CHILLICOTHE, Ohio — The Pixelle Specialty Solutions paper mill, long a centerpiece of Ross County’s industrial landscape, is again under scrutiny after a July 8 inspection by the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency (Ohio EPA) revealed a string of environmental compliance issues tied to the facility’s wastewater treatment plant and stormwater operations.
The inspection, formally documented in a September 22 letter to Mill Manager Craig Helgeson, highlights both historic permit violations and ongoing problems as the company winds down its papermaking operations.
A Plant in Transition
Pixelle announced in April 2025 that it was closing its Chillicothe mill, a move that permanently halted pulping, bleaching, and papermaking operations. By the time of the July inspection, boilers had been shut down, liquor tanks emptied, and most production ceased. Yet the site’s wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) — which discharges millions of gallons of treated water daily into Paint Creek — remains active and central to EPA oversight.
Before closure, the mill discharged an average of 26.1 million gallons per day (MGD). That figure has since dropped to about 14.5 MGD, though significant risks remain tied to monitoring, treatment performance, and stormwater control.
History of Permit Violations
EPA records show Pixelle racked up 11 effluent limit violations between July 2024 and June 2025 under its National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permit (#0IA00002).
Key findings include:
• Total Suspended Solids (TSS): Multiple exceedances between January and March 2025, with violations topping 40% over allowable limits, landing the facility in “significant noncompliance.”
• Heavy Metals: Barium and Zinc exceeded limits in January 2025, attributed to poor solids removal.
• pH and Dissolved Oxygen: Failures in July 2024 linked to equipment malfunctions and extreme heat.
While Pixelle eventually corrected these problems by March 2025, EPA stressed that the violations placed the facility under priority enforcement review earlier this year.
Inspection Findings: Sludge, Sampling, and Stormwater Failures
Beyond the resolved violations, inspectors identified a laundry list of operational and reporting concerns:
• Data Gaps and Misreporting: In September 2024, Pixelle reported “lost data” for multiple pollutants, but inspectors later determined required samples were never collected due to internal miscommunication. In other cases, pH readings were reported inaccurately for a full year.
• Stormwater Monitoring Failures: Four stormwater outfalls that drain to Honey Creek were not properly tested for required pollutants. EPA also discovered the company failed to complete stormwater inspections in 2023 and 2024 — despite permit conditions requiring them.
• Sludge Disposal Inconsistencies: Sludge volumes reported to Ohio EPA did not match internal records, raising questions about the accuracy of Pixelle’s waste tracking.
• Equipment Out of Service: A primary clarifier remains broken, several aerators are nonfunctional, and catch basins in the wood yard are clogged, causing stormwater to bypass treatment.
• Unauthorized Additives: EPA could not find records approving several wastewater treatment chemicals in use at the site.
EPA Recommendations
The Ohio EPA issued 19 compliance recommendations for Pixelle, including:
• Repairing broken clarifiers and aerators.
• Correcting inaccurate discharge monitoring reports.
• Submitting overdue stormwater reports and Best Management Practice (BMP) plans.
• Cleaning clogged catch basins and ensuring waste is contained.
• Gaining state approval for all chemical additives used in treatment.
The agency also flagged the need for continuous monitoring of dissolved oxygen and pH in treated effluent, a safeguard to protect Paint Creek’s aquatic ecosystem.
What Comes Next
Pixelle’s current NPDES permit expired last month. As the company completes its “Cessation of Regulated Operations” process, EPA warned that operational changes must be closely coordinated to ensure ongoing compliance.
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