YORK COUNTY, S.C. (CN2 NEWS) – CN2 News learned about new allegations against the New Indy Paper Mill in Catawba.
A report is claiming cancer causing pollution, Dioxin and others are being released into the Catawba River from the plant and residents are demanding the mill to clean it up, threatening a lawsuit. Officials with New Indy say the claims are not true.
According to the letter from Motley Rice Attorneys at Law and other law firms, a report was conducted by Harvey A. Cohen, Ph.D., a South Carolina Registered Professional Geologist dated October 17, 2022 after
“Per Dr. Cohen’s report, recent sediment and groundwater samples were collected from the
bank of the Catawba River adjacent to Temporary Wastewater Holding Lagoon, Sludge Basin No. 4 and Wastewater Holding Lagoon No. 1. These data indicate that certain dioxin and furan compounds, along with cobalt, were elevated relative to upstream locations not impacted by the Mill.”
The report goes on to say, “Upon information, belief, and the expert report of Dr. Cohen, the leakage of process water and manufacturing byproducts from New-Indy’s lagoons and holding ponds has contributed to and is contributing to elevated levels of dioxin, cobalt, and other constituents of concern in the groundwater that enters the Catawba River, as well as to sediments in the Catawba River, and is posing an imminent and substantial endangerment to health and the environment. In addition, these
impoundments may fail and release millions of gallons of process water, manufacturing byproducts, and sediment containing dioxin, cobalt, and other constituents of concern to the Catawba River. Moreover, wind-driven transport of these constituents of concerns from these open impoundments poses an imminent and substantial endangerment to the Catawba River, properties adjacent to the Catawba River, and downwind properties.”
Lancaster County Resident and former state representative, Mandy Powers Norrell is listed in the letter.
Norrell told CN2 News by phone during the warm seasons she kayaks on the Catawba River at least 3 days a week and hearing this she and others could be at danger is very upsetting. She says she was also very upset to find out that New Indy manufactured byproducts in various unlined lagoons and holding ponds.
CN2 News reached out to South Carolina DHEC and below is its response:
“DHEC recently received a copy of the attached letter that alleges the facility is/or has the potential to leak dioxins to groundwater and the Catawba River. As support for these allegations, the letter refers to a report by Dr. Harvey A. Cohen concerning sampling performed at the site. We are in the process of beginning to review the letter and the report in detail.
To date, DHEC has reviewed extensive data that shows no indication of the release of dioxins into the Catawba River. Dioxins have a very low water solubility and a low volatility, so they tend to settle and cling to sediment.
- Dioxin has been detected in soil samples taken from sludge in the wastewater basins onsite and not in samples taken elsewhere onsite.
- Dioxin has been detected at very low concentrations in groundwater at some onsite monitoring wells, but the levels detected are well below maximum contaminant levels for drinking water. There is no evidence of contamination leaving the property in groundwater.
It’s important to note that:
- Public drinking water in the areas around the New Indy facility comes from the Catawba River at a location upstream from New Indy.
- All private wells identified in a well survey that’s been conducted are either located:
- on the opposite side of the Catawba river, which serves as a barrier to groundwater flow, or
- in areas before groundwater flows under the facility
As noted above, we are in the process of beginning to review in detail this letter and report. All previous data and information do not suggest a potential risk of impact to drinking water sources. DHEC has been and continues to be in close communication with local public drinking water suppliers in the area.
Please find additional Qs and As about New Indy here and our other New Indy investigation webpages that provide good background and update information here.
DHEC is continuing to take actions that require the facility to meet all applicable state and federal laws for ensuring its operations do not negatively impact nearby homes and communities. The U.S. EPA also is involved.”
CN2 News did reach out to New Indy representatives and they released the following statement after the story aired:
“New-Indy Catawba denies the baseless accusations that were irresponsibly made in the October 26 report in The Charlotte Observer and The State newspapers that dioxin is seeping into the Catawba River from the mill property. This accusation was leveled by trial lawyers to gain leverage in ongoing litigation and is demonstrably false.
Dioxin is a highly toxic chemical. Small amounts of the compound were left on the property by a previous owner of the facility, a byproduct of the bleaching process used by the Bowater mill (and many other mills throughout the U.S.) to make white paper. That practice was discontinued nearly 20 years ago. At no point since New-Indy acquired the mil on Dec. 31, 2018, has the facility produced dioxin.
New-Indy Catawba has spent considerable time and effort to identify the areas on the mill property where the compound is located and to confirm that it is not migrating from the property, including through groundwater. New-Indy Catawba maintains 15 wells throughout the mill property so that it can carefully monitor dioxin levels. The mill regularly reports the results from those monitoring wells to the South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control.
The most recent report was prepared for New-Indy in June 2022 by S&ME., Inc., a South Carolina-based environmental engineering firm. That report clearly shows that no hazardous level of dioxin was detected in any of the monitoring wells. In fact, the monitoring well with the highest concentration contained 1/15th the amount of dioxin that South Carolina permits in drinking water.
The aerial photograph of the New-Indy Catawba property (attached) shows the 15 monitoring well locations on site. The only well to detect a nominal amount of dioxin was R-29-MW-1, which is located more than a half-mile from the Catawba River.
