Paper plant effluent in sediments of southern Lake Champlain
- Vermont Agency of Transportation Materials and Research Div., Montpelier, VT (United States)
- Geological Survey, Woods Hole, MA (United States)
In 1972--73 the authors collected an extensive set of geologic and geochemical data in southern Lake Champlain near the International Paper Company (IPC) plant. Much of the work was carried out in support of a suit filed by the Attorney General of Vermont against IPC for polluting the lake and against the State of New York for failing to enforce its environmental laws. In 1988, the authors were subpoenaed to present their data once again in class-action suit brought by a group of Vermont citizens against IPC for causing their property values to decline due to pollution of the air and of the lake waters. To update the earlier work, they collected nine cores upstream and downstream of the plant's effluent diffuser. They compared the new analyses of samples from the cores with the results obtained in the early 70's. In 1973, 2 years after the plant opened, sediment contaminated with effluent near the diffuser was 4.5 cm thick. In 1988, in the same area, sediment contaminated with effluent was 17 cm thick. In 15 years, water content increased form 72% to 85%, volatile solids from 7% to 20%, and organic carbon from 2% to 12%. Cl/Si and S/Si (not measured in 1972--73) were high only near the diffuser and were zero elsewhere. Contaminated sediment in the area of the diffuser appears to be accumulating at a rate of about 1 cm/yr. Twenty-two km upstream (south) from the plant, at an uncontaminated control location, the top, poorly consolidated layer was only 1 cm or less thick both in 1973 and in 1988. The suit was settled in favor of the plaintiffs for $5 million.
- OSTI ID:
- 5763631
- Report Number(s):
- CONF-9303211-; CODEN: GAAPBC
- Journal Information:
- Geological Society of America, Abstracts with Programs; (United States), Vol. 25:2; Conference: 28. annual Geological Society of America (GSA) Northeastern Section meeting, Burlington, VT (United States), 22-24 Mar 1993; ISSN 0016-7592
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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Related Subjects
INDUSTRIAL PLANTS
ENVIRONMENTAL EFFECTS
LAKES
WATER POLLUTION
NEW YORK
SEDIMENTS
GEOCHEMISTRY
CHEMICAL COMPOSITION
ECOLOGICAL CONCENTRATION
PAPER INDUSTRY
POLLUTANTS
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DEVELOPED COUNTRIES
INDUSTRY
MATTER
NORTH AMERICA
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SURFACE WATERS
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WOOD PRODUCTS INDUSTRY
540220* - Environment
Terrestrial- Chemicals Monitoring & Transport- (1990-)