Canton Paper Mill Cited Even After It Closed

The paper mill in Canton, NC is now closed, but the problems it caused for the Pigeon River remained last month. The Pactiv Evergreen Paper Mill began winding down its operations for good at the beginning of June. However, shortly afterward, the state of North Carolina received word that the staff at the paper mill were illegally dumping sodium hydroxide solution and calcium hypochlorite directly into the wastewater treatment system. After pictures surfaced of employees using a hose connecting a chemical tote to a floor drain….Pactiv Evergreen officials told the North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality that they sometimes diluted the sodium hydroxide before disposing of it. The company was found guilty in June of voiolating three rules including making any outlets into the waters of the state.

For years rafting companies in the Hartford area battled pollution in the Pigeon River caused by the Canton paper mill.