April 13, 2006 - West Linn Paper Company said that it has upgraded the West Linn, Oregon mill's wastewater and water treatment processes to substantially improve water conservation and reduce energy consumption.

According to West Linn, by gradually implementing a series of new pipelines and pump systems, the mill was able to redirect white water flow resulting in a decrease in the amount of raw water intake.

The mill has successfully replaced about 20% of its raw water intake (approx. 1 million gallons per day) with recycled water, which is warmer and results in significant energy savings.

"The decrease in water consumption and resulting reduction of effluent will result in substantial environmental benefits," states Penny Machinski, environmental engineer for West Linn Paper. "We anticipate that this overall reduction in flow will significantly improve the thermal discharge to the Willamette River."

In addition, the mill estimates that it is saving roughly 220 mmBTUs each day or the equivalent of about 4% of the mill’s overall energy usage.

Monitoring and improvement of the project will be ongoing, the company said.

Headquartered in West Linn, Oregon, the West Linn Paper Company is an independent manufacturer of coated free-sheet web paper.

SOURCE: West Linn Paper