Regulators propose consent decree and plan to restore Roanoke River habitat near Domtar mill

Federal and state regulators have reached a tentative agreement with Domtar to restore and protect natural areas in the Roanoke River watershed in North Carolina, and a proposed consent decree and restoration plan has been filed in federal court. 1 2 The plan responds to more than 50 years of pollution from the Plymouth pulp and paper mill, which Inside Climate News says discharged dioxins, furans and mercury into the river; the Times of India lists dioxins, furans, mercury and volatile organic compounds as contaminants released into groundwater, soil, Welch Creek and the river. 1 2 Domtar did not cause the original damage but assumed liability for the cleanup after buying the property from Weyerhaeuser. 1 2

Inside Climate News says the agreement would require Domtar to fund restoration of more than 1,000 acres of sensitive habitat along the river. 1 According to NOAA as cited by the Times of India, a central element is protecting about 760 acres of forested wetlands at Warren Neck through a conservation deed restriction, plus about $1.75 million for floodplain reconnection, wetland protection and fish-passage improvements. That work could repair up to five lost natural connections, reconnect about three miles of historic stream channels and improve more than 600 acres of habitat. 2 The mill's water withdrawals also drew in larval fish; Inside Climate News, citing state and federal records, says this reduced striped bass, river herring and white perch by 100,000 each day. 1 2

Dioxin levels have declined since 1990, but state health officials still recommend eating no more than one meal a month of carp and catfish from the river, according to Inside Climate News; the Times of India notes a fish consumption advisory has stood for decades. 1 2 Earlier measures have reduced some impacts: Domtar voluntarily cut its water withdrawals and is proposed to receive settlement credit for past work including boat ramp and waterfront park improvements and high-capacity cooling towers that ended river withdrawals for cooling. Domtar has spent at least $5.5 million on remediation since 2011, including a sand cap on contaminated sediment in Welch Creek. 2 1 The site was eligible for Superfund listing based on its hazard score, but because Domtar is paying, it is being remediated under the Superfund Alternative Approach, which needs no federal funds, Inside Climate News reports. 1

North Carolina Secretary of the Environment Reid Wilson said the settlement ensures protection of fish and wildlife habitat, recreation and flood resilience. Domtar did not respond to Inside Climate News but told WCTI it would reserve comment until the public comment period ends and the decree is ordered. 1 The Nature Conservancy in North Carolina, which owns about 2,000 acres near the mill, is reviewing the draft and plans to submit comments. Larry Baldwin of the North Carolina Environmental Advocacy Corps called the river “a lifeblood for North Carolina” and noted that two-thirds to 90 percent of residents near the plant are people of color. 1 The public can comment on the proposal through Oct. 16, and the agencies will consider comments before the settlement and restoration measures move forward. 1 2