Pulp company fined for releasing 'acutely lethal' wastewater into Alberta river

PEACE RIVER, Alta. — The operator of a pulp mill in northwestern Alberta has been fined $1 million for letting almost 31 million litres of toxic wastewater flow into the Peace River.

Environment and Climate Change Canada says the effluent released in April 2021 was "acutely lethal" to fish.

Mercer Peace River Pulp Ltd. pleaded guilty last month to a section of the Fisheries Act.

The conviction means the company's name will be added to the Environmental Offenders Registry.

The federal government says the pulp mill was shut down for maintenance and waste was directed to a spill pond, where it was to be stored until it could be gradually treated and released into the river.

But the investigation found there wasn't enough room in the pond for that additional effluent, something Mercer has since taken steps to fix.

The fine is to go into Ottawa's Environmental Damages Fund.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 15, 2024.

The Canadian Press