CANTON, N.C. (From news reports) -- Pactiv Evergreen, which closed its Canton paper mill in early June, issued a denial of wrongdoing in the dumping of chemicals into its wastewater treatment system. In a response to a violation notice from the NC Department of Environmental Quality, the company confirmed it disposed of chemical cleaning solution and sanitizer but said the discharge did not violate the water quality standards.

On July 10, the department issued a notice to Blue Ridge Paper Company alleging that the "direct disposal of raw material or product" was not allowed under the plant's National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System permit. The letter warned that each violation could incur a penalty of up to $25,000 per day.

The notice said the department received a complaint on June 5 that staff were disposing of sodium hydroxide solution and calcium hypochlorite directly into the wastewater treatment system. The complaint included photos showing "a hose connected to a chemical tote that appears to terminate above a floor drain."

In their response, the company said it acted on a good faith belief that the disposal was allowed during the shutdown.

The company discharged between 300 and 600 gallons of the sodium hydroxide cleaning solution, according to the letter.

"To put that quantity in context, the total volume of wastewater being treated at the [wastewater treatment plant] was more than 18 million gallons per day at this time," the letter said.

The company also admitted draining more than 6,000 gallons of the calcium hypochlorite sanitizer into the system over a 24-hour period at the end of May.

The actions did not harm any beneficial bacteria or upset anaerobic treatment processes at the plant, according to the letter.

A spokesperson for the Department said staff are reviewing the response.