What Happened?

The Plymouth Mill, located in the lower Roanoke River Basin in North Carolina, began operation as a wood and paper products manufacturing facility in 1937. Over subsequent decades, various industrial operations associated with the paper manufacturing process led to the discharge of contaminants into Welch Creek and the Roanoke River. In 2002, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency issued a cleanup plan to contain and excavate contaminated soils and sediments at the site. Limits were also placed on land and groundwater uses in the vicinity of the mill. These actions have been implemented and long-term monitoring of the site continues.

What Were the Impacts?

Groundwater, soil, and waste disposal areas in the vicinity of the Plymouth Mill were contaminated with hazardous substances, including dioxins, furans, mercury, and volatile organic compounds (VOCs). Contamination extended into Welch Creek and the Roanoke River, where these compounds have also been found in the tissues of fish and other aquatic species that inhabit surface waters near the site. The presence of these dangerous chemicals led to the issuance of a fish consumption advisory in 1975 that is still in effect. Fisheries populations were also impacted by the withdrawal of water from the Roanoke River by the Plymouth Mill that resulted in the entrainment (i.e. drawing in of) larval fish into industrial facilities. All of these factors have degraded the quality of local fisheries and impacted recreational fishing. 

What’s Happening Now?

Following public comment on a 2006 Phase 1 Restoration Plan, trustees selected Alternative 2- Reduce Intake Volume at the Plymouth Mill Cooling Water Intake- which Domtar Paper Company (Domtar)—the Responsible Party, voluntarily implemented to reduce fish mortality at the mill water intake.

The natural resource trustees for the Weyerhaeuser Plymouth Mill case have released a Draft Phase 2 Restoration Plan and Environmental Assessment. They seek public comment on proposed restoration projects that would compensate the public for injuries to fish, aquatic habitat, and recreational fishing caused by releases of hazardous substances from the former Plymouth Mill in Plymouth, North Carolina. 

Public comment is open until October 26, 2026.