The pulping industry in Alberta employs state-of-the-art effluent treatment technology. The parameter levels set by the provincial government are as low as any in the world, and the industry consistently discharges below these limits. Factors influencing in-plant and external effluent treatment systems in six Alberta pulp mills were investigated. These factors included environmental impacts of pulp mill effluent, pulp mill technology development, government incentives and control of pulp mills, market influences, and public concerns. Public concern was instrumental in influencing government to approve mills with the best available technology and to implement high effluent discharge standards for the mills. Between 1988-1991, four new pulp mills were constructed in Alberta, and the existing two pulp mills were upgraded as part of the provincial government's economic diversification program. This increased level of activity, especially the ALPAC hearing process, and global environmental concerns, enhanced public awareness of forestry development in the province. The public was concerned with harvesting practices and mill pollution as down-stream users of receiving waters. In the future, the controversy over pollution will not be about the impacts, but about whether or not the environment has been returned to its natural (original) state. The process of establishing the current advanced effluent treatment practices in the Alberta pulp industry is an extremely intricate and complex system influenced by many factors in Alberta, and by other systems played out on the world level. Described as a system, the process was defined by identifying basic pathways and interactions between the sector's influencing factors. Defining the response process depends on the observer's point of view since environmental issues have become compounded by different paradigms. Fully understanding these concepts is crucial for government to establish constructive policy and for industry to address public concerns cost effectively.
