Technical Bulletin No. 0091: Technical and Economic Considerations Involved in Discharge of Paper Mill Effluents to Municipal Sewerage Systems

The attached technical bulletin was first issued in 1957, and contained the findings of the National Council's first survey study of the general feasibility of mill effluent treatment in municipal sewage systems. The study was prompted by a growing number of requests from member mills at that time requesting information on both technical and economic feasibility. The wide variety of methods used to determine sewage service charges, were reviewed critically, with emphasis on the recently devised "Joint Committee Method". The use of industrial waste ordinances and service contracts to establish financial and technical terms for treatment was discussed. A number of factors affecting use of municipal systems for disposal of mill effluents were reviewed, along with actual experiences of a group of ten member mills. The complexity of this problem indicated even then the necessity for member mills to avail themselves of competent legal and technical help in studying all its phases before entering into agreements for joint treatment. The technical bulletin is being kept in print because it was the National Council's first study in this area. Since that time there have been a number of additional technical bulletins on this subject.