Class I Environmental Assessment - Replacement Effluent Treatment Facility Project

This is to advise that on February 7, 2019, Northern Pulp Nova Scotia Corporation (Northern Pulp) registered the Replacement Effluent Treatment Facility Project for environmental assessment, in accordance with Part IV of the Environment Act.

The purpose of the Project is to replace the existing effluent treatment facility (ETF) with a new one to treat wastewater received from the Northern Pulp pulp mill at Abercrombie Point, Pictou County. The Project includes a new ETF and a new effluent pipeline that will carry treated effluent to be discharged in the Northumberland Strait.

Northern Pulp intends to use an AnoxKaldnes BAS™ biological activated sludge treatment process purchased from Veolia Water Technologies, which combines moving bed biofilm reactor technology with conventional activated sludge. Once treated, effluent would be sent via an approximately 15.5 kilometers-long pipeline. The effluent pipeline would follow the Highway 106 for approximately 11.4 kilometers, then enter the marine environment near the Northumberland Ferries marine terminal, and continue for approximately 4.1 kilometers through Caribou Harbour to the Northumberland Strait where the treated effluent would be discharged via an engineered diffuser.

On February 7, 2019, all project information including the Registration Document will be available on Nova Scotia Environment website at http://www.novascotia.ca/nse/ea/. 

Please note that written comments must be provided no later than March 9, 2019 to be considered in this environmental assessment. Written comments are requested to be provided via e-mail if possible.

On or before March 29, 2019, the Minister of Environment will decide if the project can be granted conditional environmental assessment approval.

All comments received will be posted on the department’s website for public viewing (after the Minister of Environment has made a decision on this environmental assessment). In the case of an individual, the address, email and contact information will be removed before being placed on the website. By submitting your comments, you are consenting to the posting of your comments on the department’s website.