Domtar sued and offered consent decree over Roanoke River mill pollution
US and North Carolina authorities sued Domtar Paper Company on 16 September 2026 over historic hazardous releases, including dioxins, furans and mercury, from the Martin County site formerly run by predecessor Weyerhaeuser, and simultaneously filed a proposed consent decree to settle the claims. The draft settlement includes a conservation deed restriction on about 760 acres of Warren Neck wetlands and USD 1.75m for floodplain and fish-passage restoration along the lower Roanoke River, with credit given for prior remediation work by Domtar. The consent decree is open for public comment before a court can finalise it.
Why this mattersThe case sets a template for resolving legacy contamination liabilities at acquired US mills, with restoration costs and land-use restrictions that could recur across the sector.
- Complaint filed 16 September 2026 by North Carolina's Department of Environmental Quality and federal authorities against Domtar Paper Company, LLC over its Martin County mill site.
- Contaminants including dioxins, furans and mercury from predecessor Weyerhaeuser's waste disposal were detected in fish tissue in Welch Creek, the lower Roanoke River and western Albemarle Sound.
- A proposed consent decree, filed the same day by NC DEQ, NOAA and US Fish and Wildlife Service, would settle the natural resource damages claim.
- The draft settlement includes a conservation deed restriction on about 760 acres of Warren Neck forested wetlands.
- USD 1.75m is earmarked for floodplain reconnection, wetland protection and fish-passage restoration covering over 600 acres of habitat.
- A fish consumption advisory tied to the contamination has been in effect since 1990; the consent decree is open for public comment before finalisation.