Water Use

95% of the water we use in our pulp operations is returned to the environment

Water Use in Manufacturing

Solid wood mills primarily use water for heating, misters for dust control and to cool equipment. At three sawmill sites, we also employ water in a closed-loop system for the cooling needs of our three biomass-fueled ORC bioenergy systems. Our solid wood mills use little process water compared to the water used in the pulping process at our pulp facilities.

Water use data is most relevant to pulping facilities, which use and treat large volumes of water in the course of a year. Water is used to wash and process pulp, transport it through the mill, cooling process effluent for effective environmental treatment, and for heat and power generation. The total volume of water required in facilities is determined by the type of pulp processing, with mechanical processes requiring less water.

Water in West Fraser’s Forest Operations

Water is an important - and protected - resource throughout our operations. We specifically address, manage and monitor stream and watercourse protection as part of our sustainable forest management activities. We operate under strict regulations with regard to water or watercourses on the lands where we harvest, which are enforced within our land-use planning.

For information about water stewardship as it relates to sustainable forestry, see the sustainable forest management section.

Water disclosures are provided for the Company’s directly managed mechanical pulp mills Quesnel River Pulp and Slave Lake Pulp, and kraft pulp operations Hinton Pulp and joint venture Cariboo Pulp & Paper mill. West Fraser is a partner in, but not the managing partner of, the Alberta Newsprint Company. This facility’s water metrics (historical and current) have been added to West Fraser’s disclosures in the charts below.

303-1 - Interactions with water as a shared resource

West Fraser is a responsible steward of water, appropriately treating and returning approximately 95% of the water withdrawn back to the receiving environment.

Water and water infrastructure have been a shared resource for decades at West Fraser. Two of our pulp and paper mills utilize their water treatment systems to treat community wastewater in Quesnel and Hinton. Hinton Pulp partially treats the incoming river water for their local community.

Quesnel River Pulp has an agreement in place to treat a small wastewater stream from a nearby industrial plant. The mill’s wastewater treatment also supports an initiative whereby waste heat is harnessed from the treated effluent to warm a local tree seedling greenhouse. This recovery of waste heat from the treated effluent prior to discharge to the receiving environment recovers heat energy, lowering the nursery’s heating costs and reducing GHG emissions.

For information about water stewardship as it relates to sustainable forestry, see the sustainable forest management section.

303-2 Management of water discharge-related impacts

Water consumption is closely tracked at our pulp and jointly-owned pulp and newsprint operations in Canada.

2019 pulp effluent trends Overall, little water (on average, 5%) is lost in pulp production. Water is reused several times during the pulping process before it is treated to meet rigorous regulatory and environmental standards. The small portion of water consumed during production can largely be attributed to the steam released during the pulp drying process. After water has been through our effluent clarification, filtration, cooling, and treatment system processes, it is tested and returned to the receiving environment.

West Fraser invests considerable resources on improvements to water systems aimed at improving the effluent discharges at our operations. Our pulp operations are committed to continuous improvement. The Company’s facilities have made significant strides to monitor and manage effluent discharge quality. The key indicators used to evaluate the quality of water discharged are total suspended solids (TSS) and biochemical oxygen demand (BOD). All pulp facilities achieve results that are significantly better than our government-set permit levels.

303-3 Water withdrawal

Total Withdrawal, by source (m³)	2017*	2018	2019
Groundwater	8.9 million	10.8 million	11.6 million
Surface water	84.7 million*	83.1 million*	85.9 million

*2017 and 2018 surface water figures have been revised to include newsprint joint venture operation and correct previous calculations.

World Resources Institute (WRI) ‘Aqueduct Water Risk Atlas’ classifies the industrial water risk as 'low' for the Fraser and Mackenzie river basins where West Fraser pulp mill operations are located (Quesnel, British Columbia; Hinton, Slave Lake, and Whitecourt Alberta).

303-4 Water discharge

Total (m3/year)	2017	2018	2019
Total Water Diverted	93.6 million*	93.9 million*	97.6 million
Total Water Returned	88.9 million*	90.5 million*	93.0 million

*Diverted water figures have been revised to include newsprint joint venture operation and to correct measurements from previous years.

The water we withdraw for our pulping process is treated, tested and returned to the streams it was sourced from. The river sources for our surface water use are the Fraser River in B.C., and the Lesser Slave River and the Athabasca River in Alberta.

Effluent treatment is highly regulated at both provincial and federal governments for all pulp mills in Canada. There are strict regulations relating to testing the efficacy of our water treatment. West Fraser’s mills regularly report to governments summarizing treatment systems' performance. This reporting includes measurements of how well pulp facilities treat organic compounds that are washed out from the raw fibre during the bleaching and pulping processes.

2019 pulp effluent quality by mill type We monitor these factors to ensure there will be no adverse impact to the receiving environment’s oxygen demand for organisms to thrive when the water is returned to the river. All Canadian pulp and paper facilities participate in the federal Environmental Effects Monitoring program, science-based performance effluent measurement program monitoring fish, fish habitats and the usability of the fisheries resource.

We report our deposits of effluent into water in accordance to Environment Canada’s Pulp and Paper Effluent Regulations. These regulations set maximum quantities of biochemical oxygen demand matter (which consumes oxygen dissolved in water) and total suspended solids that can be deposited from pulp and paper mills under prescribed conditions. The regulations do not allow the deposit of any effluent that is acutely lethal to fish.

See our Environmental Policy about our approach and commitment to operating responsibly.

Water quality and effluent at pulp operations

Slave Lake Pulp

Quesnel River Pulp

Hinton Pulp

Cariboo Pulp & Paper

Albert Newsprint Company

Water bodies were not adversely affected by water discharges, runoff from the Company’s pulp operations or environmentally significant reportable spills in 2019. All the jurisdictions where we operate have spill reporting legislation and our facilities comply with these regulations.

For twenty years, West Fraser’s pulp and paper mills have participated in Canada's federal Environmental Effects Monitoring program, (EEM), a science-based performance effluent measurement program monitoring fish, fish habitats and the usability of fisheries resource. Through this ongoing and regular environmental program monitoring, West Fraser’s mills have demonstrated that their respective effluent discharges have not had an adverse impact on their receiving rivers.

303-5 Water Consumption

Mechanical pulp (newsprint and BCTMP) mills use 20-22m3 of water per tonne of production
Kraft pulp (NBSK) mills average 100-120 m3 of water per tonne of production

Total (m3/year)	2017	2018	2019
Total Water Diverted	93.6 million*	93.9 million*	97.6 million
Total Water Returned	88.9 million*	90.5 million*	93.0 million
Consumption Difference	4.7 million	3.4 million	4.5 million

*Process water figures have been revised to correct measurements from previous data years and to include water data for all pulp operations.

We produce two types of pulp, Mechanical Pulp via either a Bleached Chemical Thermo-Mechanical Pulp (BCTMP) or Thermo-Mechanical Pulp (TMP) process; and Northern Bleached Softwood Kraft pulp (NBSK) in a kraft pulp process. How we manufacture these two types of pulp has a substantial effect on the water we require. Mechanical pulps (which includes newsprint pulp) require similar volumes ofwater (about 20 to 25 m3 per tonne of production), whereas kraft pulp (NBSK) demands far greater water resources (about 100 to 120 m3 per tonne of production). The difference is water that has evaporated during manufacturing, was incorporated in biosolid residuals from the pulping process or the water remaining with the pulp product that is shipped to customers.

BCTMP: The processes of producing mechanical pulp applies heat, chemicals and a refining process in a chlorine-free environment. West Fraser produces both softwood and hardwood BCTMP and softwood TMP. The joint-venture TMP mill produces newsprint. Mechanical pulp is used for manufacturing products such as coated board grades, printing and writing paper and paper towel/napkin grades. It uses significantly less water per tonne of pulp produced than kraft pulp, averaging 22 m3 of water per tonne of production in 2019.

NBSK: NBSK pulp is a kraft pulp. It is produced by combining woodchips and chemicals into what is called a digester. The chemical process in the digester breaks down the lignin in the fibre, lignin being the glue that holds fibres together. NBSK pulp in its finished form is made up of long slender fibres that provide excellent bonding and tensile properties. NBSK pulp is used for manufacturing a variety of paper products including printing and writing paper, specialty grades and a range of tissue products. NBSK’s manufacturing process requires larger volumes of water relative to BCTMP pulp, averaging 120 m3 of water per tonne of production in 2019.

External Water-Related Collaborations

Through our membership in the Alberta Forest Products Association (AFPA), West Fraser is represented in the Alberta Water Council. The Council is a collaborative partnership providing expertise and sector knowledge and perspectives for governments, Indigenous Peoples, industry and non-governmental organizations to advance the outcomes of Water for Life and advises the Government of Alberta on effective water resources management policies, practices, and tools.

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Water Use

Water Use in Manufacturing

Water in West Fraser’s Forest Operations

Water quality and effluent at pulp operations

Slave Lake Pulp

Quesnel River Pulp

Hinton Pulp

Cariboo Pulp & Paper

Albert Newsprint Company