Rebecca Norden-Bright, The Daily Astorian, Ore.
·4 min read
The Port of Astoria is looking to bring a byproduct recovery center — an innovative wastewater treatment facility aimed at meeting state limits on effluent discharged by seafood processors — to Pier 2.
Wastewater
Da Yang Seafood and Bornstein Seafoods operate at Pier 2 in Uniontown.
The Oregon Department of Environmental Quality’s recently updated wastewater permit for seafood processing plants, known as a 900-J permit, has drawn criticism statewide from processors and industry advocates who argue the new limits are impossible to meet.
Processors around the state — including Da Yang Seafood and Bornstein Seafoods, located on Pier 2 — have faced a challenging and uncertain landscape for permitting, with Da Yang currently operating without a permit.
Now, the Port of Astoria is stepping in to try to ease the burden on processors by consolidating wastewater treatment into one shared facility managed by the Port. In May, the Port Commission voted to approve an application for a feasibility study through Business Oregon, the state’s economic development agency.
Will Isom, the Port’s executive director, described seafood processing as the “lifeblood” of the Port and explained the project is aimed at supporting the industry.
“The idea behind having the shared system really was born out of the fact that the processors — with ever-changing regulation in terms of compliance — were struggling to find solutions for how to meet those requirements,” Isom said.
The byproduct recovery center would use innovative technology created by Alan Ismond, a chemical engineer with Aqua-Terra Consultants. Ismond has been advising Da Yang Seafood since 2015 and is leading the processor through smaller-scale pilot testing of the technology.
Ismond’s treatment system involves extracting usable seafood byproducts — such as fish oil and fish meal — without producing toxic sludge created by chemical treatments used in many processing plants. The technology is already in use at a processing plant in British Columbia, and Da Yang’s pilot testing will conclude this summer.
“We now have three patents on a technology that I developed,” Ismond said. “And what we’re trying to do is deploy that technology in a centralized location … (At the end of pilot testing), we’re going to have all the data we need to prove to the government that this is the best technology and the most logical technology.”
The byproduct recovery center would also increase efficiency by creating an economy of scale.
“(Consolidation) probably makes more sense than having the individual entities kind of come up with their own plans and having to implement individual plans with individual treatment processes,” Isom said. “It just didn’t seem to make a lot of sense if we could find a solution that worked for everyone.”
If the byproduct recovery center moves forward, it would be the first in the United States. Two years ago, Ismond worked with the Port of Coos Bay and the West Coast Seafood Processors Association to conduct a feasibility study for a center in Charleston.
That project, however, has stalled, due to seismic issues and challenging distances between seafood processing facilities.
Lori Steele, the executive director of the West Coast Seafood Processors Association, explained that Astoria is a better fit for a byproduct recovery center, especially given the planned rehabilitation of Pier 2, a massive project underway with the help of over $27 million in federal and state funding.
“We didn’t have the opportunity present itself in Charleston quite like we do here in Astoria with the need to do the work on Pier 2,” Steele said.
“I think everything’s aligning really well here in Astoria,” she added.
At a Port Commission meeting on Tuesday, Isom announced that the Port was recently notified by the Department of Environmental Quality that it will be fined for stormwater violations on Pier 2 — violations directly tied to the poor condition of the pier.
There are a number of questions remaining about how the byproduct recovery center will be funded, operated and permitted, many of which the feasibility study will seek to answer. Port leaders and seafood processors have met with representatives from the Department of Environmental Quality and the governor’s office to discuss potential solutions.
Ismond is optimistic that the byproduct recovery center will get the necessary support.
“It is new technology,” Ismond said, “but it’s so simple, cost-effective and can do so many things that I don’t think we’re going to run into any problems.”
Even if the project moves forward smoothly, construction is likely several years down the road.
“I think all of us are looking at this as really the path forward for the future,” Steele said. “But it is going to take a little time to get there.”
