founder ferry Jacks charged Chat the BoC. chuironment minisery and the pro ms pulp mils are tin bed fagether” because the wovernment. He sand, ds not charging meds char vaehete tts pedfufion ciatdelines. Sacks added that the sneiron ment munities adimmited rt had “abptipht cases 7 agit (bad See Mil! ver DEN: 17 Feeling A Kk > sUICi€ yy : Win $700 worth of gas: 27 NEWS photo Terry Peters Dog's best friend NORTH VANCOUVER resident Ronda Evans risked her life to save Sheba, a{ four-month-old Rottweiler trapped by.fire on a balcony at a Mosquito Creek Co-op J townhouse Wednesday morning. Fire struck at approximately 9:30 a.m. at 23-1745 § Fell Ave. According to a North Vancouver City Fire Department spokesman, the fire J originated on the balcony. Investigators found a plugged in extension cord with a] mechanic’s fight attached to it on the balcony near a dog house. Evans saw black smoke coming from the balcony and then heard a child call for help. She ran to the scene, saw the dog trapped on the burning balcony, and jumped up to the balcony by climbing on to the roof of a yan parked nearby. Both made it back to safety unharm- ed. The fire scorched the exterior of the townbouse.