Washington’s Department of Ecology issued Port Townsend Paper Company a notice of violation concerning two untreated-wastewater discharges in November 2025, according to The Seattle Times’ October 16, 2026 reporting. The newspaper describes the notice and separately interviewed an Ecology spokesperson and mill representatives. We have not independently obtained the notice itself, so details of its contents are attributed to that reporting rather than represented as our own document review.
What the notice reportedly covers
The two discharges occurred on November 7 and November 20, 2025. The newspaper says the notice estimates that a main and backup pump failure on November 7 resulted in about 600 gallons of untreated wastewater reaching Port Townsend Bay. The volume of the November 20 spill is disputed. The mill maintains its reported estimate of 150 gallons. One former worker cited his own video and observations; a second former worker described what he witnessed but supplied no images of his own. Both disputed the reported volume. These are contested estimates, not a verified final measurement.
The Times’ earlier October 11 investigation compared the internal report with a former worker’s video and testimony. The mill continued to defend its estimate. According to the October 16 article, Ecology is still examining the scope and volume of the November 20 event. No initial water samples are available in these sources to establish the discharge’s precise composition or ecological impact.
A notice is not a finalized penalty
Ecology spokesperson Andy Wineke told the newspaper that regulators would consider financial penalties, more direct corrective action, or both. The reported notice must not be turned into a paid fine, shutdown order or confirmation that the mill stopped making paper. These sources do not establish a final penalty for these discharges, mill downtime or customer delivery effects. Past enforcement involving different incidents is not a penalty for this notice.
What industry readers should watch
Follow Ecology’s final investigation and any dated enforcement order, as well as the company’s equipment and operating updates. Today’s supportable news is the reported notice and the disputed discharge estimate, not a quantified environmental harm, production interruption or final regulatory sanction.
About the Author
PackingMaster edits PaperPackLog, collecting market developments, product information and practical insights across paper packaging.
References
- The Seattle Times, notice and interviews with Ecology and mill officials, October 16, 2026 — quotes from notice and spokespersons; underlying notice not independently obtained.
- The Seattle Times, initial report and former-worker account, October 11, 2026 — same newsroom, not an independent administrative record.
- Port Townsend Leader, mill CEO’s op-ed, October 14, 2026 — the company’s position, not a regulatory determination.