Mercer Peace River Pulp Ltd. pleaded guilty to one count of violating the Fisheries Act and was fined $1 million after it was found to have deposited toxic wastewater into the Peace River, which it operates alongside in Alberta.
The company was found in violation of federal environmental legislation after an investigation by Environment and Climate Change Canada determined that it had deposited or permitted the deposit of more than 30 million litres of effluent that is toxic to fish into the river.
The pulp mill’s wastewater treatment system has a spill pond for the capture and storage of wastewater for eventual reintroduction to the treatment system at a controlled rate, but a maintenance shutdown of the pulp mill generated waste materials that were directed into the spill pond because the company had not maintained enough capacity, and the pond did not work as intended.
Mercer Peace River has since taken steps to increase the capacity of the spill pond by removing sludge and upgrading its pumping system, and the proceeds from the fine will go to the government’s environmental damages fund, which is used to repair environmental damage.
