Inches of brown snow coated a small Maine town on Tuesday, sending locals into outrage, leaving them only to speculate as to what caused the discolored precipitation.
Flurries of brownish-tan snow fell in Rumford on Tuesday morning, creating widespread concern from locals before town officials claimed the discolored flakes were a result of a malfunction at the nearby ND Paper Mill.
‘It’s everywhere,’ Rumford business owner, Bonnie Datchell, said.
‘Very dirty snow! Looks like the snow does in the springtime, though actually, it’s kind of like a reddish-brownish color.’
Datchell, who owns a restaurant in Rumford less than two miles away from the mill, added that the snow did not have an odor to it.
A malfunction at the century-old paper mill caused an emission of spent black liquor into the atmosphere that in turn caused the falling precipitation to turn the muted color.
The brown-toned emission has since been reported as non-toxic but can cause skin irritation as it has a pH level of 10.
‘Although it is non-toxic it should not be touched or otherwise put in contact with skin,’ the town said in a statement.
Inches of brown snow coated a small Maine town on Tuesday, sending locals into outrage, leaving them only to speculate as to what caused the discolored precipitation
A coating of brownish-tan colored snow can be seen in stark contrast to the trekked through white snow lying underneath Tuesday morning’s ‘fresh’ coat
Black liquor is a waste product from the paper-making process that has multiple uses in a paper mill, including producing heat, steam, electricity and gasification.
The slightly cocoa colored snow could only been seen from a small area surrounding the mill, on nearby Falmouth, Cumberland and Waldo streets, the town said.
Maine’s Department of Environmental Preservation has since been on the case, testing the brown snow.
In a later update posted to the Town of Rumford’s Facebook page, the town said the mill has ‘agreed to pay for third party testing’ of the discolored snowfall.
‘Based on guidance from DEP we are confident that the public safety concerns are minimal at this time. In the meantime out of an abundance of caution please avoid ingesting or direct skin contact with the brown snow,’ the afternoon update read.
A malfunction at the century-old paper ND Paper Mill caused an emission of spent black liquor into the atmosphere that in turn caused the falling precipitation to turn the muted color
In light of the worrisome precipitation, the town urged residents to avoid contact with the colored snow, not to let pets out or near it and have notified neighboring school districts not to let children play with the ‘brown snow.’
The town has since stated it hopes that Wednesday’s predicted rain will wash away most of the black liquor.
‘We are hopeful the rain tomorrow will wash most of the substance away and flush it off the ground and people’s homes or property,’ the town’s statement read.
However, concerns have been raised as few are worried that much of the snow runoff will likely end up in the Androscoggin River.
