Environmental groups go to court over pulp mill discharges into Altamaha River

An environmental group is going to court to force a pulp mill to clean up its discharges into a river in eastern Georgia.

But the mill says it's already taking steps to do just that.

Attorneys for Greenlaw say the discharges from the Rayonier pulp mill into the Altamaha River in Jesup smell bad and are very dark in color.

They say they'll sue the company in federal court if it does not clean up its effluent in 60 days.

"How much light going in and out of the river...can impact aquatic life. There's also chemicals associated with discharges that can cause problems," says Justine Thompson, the director of Greenlaw.

Thompson accuses the company of violating the federal Clean Water Act.

But Mike Bell, a spokesman at Rayonier, denies that.

"The Georgia Environmental Protection Division, which is in charge of enforcing state and federal standards in water quality has found no such allegation," says Bell.

But the EPD does want Rayonier to reduce the color of the effluent.

So the company is implementing millions of dollars in technology to clean up the discharge within the next seven years, says Bell.

A spokeswoman for the Altamaha Riverkeeper, meanwhile, disagrees with the plan, saying it does not go far enough and will take too long to complete.