Inches of brown snow blanketed a small town in Maine on Tuesday, outraged locals who could only speculate about the cause of the discolored precipitation.
Brown-brown snow fell in Rumford on Tuesday morning, causing widespread concern among locals, before city officials claimed the discolored flakes were the result of a malfunction at the nearby ND paper mill.
“It’s everywhere,” said Rumford business owner Bonnie Datchell.
‘Very dirty snow! It looks like snow in spring, but actually it has a reddish-brown color.’
Datchell, who owns a restaurant in Rumford less than two miles from the mill, added that the snow had no odor.
A malfunction at the century-old paper mill caused an emission of spent black liquor into the atmosphere, giving the falling precipitation a muted color.
The brown-tinted emission has since been reported as non-toxic, but can cause skin irritation because it has a pH value of 10.
“Although it is not toxic, it should not be touched or otherwise come into contact with the skin,” the city said in a statement. statement.
Inches of brown snow blanketed a small town in Maine on Tuesday, outraged locals who could only speculate about the cause of the discolored precipitation
A layer of brown-colored snow is in stark contrast to the continuous white snow that lies under the ‘fresh’ coat of Tuesday morning
Black liquor is a waste product from the papermaking process that has multiple uses in a paper mill, including the production of heat, steam, electricity and gasification.
The light cocoa-colored snow was only visible from a small area surrounding the mill, on nearby Falmouth, Cumberland and Waldo streets, the city said.
The Maine Department of Environmental Preservation has since investigated the matter and tested the brown snow.
In a later update posted on the City of Rumford Facebook pagethe city said the mill “has agreed to pay for third-party testing” of the discolored snowfall.
“Based on DEP guidance, we are confident that public safety concerns are minimal at this time. In the meantime, out of an abundance of caution, avoid ingestion or direct skin contact with the brown snow,” the afternoon update said.
A malfunction at the century-old paper mill ND Paper Mill caused an emission of spent black liquid into the atmosphere, causing the falling precipitation to change its muted color
In light of the concerning precipitation, the city has urged residents to avoid contact with the colored snow, not to allow pets outside or near it, and has notified neighboring school districts not to allow children to play with the ‘brown snow’.
The city has since said it hopes Wednesday’s forecast rain will wash away most of the black liquor.
“We are hopeful that tomorrow’s rain will wash away most of the substance and wash it off the ground and off people’s homes or property,” the city’s statement said.
However, concerns have been raised as few worry that much of the snow runoff will likely end up in the Androscoggin River.