This article has been updated with a statement from an IP spokesperson
The Florida Department of Environmental Protection is reporting that International Paper in Cantonment spilled nearly 2 million gallons of treated wastewater and stormwater into Elevenmile Creek after heavy rain.
According to FDEP’s notice, the overflow of the approximately 1.98 million gallons of a wastewater and stormwater mixture was released into Elevenmile Creek from its Cantonment mill site.
The overflow lasted about seven hours, beginning at midnight on Oct. 27 and ending at 7 a.m., according to the state.
The pollution notice stated that “all permit requirements were met” during the overflow, which was the “result of a major rain event.”
“Following the extreme rain in our area this week, we experienced an overflow of rainwater and fully treated effluent into Elevenmile Creek,” said Whitney Fike, regional communications manager for the Pensacola mill. “We notified the Florida Department of Environmental Protection. Samples of the water confirmed no threat to the environment. This overflow occurred despite mill efforts to impound the excess water from the rain event. Healthy watersheds are essential to our community, and we are committed to working with regulatory agencies to resolve this issue.”
The Department of Environmental Protection issued a notice about the spill shortly after 4 p.m. on Oct. 28, the same day it says the overflow was reported.
This article originally appeared on Pensacola News Journal: IP Cantonment mill spills nearly 2 million gallons of wastewater into Eleven Mile Creek
Reporting by Mollye Barrows, Pensacola News Journal / Pensacola News Journal
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
