by Joe Wilhelm Jr.
Staff Writer
Georgia-Pacific continues to move forward with plans to pipe discharge from its pulp and paper mill in Palatka to the St. Johns River.
Representatives from Georgia-Pacific, the Florida Department of Environmental Protection and the St. Johns Riverkeeper presented their views about the project Wednesday to the Jacksonville Waterways Commission at City Hall.
“The pipeline project will address water quality issues in Rice Creek (a tributary of the St. Johns River) associated with our discharge by relocating that discharge through a pipeline to the St. Johns River,” said Mike Curtis, compliance director from Georgia-Pacific.
The commission has no authority to act on the project, but wanted information about it.
The 4-mile pipeline project is being developed to satisfy an administrative order issued in August 2002 that requires the Georgia-Pacific plant to meet Florida Department of Environmental Protection water quality standards.
Previously, the department questioned whether or not Georgia-Pacific has fully demonstrated that its discharge cannot meet applicable water quality standards in Rice Creek. Those questions have been answered.
“Comprehensive testing in 2008 and 2010 has shown that Georgia-Pacific cannot meet water quality standards in Rice Creek. There are no unanswered questions there,” said Melissa Long of the department.
“We ultimately determined that there was no other viable alternative that would allow them to meet all of the water quality standards in Rice Creek,” she said.
Long alluded to the possible granting of a permit to allow operation of the pipeline.
“The renewal permit we are planning to go forward with in the near future will have new, more stringent nutrient limits required by the state,” said Long.
The St. Johns Riverkeeper has been opposed to the pipeline project and has attempted to work with Georgia-Pacific to find an alternative solution to meeting water quality standards.
“Our organization believes there are technologies available” to assist Georgia-Pacific to meet water quality standards in Rice Creek, said Neil Armingeon, St. Johns Riverkeeper.
While the Department of Environmental Protection is open to alternative solutions, it doesn’t believe those solutions exist in this case.
“We are open to new ideas and have met with the St. Johns Riverkeeper, but we don’t believe there is technology out there that allows Georgia Pacific to meet water quality standards in Rice Creek,” said Long.
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