Boise Paper Penalized for Wastewater Release Into Rainy River

Boise White Paper, LLC in International Falls has been penalized for releasing 1.4 million gallons of untreated wastewater into the Rainy River.

A Minnesota Pollution Control Agency enforcement investigation found Boise White Paper discharged the wastewater as a result of power outages in October 2020 and May 2021. The investigation also found the company discharged floating solids and visible pink foam to the Rainy River in March 2021.

The foaming was caused by insufficient defoaming agent being added to effluent during production of colored paper. The release was not immediately reported and there was no recovery of accessible foam.

The company paid a $16,965 civil penalty to the MPCA and was required to create plans to ensure similar incidents don’t happen in the future.