State scrutinizes water discharge at Georgia-Pacific mill in Florida [From the web]

JACKSONVILLE, FL, July 30, 2010 (Florida Times-Union ) - Wastewater in the creek beside a Putnam County paper mill is toxic to at least one creature there and commonly violates state water standards, according to a report that mill owner Georgia-Pacific sent to state regulators.

That news could, paradoxically, lead to a state order for the mill to pipe its waste directly into the St. Johns River.

The report on the mill outside Palatka amounts to a test of whether roughly $200 million in plant upgrades done over a decade made the mill clean enough to not harm Rice Creek, the St. Johns tributary where mill wastewater can comprise 90 percent of the creek's flow.

Florida Times-Union - Putnam County paper mill's discharge still hurting Rice Creek