Residents in the Town of Rumford, Maine, woke up to a bizarre sight Tuesday morning, after a layer of brown snow covered some portions of the area. A statement from the Town confirmed that the discoloration was due to a malfunction at the ND Paper Rumford Division mill.
The malfunction reportedly released spent black liquor, a biproduct of the mill process, resulting in the discolored precipitation. The areas closest to the Mill, especially around Falmouth Street, Cumberland Street, and Waldo Street, were the most affected.
The substance did have a pH level of 10, making it alkali and a skin irritant, though non-toxic. Rumford officials told the public to avoid touching or otherwise making contact with the brown snow, and Maine DEP was notified. Residents were also told to keep their kids and pets away from the snow.
The Maine DEP arrived in the town around 1pm, testing the snow and determining that it had a pH of 8 or less. The Mill did agree to pay for third party testing to be done independently with snow samples sent to a lab with a protected chain of custody, and residents were told to continue to avoid touching the snow.