It started with the gnats. Then came the dragonflies and mice. Eventually birds, foxes, turtles and deer found their way into the man-made wetlands that naturally filter wastewater from the nation's biggest tobacco company.
The nearly 50 acres of wetlands are part of a $7 million science experiment, using more than 150,000 plants to filter wastewater discharged by Philip Morris USA's Park 500 plant, which reconstitutes loose tobacco into sheets in a process similar to making paper for use in its products.
But the project along the James River that became fully operational over the summer is also creating a habitat for many animal species -- a stark contrast from the industrial city of steel buildings and towers less than a mile away.
"It is kind of neat -- this whole cycle that happens," said Ty Murray, the director of environmental compliance for Philip Morris' parent company, Altria Group Inc. "One group moves in, it creates food for another group. They come in and devour, and the whole system just keeps repeating itself."
Wastewater first flowed into the wetlands in March, and more than 15 species of such plants as bullrush and duck potato established themselves soon afterward, followed by more than 70 varieties of animals that come and go with the seasons.
Nearly 1.8 million gallons of treated wastewater a day move through a series of ponds with native trees and shrubs. The plant life and microbes absorb such mineral nutrients as nitrogen and phosphorus before the water reaches the river. The whole process takes about 14 days beyond the traditional methods of treatment before the water enters the wetlands, said Tony Nobinger, the plant's wastewater manager.
Excessive levels of the nutrients in the water can cause algae blooms and have other adverse effects on aquatic life, according to the Environmental Protection Agency. Algae depletes oxygen levels in the water, killing fish.
The manufacturing plant has been a source of frustration for such groups as the Chesapeake Bay Foundation, which previously challenged state permits that allow Philip Morris, the maker of Marlboro and other top cigarette brands, to dump wastewater into the river. The foundation, which settled with the company in March, said that the permit allows the discharge of excessive levels of nitrogen and phosphorus into the river.
The company's current permit allows for the discharge of 2,650 pounds of phosphorus and 139,000 pounds of nitrogen a year. Last year, Philip Morris discharged 4,400 pounds of phosphorus and 72,200 pounds of nitrogen, below permitted levels for that period. The company said that from 2001 to 2006 it cut its nitrogen discharge into the river by 46 percent. The new system is estimated to reduce nitrogen levels by an additional 13 percent and phosphorus levels by 34 percent.
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