Tacoma paper mill agrees to monetary penalty, new rules after air pollution violation
WestRock Co.’s Tacoma Mill has reached a settlement with the Washington Department of Ecology following a penalty and compliance order issued last year. The paper mill, which is on the Tacoma Tideflats along the Puyallup Waterway, was initially fined $52,000 in December 2022 for violating the company’s air quality permit.
WestRock’s air quality permit requires that the company treat wastewater to prevent hazardous pollutants from being released into the air. Pollutant levels are measured during periodic performance tests to ensure they don’t exceed permit limits, according to an Ecology news release.
According to the Wednesday release, WestRock failed to sufficiently reduce hazardous air pollutants during an April 17, 2022, performance test. The company passed its subsequent May 11, 2022, test and has had no violations since.
Under the settlement, WestRock has agreed to pay Ecology $32,000 and complete a performance study included in the original compliance order, which will help the company establish new operating conditions for its wastewater treatment plant. Those conditions must be met between performance tests, the news release said.
“WestRock agreed to and will comply with the terms of settlement resulting from the air quality permit violation issued by the Washington Department of Ecology in April, 2022,” WestRock senior corporate communications manager Robby Johnson wrote in an email to The News Tribune.
