EDMUNDSTON, New Brunswick — Officials with Twin Rivers Paper Co. hosted an open house Wednesday at the Sheraton Hotel in Edmundston, with the intention of providing transparency regarding recent chlorine dioxide leaks and updating residents on other environmental projects.
The company issued a public apology for five chlorine dioxide gas leaks by way of a full-page ad in a local New Brunswick newspaper on Oct. 15. One leak happened in June, with four others in late August and early September.
Eric Carrier, environmental manager for the company’s pulp production facility in Edmundston, said Wednesday that the gas levels the company exposed the public to never would have led to long-term health effects.
Given the nature of mechanical equipment and unforeseen circumstances, Carrier said the company could not guarantee that similar leaks would not happen in the future. However, he did explain what the factors were that led to the previous leaks, and what steps the company has taken to minimize the possibility of future leaks.
According to Carrier, when electrical interruptions temporarily shut down electric exhaust systems at the chlorine dioxide production site, that triggers a steam-powered eductor backup system to start. That eductor was unable to provide enough power to maintain a vacuum seal on the exhaust system, allowing gas to leave the facility without passing through the scrubbing system.
He said the company is expecting to install a new steam eductor sometime in December, which will provide 20 percent to 25 percent more power.
Carrier noted that the chlorine dioxide production site is in a restricted area. Employees only enter when needed, and only if they are properly equipped and trained.
In case of a leak or other exposures, Carrier said employees “have monitoring equipment and know what to do.”
Approximately 20 area residents attended the open house.
Roland Leger, manager for Edmundston operations, called Wednesday’s information session a success.
“It gave concerned citizens the opportunity to ask questions and better understand the events, root cause, action plan and the impact to the community,” he said.
Public safety is a priority for Twin Rivers, Carrier said. To that end, the company has a process in place which includes immediate notification to local government and emergency response agencies in the event of a leak or spill. At that point, the proper agencies make determinations on other considerations, such as possible evacuations.
Officials at Wednesday’s open house also spoke about the company’s odor mitigation program, which they started in 2014 in response to public concern about smells during the pulp-making process. They said the program has been successful in reducing the average daily releases of sulfur dioxide.
Leger said Wednesday that the program is intended to reduce odors, not eliminate them.
“We have done that,” he said, conceding that an odor can be subjective, which may leave some residents of Edmundston or surrounding communities unsatisfied. “But we have the data to show we have reduced those sulfur dioxide levels.”
Dave Deger, vice president for strategy and marketing at Twin Rivers, said Wednesday that the company is “ahead of pace” economically in comparison to other nearby paper manufacturers in Maine.
“We are better off than most,” he said, noting that is due in part to their focus on producing quick-serve or food service packaging paper. This type of paper is seeing annual growth of between 1 and 2 percent within the paper industry, which Deger said was very good.
Twin Rivers Paper’s facility in Edmundston produces the pulp which feeds the four remaining papermaking machines on the Madawaska, Maine, side of the border. Deger said Twin Rivers now produces more pulp and paper than the previous 10-year average.