Technical Bulletin No. 0832: Nutrient Forms in Pulp and Paper Mill Effluents and Their Potential Significance in Receiving Waters

Efforts to maintain or improve the quality of surface waters necessarily include consideration of nutrients. While a number of elements act as nutrients in aquatic systems, nitrogen and phosphorus from natural or anthropogenic sources are most commonly associated with water quality concerns related to excess (or deficient) nutrient levels in surface waters. The potential for an effluent to affect nutrient loads is dictated by both the amount and form of nitrogen- and phosphorus-containing compounds in the effluent.