Domtar wastewater treatment project remains on schedule

KINGSPORT — A new wastewater treatment system at Domtar's Kingsport mill is still on schedule to start running later this year, part of an effort by the mill to mitigate odors affecting neighboring residents. Mill Manager Tony Clary updated the Kingsport Economic Development Board on the project's timeline, the construction of an anaerobic digester, at the board's monthly meeting Tuesday. The project is at a halfway point, and the new system is expected to ramp up at the end of the year. The mill faced scrutiny from city officials and residents over odors emitting from its wastewater after the site converted from manufacturing paper to recycling containerboard in 2023. The company secured funding to construct a new wastewater treatment system in December 2024 and broke ground in August 2025. Clary said the design is 95% complete, and the number of people working on construction will peak in about two months at around 150 people. An average 50 people are working at the project site at a time. A stormwater retention pond is also complete. Clary said August will be a "critical milestone" to tie in the new digester system during a seven to 10-day outage where the entire mill will be down. The company broke ground on the project in August 2025 and startup is expected in the fourth quarter of 2026. Six additional people will be hired to operate the new wastewater treatment system once it's complete. Four people will run the new wastewater treatment system under the direction of the existing employee that operates the current system. Two additional employees will be hired to work at the wastewater treatment lab testing and monitoring sludge. Two Kingsport residents filed a federal lawsuit against Domtar in February alleging odors from the mill have kept them from fully using and enjoying their property and engaging in outdoor activities. Domtar is scheduled to continue giving the Kingsport Economic Development Board updates on its odor mitigation efforts, including the construction of the anaerobic digester, at its monthly meetings. Jorgelina Manna-Rea is a Report for America corps member reporting on issues relating to the environment for Six Rivers Media.