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DEC fines Cascades Containerboard Packaging over 'persistent odors and air pollution'

The NYS Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) will also require the company to upgrade equipment to protect air and water quality.
Credit: WGRZ
Cascades Containerboard

NIAGARA FALLS, N.Y. — A packaging company that has faced complaints and concerns over the odors it emits is now facing action by the NYS Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC).

Cascades Containerboard Packaging is being fined $375,000 to correct 'persistent odors and air pollution violations'. The company must also upgrade its equipment to protect the air and water quality in the area.

The DEC says the cardboard manufacturer violated the state's air and water quality laws and regulations governing operations at its Packard Rd. facility. Those include: emitting noxious odors to the surrounding neighborhood, failing to properly operate and maintain equipment, operating unpermitted air pollutin emissions sources within the facility's wastewater treatment plant and sludge processing and handling systems. 

“DEC took swift action to hold Cascades Containerboard accountable for intolerable odors that adversely impacted the health and outdoor enjoyment of the surrounding neighborhood, particularly during the summer months,” DEC Commissioner Basil Seggos said. “DEC’s Consent Order builds upon our comprehensive investigation to find and address the cause of Cascades’ violations and brings the facility into full compliance for the protection of the Niagara Falls community and the region’s natural resources.”

In addition to the fine, the company will face additional penalties if it fails to comply with the terms or the Consent Order. However, the DEC says 19 action items have already been completed or are ongoing, including:

  • Conducting comprehensive air sampling to evaluate additional potential sources of odorous emissions;
  • Continued monitoring fence-line hydrogen sulfide emissions and immediate mitigation when levels are exceeded;
  • Submitting plans to replace temporary covers with permanent covers on sludge reactors, tanks, and other emission sources, as well as managing secondary sludge to mitigate potential odors;
  • Evaluating operations to find and report any unpermitted emission sources and adding them to its Air State Facility permit application;
  • Evaluating wastewater treatment and identifying improvements and implementation plans to ensure the system’s stability; and
  • Maintaining a complaint hotline for the public to report complaints; submitting weekly progress reports to DEC summarizing complaints and planned corrective actions.

Cascades has also been directed to establish and maintain a 24-hour odor complaint hotline (1-833-461-8898) and email for public use, as well as submit bi-weekly progress reports to the DEC.

The public can also submit any comments or complaints about the facility to the DEC here.

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