Province orders Northern Pulp to clean spill that company says it dealt with weeks ago

Nova Scotia's Department of the Environment appeared to be cracking down Tuesday on Northern Pulp for a spill at its Abercrombie mill, but the company says the order to clean up the site comes weeks after the work was completed.

The spill of ash slurry (water containing tiny pieces of burned wood) happened on Feb. 9 in a pipe that carried the slurry from the power boiler to an ash pit located on company property.

According to Kathy Cloutier, spokesperson for Paper Excellence, which runs the mill, the "leak in the ash line sent wood ash to a ditch located in front of the mill."

She estimated the spill at 15 to 20 wheelbarrow loads of wood ash, which she said had been cleaned up "right away."

Same day as protest

Cloutier said the pipe had been repaired, inspected and returned to service by the time the province's order arrived Tuesday afternoon.

Environment Minister Iain Rankin told reporters he wasn't aware of any of the details surrounding the spill when he was asked about his department's order. He said he wasn't even aware of when the spill had occurred.

"Given this is a directive from the staff level they are autonomous to do that action," he said. "If it was a ministerial order I'd have the time stamps for you."

The order was issued the same day dozens of people unhappy with the mill and its plan to pump treated effluent into the Northumberland Strait descended on Province House to pressure the government to crack down on Northern Pulp.

'Litany of failings'

Pictou resident Terry Dunbrack, member of Clean the Mill and No Pipe, two environmental groups opposed to the mill's operations, weren't overly impressed with the province's action.

"I think it's good that the department is issuing a directive to clean it up," he said. "Unfortunately it doesn't stop the litany of failings of Northern Pulp has.

"They've had 12 infractions since 2012, plus ministerial orders and compliance orders and directives."

Dunbrack said he was unaware of the spill or the order until informed by CBC News.

Prevention plan due

"For a company that's on Canada's environmental offenders list it seems strange that they seem to get given so much level of trust in what they can do, especially when you see the continued failings at the plant."

As for the company, Cloutier was at a loss to explain why the company was being ordered to do what it had already done.

Late Tuesday afternoon, Environment Department spokesperson Chrissy Matheson sent an email explaining the department's action.

"Although they are already in compliance with some of the directive, there are still outstanding items," she wrote. For example, a prevention plan is due by March 23, and there will be frequent inspections monitoring the situation until June 29.