STATE OF WISCONSIN DEPARTMENT OF NATURAL RESOURCES PUBLIC NOTICE OF INFORMATIONAL HEARING AND INTENT TO REISSUE A WISCONSIN POLLUTANT DISCHARGE ELIMINATION SYSTEM (WPDES) PERMIT No.WI-0001031-10-0 Permittee: Procter & Gamble Paper Products Co, 501 Eastman Ave, Green Bay, WI, 54302 Facility Where Discharge Occurs: Procter & Gamble Paper Products Co, 501 Eastman Ave, Green Bay, WI 54302 Receiving Water And Location: The Fox River (East River Watershed, Lower Fox River Basin) in Brown County Brief Facility Description and Summary of Proposed Changes: The Procter & Gamble Paper Products Company (PG) operates a paper mill at 501 Eastman Avenue in Green Bay, Wisconsin. Operations include non-integrated tissue papermaking, converting, broke deinking and ancillary facilities for the production of toilet tissue, facial tissue and paper towels. The facility has six paper machines (five of which are currently in operation) and produces approximately 791 tons of sanitary tissue per day. Tissue products are manufactured from purchased bleached kraft pulp and from internal paper trim recycling. On average, PG discharges on average about 2.9 million gallons of wastewater per day to the Fox River. Dissolved air flotation (DAF) clarifiers are used to remove suspended solids (paper fibers) from the tissue machine whitewater. Much of the DAF treated paper machine water is reused in the mill for hydration of purchased pulp bundles and for recycling of the paper trim and broke. Paper machine water that cannot be reused in the mill is treated in DAF units #5 and #11 to remove BOD5 (5-day biochemical oxygen demand) and Total Suspended Solids (TSS) prior to discharge to the Fox River. Less than 1 million gallons/day of boiler noncontact cooling water is also included in the discharge to the Fox River. Four different sampling points are identified for the permit. Wastewater is discharged either to the NEW Water (formerly Green Bay Metropolitan Sewer District) wastewater treatment facility or the Fox River. Discharge to the NEW Water is identified as outfall 009. The other three sampling points are associated with the discharge to the Fox River. Prior to discharge, water is sampled at 099 located upstream of a sump (wet well). The permittee has two separate lines from the sump to the river. These are a force main and a gravity line. The actual discharge to the river is then from either 001 (force main) or 010 (gravity line). Outfall 010 has not been used during the current permit term. Approximately 4 million gallons per day of paper mill wastewater is discharged to the NEW Water wastewater treatment facility. During normal operations, all other mill wastewater except for the paper machine whitewater is discharged to NEW Water. These wastewaters include paper machine cleaning and boil out wastewater, broke pulp recycling wastewater, and DAF sludge/boiler ash thickening wastewater from the screw press. The daily blowdown from the boiler, the boiler scrubber wastewater, the boiler deionizer regeneration wastewater, the boiler ash sluicing wastewater and the factory floor drain wastewater are also discharged to NEW Water. These paper mill wastewaters are pretreated in Dissolved Air Flotation Unit #3 prior to discharge through outfall 009 to NEW Water. The wastewater from the factory bathrooms and sinks is sent to NEW Water through separate sanitary sewers. Permit Drafter's Name, Address, Phone and Email: Nate Willis, DNR, 101 S. Webster St. PO Box 7921, Madison, WI, 53707-7921, (608) 535-2369, Nathaniel.Willis@wisconsin.gov Basin Engineer's Name, Address, Phone and Email: Trevor Moen, 625 E County Road Y, Suite 700, Oshkosh, WI 54901, (920) 410-5192, Trevor.Moen@wisconsin.gov The Department has tentatively decided that the above-specified WPDES permit should be reissued. Cooling Water Intake Structure: The proposed permit contains a best professional judgement determination regarding use of the best technologies available for minimizing impingement mortality and entrainment at the permittee's cooling water intake structure, subject to section 316(b) of the federal Clean Water Act. Proposed Mercury Variance: The Department has determined that a water quality-based effluent limitation (WQBEL) of 1.3 ng/L for mercury is needed to protect wildlife and human health in the above-named receiving water. The permittee has applied for an alternative mercury effluent limitation (AMEL). The application included a pollutant minimization program (PMP) plan for mercury as required under s. NR 106.145(8), Wis. Adm. Code. The Department concludes that the permittee is eligible for a variance based on the information submitted, information on file and the findings provided in s. NR 106.145(1), Wis. Adm. Code. The Department and the permittee have mutually agreed upon an AMEL of 12 ng/L, expressed as a daily maximum, continued influent and effluent monitoring, and permit language requiring implementation of the PMP. The Department proposes to grant the AMEL, which represents a variance to the water quality standard used to derive the WQBEL, as provided for under s. NR 106.145(6), Wis. Adm. Code. The designated use of the receiving water will not change as a result of the variance. This mercury variance must be approved by USEPA prior to its inclusion in the final reissued permit. Hearing Date, Time, and Location: 11/14/2025; 10:30AM; Virtual Public Informational Hearing Registration Link: https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/KqHAF_z_RmiEwCGfb81lEg. Hearing Officer, Name, Address, City/State/Zip, and Phone: Heidi Schmitt Marquez, 2984 Shawano Ave, Green Bay, WI 54313, (920) 366-8691. The Department of Natural Resources, pursuant to s. 283.49, Wis. Stats, has scheduled for the time and place listed above, a public hearing for the purpose of giving all interested persons an opportunity to make a statement with respect to the above announced permit action for this existing discharge. A hearing officer will conduct the hearing in an orderly and speedy way and will use procedures specified in Subchapter II of ch. NR 203, Wis. Adm. Code, necessary to insure broad public participation in the hearing. The hearing officer will open the hearing and make a concise statement of the scope and purpose of the hearing and shall state what procedures will be used during the course of the hearing. The hearing officer shall explain the method of notification of the final decision to grant or deny the permit and the methods by which the decision may be reviewed in a public adjudicatory hearing. The hearing officer may put limits on individual oral statements to ensure an opportunity for all persons present to make statements in a reasonable period of time and to prevent undue repetition. The hearing officer may also limit the number of representatives making oral statements on behalf of any person or group. Informational and clarifying questions and oral statements shall be directed through the hearing officer. Cross examination shall not be allowed. Persons wishing to comment on or object to the proposed permit action are invited to do so by attending the public hearing or by submitting any comments or objections in writing to the Department of Natural Resources, at the above-named permit drafter's address. All comments or suggestions received from members of the public no later than 7 days following the date of this public hearing will be used, along with other information on file and testimony presented at the hearing, in making a final determination. Where designated as a reviewable surface water discharge permit, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is allowed up to 90 days to submit comments or objections regarding this permit determination. Information on file for this permit action, including the draft permit, fact sheet and permit application, may be inspected and copied at either the above-named permit drafter's office or the above named basin engineer's office, Monday through Friday (except holidays), between 9:00 a.m. and 3:30 p.m. Please call the permit drafter or basin engineer for directions to their office location, if necessary. Information on this permit action may also be obtained by calling the permit drafter at (608) 535-2369 or by writing to the Department. Reasonable costs (15 cents per page for copies and 7 cents per page for scanning) will be charged for information in the file other than the public notice, permit and fact sheet. Permit information is also available on the internet at: http://dnr.wi.gov/topic/wastewater/PublicNotices.html. Pursuant to the Americans with Disabilities Act, reasonable accommodation, including the provision of informational material in an alternative format, will be made to qualified individuals upon request. NAME OF PUBLISHING NEWSPAPER: Green Bay Press-Gazette ADDRESS OF PUBLISHING NEWSPAPER: P.O. Box 23430, Green Bay, WI 54305 Date Notice Issued: September 17, 2025 WNAXLP September 17 2025 LWIX0370752