NCASI’s water quality program focuses on the characterization of process wastewaters from forest products manufacturing operations and the environmental significance of their release to surface waters after treatment. Technical study centers around effluent composition, biological treatment, the fate of effluent constituents in receiving waters, the characterization of receiving waters potentially impacted by these operations, and the analytical methods used for measuring constituents in water and associated solids. Most water projects are driven by opportunities to enhance current mill environmental effectiveness, or are developed in response to regulatory activities where the likelihood of sound decisions would be enhanced by an improved understanding of the underlying science. To this end, water program activities are coordinated with the research efforts of NCASI’s Forestry and Ecological Assessment programs as appropriate.

The water quality program focuses specifically on current and near-term future information needs. Investigations related to effluent quality include studies of nutrient use and control in biological treatment systems and the significance of residual nutrient forms in treated effluents; sources and prevention-related control of metals, particularly mercury, in mill wastewaters; the fate and forms of mercury in aerated stabilization basin (ASB) wastewater treatment systems; improving the performance of AOX, phosphorus and other analytical methods when applied to effluents; and modernizing the NCASI ASB model used as an aid to maintaining or enhancing treatment plant performance. Investigations related to surface water quality are typically linked to regulatory programs that target specific stream pollutants occurring at concentrations in excess of desired levels. The most common such approach used in the US is the TMDL or “total maximum daily load” program. NCASI projects designed to support water quality studies include information gathering and assessment to identify forest products industry involvement in areas where waters have been identified as impacted; studies that enhance the understanding and utility of water quality models used for stream assessment; and evaluation of the appropriateness of newly recommended water quality standards and the potential for forest products industry sources to be impacted by new standards.

The results of NCASI’s water quality program are used by individual mills to enhance mill-site environmental programs and to facilitate participation in local or regional water quality improvement initiatives. NCASI information resources are also used by  companies and industry trade associations at the local, regional, and national levels to promote sound regulatory decisions based on credible scientific information.