Catawba paper mill is a paper factory in Catawba, South Carolina part owned by a subsidiary of Kraft Group.
| Catawba paper mill | |
|---|---|
  Location within South Carolina | |
 | |
| Built | 1959 |
| Location | Catawba, York County, South Carolina |
| Coordinates | 34°50′N 80°53′W / 34.84°N 80.89°W |
| Industry | Pulp and paper |
| Products | Pulp |
| Employees | 450 |
| Buildings | 94,000 square feet |
| Address | 5300 Cureton Ferry Rd, Catawba, SC 29704 |
| Owner(s) | Schwarz Partners and New Indy LLC (a subsidiary of Kraft Group) |
| Website | newindycatawba |
The mill's owners were fined $1.1 million by the Environmental Protection Agency in response to odours emitted from the plant.
Description
editCatawba paper mill is a paper factory located on a 1,800 acre site[1] in Catawba,[2] York County, South Carolina[3] located approximately 5,000 feet[2] from the Catawba River[4] upstream of Chester, South Carolina.[4]
It is owned by Kraft Group subsidiary[5] New Indy LLC,[3] sometimes known as New Indy Containerboard.[4]
Wastewater from the mill flows through the mill's Aeration Stabilization Basin and an Equalization Basin, both designed to reduce the emission of hydrogen sulfide from the mill.[6]
The site 94,000 square foot factory employs 450 people.[1]
History
editThe mill was built in 1959.[7] Prior to New Indy buying the mill, it was owned by Bowater.[3] Schwarz Partners[1] and New Indy purchased the site from (Bowater's successor) Resolute Forest Products in 2019[8] and switched activities away from bleached paper towards unbleached pulp.[3]
In 2020, the mill's owners were the subject of litigation by residents suing for damages they linked to odors from the plant.[2] Local residents claimed that the mill's emission caused headaches, nose bleeds, and nausea.[9] By 2021, over 30,000 public complaints had been made about the smells from the mill.[8]
The Environmental Protection Agency fined the owners $1.1 million relating to emissions of fumes from the plant.[2] In 2022, mill manager Tony Hobson admitted that "We let the community down from an overall standpoint ...We started up. We ran into some issues at start-up and that ended up cascading into more than what we had hoped for."[6] In 2022, dioxins were identified in four 1960s-built[3] waste sludge lagoons at the mill.[2] An engineering report by S&ME Inc states that leaks from the lagoons seep into the adjacent river's embankment and that a repair was necessary.[3] Owners acknowledge the presence of dioxins in the lagoons, noting that this is a legacy of activities of prior owners.[3]
The mill is featured in the 2015 book The Slain Wood: Papermaking and Its Environmental Consequences in the American South written by UCLA law professor William Boyd [3] In the book, Boyd advocates for the mechanical removal of the sludge from the lagoons.[3] and encouraged the site's current owners to solve the problems they inherited with their purchase of the mill.[3]
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ a b c "Overview | New-Indy Catawba Mill". Retrieved 2023-08-28.
- ^ a b c d e "Cancer-causing compound detected at South Carolina paper mill". WFAE 90.7 - Charlotte's NPR News Source. 2022-01-13. Archived from the original on 2022-09-27. Retrieved 2023-08-28.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j Fretwell, Sammy (16 Jan 2022). "Cancer-causing waste found at troubled paper mill on the SC river. How did it get there?". The State. Archived from the original on 13 January 2022. Retrieved 28 August 2023.
- ^ a b c "Cancer-causing compound likely seeping into Catawba River from SC paper mill, attorneys say". WFAE 90.7 - Charlotte's NPR News Source. 2022-10-26. Archived from the original on 2023-08-28. Retrieved 2023-08-28.
- ^ "Who WE Are". newindycontainerboard.com. Archived from the original on 2023-03-25. Retrieved 2023-08-28.
- ^ a b Brierton, James; Goldner, Brandon (January 28, 2022). "A look inside the New-Indy plant facing $1.1 million fine for foul-smelling chemical emissions". wcnc.com. Archived from the original on 2022-12-08. Retrieved 2023-08-28.
- ^ "New-Indy Catawba Mill | Daily Updates on Operations". Archived from the original on 2023-05-31. Retrieved 2023-08-28.
- ^ a b Mclaughlin, Tim (2021-08-17). "Billionaire Kraft's paper mill causes pollution crisis in South Carolina". Reuters. Archived from the original on 2022-10-16. Retrieved 2023-08-28.
- ^ Goldner, Brandon (June 21, 2021). "Homeowners near plant said it has caused them nausea, headaches and nose bleeds | EPA inspects New Indy Containerboard". wcnc.com. Archived from the original on 2022-12-09. Retrieved 2023-08-28.