Former Rock-Tenn Plant What Did They Produce & Where Did It - - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

Former Rock-Tenn Plant – What Did They Produce & Where Did It Go??

A Summary Of Publicly Available Documents & Information Contained in Rock-Tenn’s 104e Response By Dan Peabody

Former Rock-Tenn Paper Mill

Former Rock-Tenn Paper Mill – Business History & Facility Operations

• Limited information is available in the

documents but the following slides will summarize what was provided.

• Rock-Tenn did not de-ink paper at the

Otsego facility.

• Utilized secondary fiber as raw

material in production of multi-ply coated and uncoated paperboard and some laminate board.

• Began producing paper in 1906 as

MacSimBar Co.

• Acquired by Waldorf Paper Products

in 1960.

• Sold to Mead Paper Co in 1968
• Acquired by Rock-Tenn Company in
• 1987. Shutdown in 2004.

– Employed approx. 250 workers.

• Produced products such as book

blanks, foil- laminated board, and gameboard.

– Mostly shipped to Chicago and returns brought materials to be recycled

Former Rock-Tenn Paper Mill – Wastewater Handling

Where Did Wastewater Go?

• The plan utilized upwards of 2 million gallons

per day in their process and discharge approx. 1 million gallons per day to the River

• 20-30% of wastewater was pumped into lagoons
• n the west side of the property

– Remaining wastewater was recycled in process What Contaminants Were In The Wastewater??

• 1971: wastewater effluent samples analyzed for

PCBs. – Sample exceeded MDEQ GSI/Residential Drinking Water Criteria.

• 1974: PCBs, Phthalates, Phenols

– Sample non-detect for PCBs and below criteria for Phenols. Phthalates were detected and provided as Total.

• 1976, 1977, 1978, 1979, 1981: samples

collected from outfalls and analyzed for water quality param., PCBs select metals (ZN/Cu) and phenols

– Minor detection of phenols and Metal but all below criteria. – One sample exceed MDEQ GSI/Residential Drinking Water Criteria for PCBs in 1978.

• 1979: Aquatic Toxicity

– Effluent did not result in significant minnow mortality.

• 1988: PCBs, Pesticides, Chlorinated Hydrocarbons

– Non-detect for all

• 1989: Aquatic Toxicity

– Effluent was found to be acutely toxic to daphnia magna (plankton). – Cause for toxicity unclear based on analytical

• 1993: Chlorinated Hydrocarbons, Pesticides, PCBs

– Non-detect for all

• 1997: Chlorinated Hydrocarbons, Pesticides, PCBs

– Detection of PCBs and phthalates but below criteria

Former Rock-Tenn Paper Mill – Sludge Handling

What is Sludge??

• Sludge - Also known as Biosolids.

Composed of dead bacterial bodies from the aerobic digestion of dissolved solids as well as other suspended solids such as papermaking fibers, sand, and bark.

Where Did The Sludge Go??

• “Sludge from the clarifiers is recycled back

to the mill”

• “Settling lagoons captured the effluent, allowed

suspended solids to settle out, and then was discharged to the River. The settling lagoons have never been dredged or excavated”

• “Dewatered sludge from lagoons is hauled away

to a company landfill”

What Contaminants Were In The Sludge??

• 1978- PCBs. Sludge sample

collected and analyzed for PCBs

– 20ppm

• 1989: VOCs

– Samples exceeded MDEQ GSI Criteria for 1,1,1- Tricholoroethene and MDEQ Res. Drinking Water for Tetrachloroethene