1986 was a great year. Huey Lewis was at the top of the music charts. The U.S. and the Soviet Union were working to end the Cold War. And, 1986 was the last time that a comparitive toxicology and sediment study was completed for the ocean outfall of the Georgia-Pacific pulp mill outfall off Newport (see plume photo). For years, Newport Chapter and other citizens have been asking the Oregon Dept. of Environmental Quality (DEQ) to strenghen the scientific monitoring requirements of the pulp mills discharge. Such monitoring is needed to understand the effect of releasing 11 million gallons a day of treated wastewater in the vicinity of important nearshore habiats and popular surfing spots and fishing grounds. The wastewater discharge of the mill contains a broad spectrum of pollutants including bioaccumulative toxins, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), and resins from the pulping process. Between 2001-2006 alone 19,000 lbs of lead was discharged off Nye Beach through the mill's effluent line according to EPA's toxins release inventory. To read our report which explains why the current scientific monitoring & assessment of the wastewater permit is inadequate to meet standards of the Clean Water Act, please click on the links below. Remember knowledge is power.
