Danzer to improve water discharge at Bradford location
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BRADFORD, Pa. -- Danzer Lumber North America has reached an agreement with the local Department of Environmental Protection. The hardwood specialist has implemented engineering measures to optimize and pave the way for the long-term refurbishment of its log yard in Bradford, Pennsylvania. Water discharge issues were identified at the site in summer 2018.

In mid-2018 the Pennsylvania Department for Environmental Protection identified water discharge issues at the log yard at the Danzer facility in Bradford. Danzer Lumber North America responded immediately, working with environmental protection officers and local and international experts to identify the underlying cause.

“The hard surface of the log yard has deteriorated over the past 20 years and the integrity of the asphalt has been compromised in some places. The discharge from operations has elevated levels of soil and woody debris, which led to a change of color and odor, and to increased turbidity and sediment deposits, in nearby rivers. We reached out to the relevant experts to initiate immediate action the moment we received notification,” explained Steve Bukowski, General Manager of Danzer Lumber North America.

The consent assessment with the DEP contains a $2,800 penalty for violations to the National Pollution Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permit.

“The engineering and mechanical solutions employed have fully addressed the issue. A new surface for the log yard would even be more beneficial long-term, but the cost is prohibitive given the current conditions on the hardwood lumber market; at present it is seriously off-kilter due to the ongoing trade war with China. Through our collaboration with the DEP we learned a lot about improving our environmental footprint, and ultimately it resulted in the implementation of a solution that directly addressed the issue at hand,” Bukowski said.

Danzer is a hardwood company with production facilities in North America and Europe. It has approximately 1,600 employees and owns and sustainably manages forests in North America and produces sliced veneer, lumber and innovative value-added wood products for decorative purposes. www.danzer.com
 

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Karl Forth

Karl D. Forth is online editor for CCI Media. He also writes news and feature stories in FDMC Magazine, in addition to newsletters and custom publishing projects. He is also involved in event organization, and compiles the annual FDM 300 list of industry leaders. He can be reached at [email protected].