NC0006254_ARO Interoffice Memo_20121031

AQUIFER PROTECTION SECTION —Asheville Regional Office (ARO)
2090 U.S. 70 Highway, Swannanoa, NC 28778-8211
Phone: [phone] \ FAX: [phone]
Internet: www.ncwaterquality.org
An Equal Opportunity \ Affirmative Action Employer
AVA
NCDENR
North Carolina Department of Environment and Natural Resources
Division of Water Quality
Beverly Eaves Perdue Charles Wakild, P. E. Dee Freeman
Governor Director Secretary
TO:
FROM:
Landon Davidson
Regional Supervisor
Asheville Regional Office
Brett Laverty
Hydrogeologist II
Asheville Regional Office
Aquifer Protection Section
October 31, 2012
RE: Blue Ridge Tissue Corporation - Patterson plant (Caldwell County)
This memo provides a detailed summary of recent field activities conducted by Aquifer
Protection (APS) personnel in the vicinity of the Blue Ridge Tissue Corporation's Patterson Plant in
Caldwell County.
In October 2009, the Blue Ridge Tissue Corporation acquired Omni Supply, a paper product
manufacturing plant in Patterson, NC (Caldwell County). In connection with the acquisition, Blue Ridge
Tissue Corporation conducted a limited phase II site assessment which included groundwater sampling
near the treatment operations, which consist of two fiber traps and an aeration basin. Total iron
concentrations ranging from 18 mg/I — 91 mg/I were detected in four shallow monitoring wells down
gradient from the treatment operations. Acknowledging that iron is not part of the manufacturing
process, Blue Ridge Tissue sought verification from APS that the iron is naturally occurring. APS did not
concur that the iron was naturally occurring but rather the organic materials contained within the
unlined fiber traps and wastewater treatment ponds are creating conditions conducive to the release of
naturally occurring iron oxides residing in the underlying regolith materials. As a consequence, APS
requested an additional background well located offsite and up gradient from the treatment site.
Results from the new background well detected much lower total iron concentrations ranging from 0.40
mg/I — 0.18 mg/I.
On June 13, 2012, APS personnel from the Asheville Regional Office conducted a limited
assessment of five private water supply wells immediately down gradient from the Blue Ridge Tissue
fiber traps and aeration basin. The purpose of the well receptor assessment is to determine if anaerobic
conditions at the fiber traps is in any way impacting nearby bedrock water supply wells. An attached
photo (photo 1) and a table (table 1) provide the location and results for each well sampled.
NorthCarolina
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Well heads were not accessible for a variety of reasons so most samples were collected at an
outdoor faucet. One sample was collected at the kitchen sink. Water quality samples were analyzed for
total metals including 8 RCRA metals. Field parameters appear to indicate groundwater with a low
specific conductance (< 0.16 mS/cm) and aerobic conditions (dissolved oxygen > 3.9 mg/I; ORP > 171
mv). There were no exceedances of the North Carolina 2L groundwater standards and very little
measurable iron or manganese. One well had detectable lead (0.003 mg/I) below the groundwater
standard.
On October 18, 2012, APS personnel from the Asheville Regional Office conducted a limited site
investigation at one of the Blue Ridge Tissue fiber traps. The purpose of the investigation is to confirm
suspicions that anaerobic process water is mobilizing natural -occurring iron oxides beneath the fiber
traps. Attached photos (photos 2 & 3) and table (table 2) provide the location and results of the fiber
trap investigation.
Waste paper fibers are collected in multiple sump areas within the Blue Ridge Tissue plant and
pumped wet to the east side of the fiber traps. Process water discharges to the aeration basin on the
west side of fiber trap. The fibers exist as a large floating mat that is held in place by a weir box
extending down several feet (photo 3). Process water is forced underneath the weir and directed to the
aeration basin. The waste paper fibers are harvested quarterly and land applied at a local tree nursery.
The focus of the fiber trap investigation is to characterize the process water at the bottom of the
fiber trap and near the weir box discharge. The rational being that the maximum amount of residence
time is expected near the discharge -end of the fiber traps. Approximately 9.5 feet of solid 1-inch well
PVC casing was pushed through the floating fiber mat and allowed to rest on the bottom of the fiber
trap. The bottom of the casing was sealed with a threaded cap. Holes (%-inch) were drilled in the bottom
two feet in order to allow process water to enter the casing. An additional length of black HDPE pipe had
to be spliced onto the casing to cover the distance between the top of the fiber mat and the top of the
fiber trap. Plastic tubing was extended to the bottom of the casing and attached to a peristaltic sampling
pump. Process water was then pumped to a sampling bucket where water quality was continuously
monitored with a calibrated multiparameter datasonde. The YSI 556 datasonde can simultaneously
monitor temperature, specific conductivity, dissolved oxygen, pH, and oxidation reduction potential
(ORP). Field readings were recorded every 5 minutes over a time span of 40 minutes (table 2).
Throughout the field exercise dissolved oxygen continued to decline from a high of 0.48 mg/I to
a final low 0.08 mg/I. Oxidation reduction potentials wavered between -144 my and -160 mv. The
extremely low dissolved oxygen and negative ORP values confirm suspicions that the microbial
breakdown of organic paper fibers is consuming oxygen resulting anaerobic or reducing conditions
within the fiber traps. APS contends that a portion of this anaerobic process water infiltrates to the
shallow regolith and is responsible for mobilizing naturally -occurring iron oxides detected in the
adjacent monitoring wells. There is no evidence at this time that the reducing conditions are impacting
the underlying bedrock aquifer and the quality of nearby drinking water wells.

Photo 1: Patterson North Carolina well receptor assessment on June 13, 2012.

Table 1: Results for the Patterson North Carolina well receptor assessment on June 13, 2012.
Address
Date
Sample location
Coordinates
Aluminum
Arsenic
Barium
Calcium
Well
Depth
NC 2L standards
Lat
Long
•mg/I
0.01
0.70
2017 Roby Martin Road
6/13/2012
Outside faucet
NA
35.998331
-81.564344
< 0.05
< 0.002
0.013
10
2022 Roby Martin Road
6/13/2012
Kitchen faucet
NA
35.998856
-81.565061
< 0.05
< 0.002
0.028
27
2028 Roby Martin Road
6/13/2012
Outside faucet
105 ft bls
35.998539
-81.565253
< 0.05
< 0.002
0.025
19
2033 Roby Martin Road
6/13/2012
Outside faucet
145 ft bls
35.998044
-81.565017
< 0.05
< 0.002
0.016
15
2038 Roby Martin Road
6/13/2012
Outside faucet
NA
35.998111
-81.565556
< 0.05
< 0.002
0.023
10
Address
I
Date
Cadmium
Chromium
Copper Iron
Lead
Mercury
Magnesium
Manganese
Nickel
NC 2L standards
0.002
0.01
0.3
0.015
0.001
•
0.05 •
0.1
mg/I
2017 Roby Martin Road
6/13/2012
< 0.001
< 0.01
0.022
< 0.05
< 0.002
< 0.0002
1.8
< 0.01
< 0.002
2022 Roby Martin Road
6/13/2012
< 0.001
< 0.01
0.010
< 0.05
< 0.002
< 0.0002
1.8
< 0.01
< 0.002
2028 Roby Martin Road
6/13/2012
< 0.001
< 0.01
0.003
< 0.05
< 0.002
< 0.0002
1.8
< 0.01
< 0.002
2033 Roby Martin Road
6/13/2012
< 0.001
< 0.01
0.013
< 0.05
< 0.002
< 0.0002
1.4
< 0.01
< 0.002
2038 Roby Martin Road
6/13/2012
< 0.001
< 0.01
0.054
0.069
0.0031
< 0.0002
2.0
< 0.01
< 0.002
Address
I
Date
Potassium
Selenium
Silver
Sodium
* N
Zinc
Temp
Specific
Conductivity
Dissolved
Oxygen
ORP
NC 2L standards
0.02 1
0.02
1
Celcius
mS/cm
mg/I
MV
mg/I
2017 Roby Martin Road
6/13/2012
1.6
< 0.005
< 0.005
11.0
0.013
16.85
0.109
3.90
223
2022 Roby Martin Road
6/13/2012
2.0
< 0.005
< 0.005
6.8
< 0.01
20.09
0.158
6.80
189
2028 Roby Martin Road
6/13/2012
1.8
< 0.005
< 0.005
7.1
< 0.01
16.33
0.116
5.72
171
2033 Roby Martin Road
6/13/2012
1.6
< 0.005
< 0.005
9.5
0.220
16.55
0.116
4.50
187
2038 Roby Martin Road
6/13/2012
1.6
< 0.005
< 0.005
7.8
0.012
16.49
0.091
5.00
214

Photo 2: Images from the fiber trap investigation on October 18, 2012.

Photo 3: Location of the fiber trap investigation on October 18, 2012.

Table 2: Results from the fiber trap investigation on October 18, 2012.
Time
Units
12:05 PM
12:10 PM
12:15 PM
12:20 PM
12:25 PM
12:30 PM
12:35 PM
12:40 PM
12:45 PM
Temperature
Celsius
24.66
24.73
24.73
24.78
24.82
24.91
25.00
25.11
25.19
Specific Conductivity
mS/cm
0.417
0.417
0.417
0.418
0.417
0.416
0.416
0.417
0.417
Dissolved Oxygen
mg/I
0.30
0.21
0.21
0.16
0.14
0.13
0.11
0.10
0.08
pH
S.U.
6.08
6.06
6.06
6.04
6.02
6.01
6.01
6.00
6.00
ORP
my
-151.3
-148.5
-148.5
-143.8
-156.5
-159.5
-157.2
-152.9
-159.1

Photo 3: Blue Ridge Tissue fiber trap and weir box.