Irving Pulp & Paper to pay $3.5 million for Saint John River pollution charges
SAINT JOHN, N.B. — Irving Pulp & Paper said it will pay $3.5 million in penalties after pleading guilty Tuesday to three charges of effluent discharge into the fish-bearing Saint John River.
The company said in a release that its mill near the Reversing Falls tourist attraction in Saint John failed to meet standards under the federal Fisheries Act.
The proposed court agreement would also require the installation of a multi-million-dollar effluent treatment facility as an operating condition, with a timeline for construction to be established at a later date.
Irving says federal authorities acknowledged there was no evidence fish were killed by the discharge — but noted that the company did fail a required test of trout survival in the mill’s effluent.