OLD TOWN, Maine — The Maine Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) is investigating a leak at ND Paper in Old Town, which sent more than 30,000 gallons of caustic substance into the Penobscot River.
DEP officials said they were notified about the leak on October 7. The next day, Madore said about 40-50 dead fish were observed in the forebay area of the river. The fish appeared to consist of small white perch and hornpout.
Acting Deputy Commissioner David R. Madore said DEP response staff arrived at the mill the next morning to evaluate the leak and assist with clean-up operations. Madore said the leak is estimated to be more than 30,000 gallons and occurred periodically over the course of six days.
"While the assessment is ongoing and a final report from the mill will be submitted at a later date, at this point it appears there are multiple causes for this incident," Madore told NEWS CENTER Maine via email. "One cause is related to leakage from one active and one legacy underground sewer line adjacent to the forebay water intake area. Another cause involves the spill of 50% caustic (sodium hydroxide) in a building adjacent to the river due to a series of events and infrastructure issues."
According to Madore, ND Paper is implementing a variety of corrective actions to address these root cause issues. Madore said there are contractors on site making various repairs to the faulty infrastructure and evaluating possibilities to remediate caustic that remains in the seepage area.
The leak of caustic substance into the river is an unlicensed discharge and a violation of state and federal law.
After the final report, Madore said the DEP will determine an appropriate response to the incident, including the potential for enforcement actions including fines and corrective actions.