E? Region
INDUSTRIAL WASTE SURVEY
ADAMS PAPER COMPANY
WELLS RIVER, VERMONT
JULY 1, 1971

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INDUSTRIAL WASTE SURVEY
ADAMS PAPER COMPANY
WELLS RIVER, VERMONT
JULY 1, 1971
On July 1, 1971, Ray Thompson, sanitary engineer; Kerry Anderson,
aquatic sample collector; Robert Myers, student aide; and Robert Atwood,
engineering trainee, collected samples.of the Adams Paper Company outfall
in the village of Wells River, Vermont, and the Wells and Connecticut
Rivers. The location of each sampling station is shown in Figure 1.
Howard Davis was in charge of the mobile field laboratory in Littleton,
New Hampshire.
Adams Paper Company
Adams Paper Company, a Division of Robertson Paper Company, is
principally involved in the manufacture of lighweight tissue (8 to 20
pounds) from white and natural Kraft fibers. The paper mill discharges
approximately 0.4 mgd of untreated wastewater from one outfall into the
Wells River. The production capacity is 7.5 tons/day. Natural and white
Kraft pulp and rosin sizing are used as raw materials.
Sampling Information
Figure 1 shows the industrial outfall (APE—l) and the river stations
sampled. Table.l presents locations of the stations.
The mobilefield laboratory crew conducted tests for dissolved
oxygen, pH, and bacteria, plus filtered for nonfilterable residues. The
remaining samples and the filtered residue samples were returned to the
Environmental Protection Agency laboratory in Needham, Massachusetts, for
analyses.
Sampling was done using two techniques. The first technique was

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filling the storage and transport containers directly from the sampling
source by hand dipping the container. This method was used at Stations
APE—i, WLR—4, CN-09, and CN—lO. The second method involved using an
initially clean. 3—liter Kemmerer—type sampler. The instrument was first
thoroughly washed with sample water prior to collection. The collected
sample was then transferred to the storage and transport ontainer. This
method was used at Stations WLR—l and WLR—3.
All sample containers were either one gallon or one quart plastic
cubitainers, except bacteria sample bottles and DO sample bottles which
were used respectively for these analyses samples. As applicable, all
samples were preserved according to Environmental Protection Agency
Standard Methods.
Sample Identification
Each sample was tagged with one chain of custody tag giving col-
lecting agency, laboratory number, time, date, source of sample, collector’s
signature and title, and witness’s signature and title, plus information
on the transfer of the sample. In addition, a prenumbered field data card
was filled out for each collection time to record weather condition, the
temperature of the sample, and the sampling location.
Results
Table 2 sitmm rizes the results of the laboratory analyses. The
discharge from the paper mu]. (sampling Station APE—i) contains constituents
measured as 5—day BOD of approximately 24 mg/i. With an effluent flow rate
of 0.4 mgd, the BOD concentration corresponds to a loading rate upon the
Wells River of 80 poundiper day. The discharge als con tains suspended solids
measured as total nonfilterable residue at a concentration of 45.5 mg/l
—2—

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corresponding to a load of approximately 150 pounds per day and
was turbid. At the time of sampling, the discharge appeared to be
black, The total and fecal coliforin bacterial densities are excessively
high.
The village of Wells River discharges its waste into Wells River
between Stations WLR3 and WLR4.
Although the Connecticut River samples showed no apparent effect
from the mill’s discharge, the solids discharged by the mill will
eventually reach the interstate Connecticut River.
—3—

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TABLE 1
SM!PLE STATION IDENTIFICATION
Station Latitude Longitude Description
0 I It 0 I II
(River)
CN—09 44 09 11 72 02 31 Route 302 bridge over
Connecticut River.
CN—lO 44 09 08 72 02 31 Connecticut River just below
confluence with Wells River.
WLR—l 44 09 09. 72 03 19 Wells River above dam at
Adams Paper Company.
WLR—3 44 09 16 72 02 47 Route 302 bridge over Wells
River.
WLR—4 44 09 09 72 02 33 Wells River 50 feet upstream
of confluence with Connecticut
River.
(Outfall)
APE—i 44 09 12 72 03 10 Tail race of Adams Paper
Company.

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WELLS
RIVER, VERMONT
FIGURE

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SAMPLE ANALYSES
AbBREVTAIIONS AND UNITS OF MEASURE
Analyses Reported Description Measured In
Temperature Sample temperature Degrees centigrade (°C)
pH $tandard units (S.U.)
Turbidity Turbidity Jackson Candle Turbidity
Units (JTU)
DO Dissolved oxygen Milligrams per liter
(mg/i)
BOD S-day 5-day biochemical mg/i
oxygen demand, incubated
at 20°C
Total coliforms Total coliform bacteria per 100 milliliters
Fecal coliforms Fecal coliform bacteria per 100 milliliters
Total residue Total solids mg/i
Total nonfilterable Total suspended solid. mg/i
residue
Total p. Total pBIiOrUS mg/i as phosphorus
Letters preceding a reported value denote the following:
K —lesathan
L.A. Laboratory Accident

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TABLE 2
SUMMARY SHEET
ADAMS PAPER COMPANY
WELLS RIVER, VERMONT
JULY 1, 1971
Station
(River Stations)
Depth
Time (ft.)
Temp.
°C
pH
SU
DO
mg/i
BOO
mg/i
Total P
mg/i
Turb.
JTU
Total NF Collforms/100 ml
Residue mg/i Total Fecal Lab No.
WLR—i
0720 2.0
1000 2.0
23.0
24.0
6.8
7.2
7.4
8.0
K5.5
K1.0
.013
.024
2
4.5
——
2.5
8,200
1,300
130
70
27279
27286
1250 - 2.O
——
7.2
8.8
Kl.O
.078
5
4.0
3,100
100
27293
WLR—3
0740 1.0
23.0
6.9
7.6
6. ...
.032
11
25.6
25,000
2,000
27280
1035 1.0
29.0
7.3
7.9
7.5
.062
10
7.0
12,000
2,700
27287
1320 1.0
26.0
7.3
7.8
K5.O
.062
15
1.0
9,000
900
27294
WLR—4
0900 2.0
23.0
6.9
6.7
56
.56
15
21.0
620,000
8,500
27281
1150 2.0
25.0
6.9
7.4
26
.30
10
17.6
360,000
44,000
27288
1405 2.0
25.0
7.2
7.7
5.5
.16
6
10.7
140,000
40,000
27295
CN—09
0835 2.0
19.5
7.0
8.3
IU.0
50
27282
1110 2.0
24.0
6.7
8.4
K1.0
190
27289
1400 2.0
21.5
6.5
8.7
——
—
220
27296
CN—l0
0840 2.0
19.5
6.8
8.4
K1.0
.013
2
3.0
K10
27283
1120 2.0
24.0
6.6
8.4
K1.0
.56
2
L.A.
280
27290
1410 2.0
25.Ô
6.2
8.6
K5.0
.013
12
—
280
27297
(Industrial
Outfall)
APE—i
0715 -
23.0
7.0
7.8
21.5
.044
31
66.0
9,000
200
27284
1015 ——
23.5
7.6
7.8
23.2
.074
15
30.2
14,000
10,000
27291
1300 ——
25.0
7.3
7.8
28.0
.044
15
40.4
280,000
140,000
27298
•. 14
.024
3
3
6.5
5.0
2,500
2,600
3,800
2,400
2,900
4,700

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