Rayonier Discharge Makes Dirty Dozen Rivers List

(Jesup, GA) Deborah Sheppard points to big blobs of dark brown in the water.  We're in a boat on the Altamaha River and she is showing me the first discharge pipe from Rayonier a little more than a mile downstream from the Highway 84 bridge.

Sheppard, who is the Altamaha Riverkeeper, is out for more than just a day in the sun.  The Altamaha was recently named as one of the "dirty dozen" in Georgia, a list of the most polluted rivers.  The Georgia Water Coalition cited "50 years of pollution from the discharge from the Rayonier plant."

Sheppard says the Altamaha at one time was called Georgia's "Little Amazon" and says in some places, it's still a stunning river.  When we start out, the water by the bridge is a sparkling green.  I take a water sample and it looks clear in the glass jar.

But as we approach the first discharge pipe from Rayonier, the water turns a visible brown-red and there is a rank odor.  I can't really describe it. (Kind of like a cross between sewage and some kind of chemicals with a mystery smell thrown in.)  Around here, Sheppard says they just call the smell "Rayonier".  Her group believes strongly that the millions of gallons of brown water that are discharged daily are changing the character of the river and in many cases producing foul-smelling fish that are not fit to eat.

"When you see the discharge that's going into the river, it's sickening and it's sad because it doesn't have to be that way," she says.  "And EPD (Environmental Protection Division) is as much to blame as Rayonier, because the state allows the discharge to go on."

Rayonier takes groundwater, uses it for its manufacturing process and then discharges the treated water back into the river.  Rayonier spokesperson Robin Keegen points out the company is adhering to all permits.  And she tells me since 2008, when the EPD and the company entered into a consent order - that Rayonier has cleaned up 30 percent of the color in the discharge.  "As a matter of fact, we're ahead of schedule, we have already reached the benchmarks set for 2013," says Keegan.  "And Rayonier is committed to spending $38 million over the next four years to clean up even more of the color in the discharge."

But Sheppard doesn't seemed impressed.  She says she's been traveling the river for the past three years and doesn't see much difference in the color of the water and still hears reports about problems with fish.  "You're not observing an accident," she tells me as we look at the brown water pouring out from the first discharge pipe.  "This is a permitted discharge to put this nasty water into this beautiful river 24 hours a day, seven days a week."

Sheppard says the 2008 consent order from the state of Georgia is an indication that the state acknowledged that Rayonier's discharge was changing the water quality and not for the better.

We take a sample of some of the water coming out of the discharge pipe and it's definitely brown and pretty foul smelling. "I would like to see someone from EPD doing this and then say this is an acceptable discharge to put into the mighty Altamaha," says Sheppard.

Rayonier says the brown color in the discharge is mostly tannins from the wood processing that takes place inside the plant.  Keegan tells me the water is filtered and treated before it's returned to the Altamaha. "We have the same goals as the Riverkeeper," says Keegan.  "We agree that reducing the tannins in the river is a good thing to do. We've made significant progress and we're going to continue to do that moving forward."

Keegan told me it didn't take an order from the state to get the company to move forward with a clean up plan, rather saying "this is something the company has been working on for years."

The Riverkeeper, which has tracked the discharge in the past few years, claims the company agreed to the clean up and the consent order to avoid challenges to its discharge permits. It also says that the consent order only calls for the company to clean up half the discharge in a decade.

While some in the community worry about long term effects to the river, Jesup Mayor Herb Shaw says overall, Rayonier is a great asset. "This community is very supportive of Rayonier, it always has been always been," he tells me.  "Yes, there some discharge but that's part of an industrial complex."

Shaw says the more than 800 jobs provided by Rayonier mean a great deal to the town."There's more good to  Rayonier than bad," he says. 

Shaw also tells me he believes Rayonier when the company says it's cleaning up the discharge.  "We have community meetings and I would be willing to say they (Rayonier are meeting or exceeding the requirements put on them by EPD" he said.

Rayonier by the way say it's actually ahead of schedule and already meeting clean up goals for 2013, even though the Riverkeeper says it sees no visible sign of a clean up. Keegan also says the company " is more than happy to sit down with the Riverkeeper and show them the science of the steps we've taken and how we have reduced the color in the past three years."

Sheppard disagrees with the premise, saying there has been a lack of information since the 2008 consent order from "both Rayonier and the EPD." 

I called EPD to try to talk about the consent order and to determine if Rayonier is meeting the clean up goals but was told in an email that the state would not comment on anything to do with the dirty dozen list.

Rayonier made more than $100 million in profits in the third quarter alone, reason enough for Sheppard to indicate that some of that money could be used for a clean up now, not years from now.  Keegan responds by saying they need to get "equipment and systems in place."

Keegan also reiterated that currently the company is adhering to all state discharge permits.  She says Rayonier has been in the community since 1954 and said the company "remains committed to spending the $38 million over the next four years to continue to clean the discharge."

Sheppard still plays a waiting game, worrying about what will happen. "It's absolutely pollution," she tells me.

After hearing of the company's response, Sheppard also told me via email that "maybe we should invite them to a fish fry."