Domtar's pulp mill in Kamloops, British Columbia, reports few emissions incidents in 2011, but local complaints were mostly due to wind change last summer that caused odor to drift into areas not normally affected, says company official

Sandy Yang

LOS ANGELES , March 13, 2012 (Industry Intelligence) –

A change in wind direction at Domtar Corp.’s pulp mill in Kamloops, British Columbia, caused an unusually large number of odor complaints from residents in an area not usually affected, said a company official, reported The Daily News on March 9.

In reporting emissions as part of its annual report for 2011, Domtar indicated that its investigation of the complaints came up short when it tried to find causes other than the wind change.

The mill did not have any change in its operation in the six months prior to the odor complaints, said Kristen Dangelmaier, environmental lead for the Kamloops mill, on March 9, The Daily News reported.

The complaints, which peaked at 20 one month, occurred mostly in June, July and August. Normally, the weather would have been warm, but last summer it was unusually cool and the winds were blowing from the southwest, she said.

The wind drove the plume from Domtar’s emissions stack at Mission Flats across the river and downward to the North Shore, said Dangelmaier, noting that the wind normally blows in the other direction during the summer, reported The Daily News.

The odor complaints decreased to the norm of about one to two per month when the weather warmed in August, she said.

The information in Domtar’s 2011 annual report also noted that the company exceeded its air emission discharge permit once last year, during April, while the Kamloops mill was shutting down for maintenance, The Daily News reported.

However, the odor appeared to be “very localized” at the mill and dissipated “rapidly,” said Dangelmaier, adding that no complaints from the community were filed because of that incident.

The Kamloops mill also reported two incidents involving venting of gases and one delay of a main stack particulate test, according to the report.

The number of overall complaints that Domtar received in 2011 was down three to five times from 10 or 12 years ago, said Dangelmaier, The Daily News reported.

The primary source of this article is The Daily News, Kamloops, British Columbia, on March 9, 2012.
 

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