Neucel Pulp Mill Closure

DISCLAIMER: Information provided is based on reports received by Emergency Management B.C. Information provided is considered to be current at the time of posting, but is subject to change as new information becomes available.

Incident Description

Incident Date	March 9, 2019
Name	Neucel Pulp Mill Closure (DGIR:184397)
Source	Pulp Mill
Nearest Community	Port Alice, B.C.
Spilled Content	Unknown at this time (March 9, 2019)
Who is involved?	B.C. Ministry of Environment & Climate Change Strategy

 

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Response Phase Detail

The responsible person or spiller is legally required to clean-up or manage the clean-up of a spill. In incidents where the responsible person is unknown, unable or unwilling to manage the clean up, the Ministry of Environment & Climate Change Strategy (MOE) may assume the role. The updates below reflect the Ministry’s oversight of the spillers’ actions; details describe the spill response phase, only, and not the complete lifecycle of the spill. See More Information for other related reports. 

Updates are in reverse chronological order, with the most recent at the top. Industry-specific language may be explained in the Glossary of Terms (PDF).

Most Recent Update

March 9, 2019 - 11:40 am

On March 3, Ministry staff, including an Environmental Emergency Response Officer (EERO), and a third-party qualified professional visited Neucel Specialty Cellulose Ltd, a pulp mill near Port Alice, to conduct an on-site hazard assessment. 

Based on the hazard assessment, the B.C. Ministry of Environment & Climate Change Strategy is taking direct actions at the closed pulp mill to address the identified risks to the public and the environment. A response contractor has been hired by the Ministry to remove hazardous chemicals from the site.

An Environmental Emergency Response Officer will be overseeing the response actions. The matter is currently under investigation. 

Updates will be provided when new information is available.