February 14, 1990 News 985-2131 Classified 986-6222 Distribution 986-1337 56 papes 25¢

BUT WOODFIBRE PLANT SPOKESMAN SA YS PLAN NEEDS MORE TESTING

A SPOKESMAN for a West Vancouver-based environment
group says 2 pilot project aimed at reducing the effluent
toxicity of Howe Sound’s Woodfibre pulp mill will have a
minimal impact on reducing the mill's pollution.

Western Pulp Inc., the owners
of Woodfibre, initiated the $1-
million project last summer to use
**turbocharged’’ micro-organisms
to help eliminate dioxins and other
pollutants found in the pulp mill's
effluent.

MacMillan Bloedel joined the
experimental project in January.

Under the project, micro-
organisins, similar to those that
occur naturally, are combined in
one tank with pure oxygen and in
another with air.

Temperature, oxygen and air
levels, pH, nutrients and contact
time are all controlled, allowing
the micro-organisms to eat various
mil! effluent pollutants faster than
they would under uncontrolled
natural conditions.

In an Oct. 29 News story, an
Environment Canada repre-

“*The harder you
push a mill, the
more pollution you
get.”’
—Environmental
Watch spokesman
Doug McKenzie

EE EEE
sentative said preliminary rests
from the Woodfibre project had
been promising.

The process being used by
Woodlibre has been used in pulp
mills in the United States and will
also be installed at Howe Sound’s
Port Mellon pulp mill.

But Environmental Watch
spokesman Doug McKenzie, who
also works at Woodfibre, said the
Woodfibre experiment has been
fess than effective.

The test project, he said, is han-
dling less than one per cent of the
mill’s effluent.

Said McKenzie, “If you look at

"CLASSIFIEDS

Hyslop has
gotta sing,
gotta dance!

NORTH SHORE
NOW: PAGE 21

By SURJ RATTAN
News Reporter

it in respect to a pulp mill and the
effluent coming out of it, it has
not been very effective. If the ef-
fluent volume going through it is
not controlled, then it is not very
good."’

Woodfibre mill manager Jack
Dosenberg agreed that the project
is only handling ‘ta fraction’ of
the mill's effluent, ut added
‘that's what a pilot project is

for.”

Dosenberg said the mill has been
testing effluent retention times in
the tanks ranging from four to
eight hours since July and is cur-
rently testing a retention time of 12
hours.

‘*These times appear to be ade-
quate for dealing with toxicity and
biological oxygen demand,”’ said
Desenberg. But what we are now
finding is that effluent retention
times greater than eight hours are
producing further reductions in
chlorinated organics. We antici-
pate that the optimum retention
time for the effluent from the
Woodfibre mill will be around 12
hours.”

But McKenzie claimed the mill
has already tried a retention time
of 12 hours, which was a failure.

The company, he said, is now
thinking about trying a retention
time of 24 hours, but he said the
mill does not have the room for
such a project.

“That (24-hour retention time)
is equivalent to about 70,000 cubic
metres. The land mass where the
mill is located just can’t accom-
modate that. They'd have to knock
down some buildings,’’ said
McKenzie.

But Dosenberg disagreed, saying
the mill has already tested a 24-
hour retention time and added the
mill cun handle that volume if it

See Test
Page 4

Lovelines
from your
vaientine

valentine kisses from “Art Timm (le ja d Be Ardington at the Kiwanis Lynn Manor:
apartment kissing booth. Manor residents are celebrating Valentine’s Day with an®
N.F.L. (Neighbor, Friends and Lovers) Week. Festivities include the kissing and hug- | 7:
BE ging booth and a special valentine’s bingo on Friday night.

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