LOCATION: Spring Grove Borough, York County

STATUS: Monitoring

ISSUE: Pixelle owns and operates a fully integrated kraft pulp and paper mill located in Spring Grove Borough, York County, (formerly known as P.H. Glatfelter) approximately 40 miles southwest of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. This mill has been producing bleached kraft pulp and fine paper (coated and uncoated) since 1864. Considering a number of industrial activities performed and type of wastewater generated at the mill, Pixelle is categorized a major industrial facility less than 250 MGD. Given that the permit was last reissued in 2007, EPA NPDES Permit Rating Work Sheet was prepared for this permit renewal to confirm that the facility is considered a major industrial waste facility.

The Facility’s existing NPDES permit was issued on May 31, 2007 and became effective on July 1, 2007. The permit expired on June 30, 2012, and has been administratively extended since that time, i.e., a period of nearly 12 years. According to the Draft Fact Sheet, the renewal application was received by the Department on December 29, 2011, and accepted on January 6, 2012. We urge DEP to issue a final permit for the Facility that reflects the changes we have recommended, and we invite discussion as to how the permit’s requirements can be carried out in a way that is environmentally protective, cost-effective, and implementable by industry while, most importantly, achieving the objectives of the Clean Water Act to restore and maintain the health of our nation’s waters, and those of the Commonwealth.

Please see links to our comments on this page regarding the draft permit presented by the PA Department of Environmental Protection.

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