BAILEYVILLE – Because of unprecedented low water levels in the St. Croix Waterway system, Domtar Industries Inc.’s pulp and paper mill has been granted permission by the state Department of Environmental Protection to reduce flows on an emergency basis, company officials said Friday.

“This allowance is temporary and afforded only until sufficient precipitation occurs to allow the company to return to the normal minimum flow of 750 [cubic feet per second] or greater,” spokeswoman Gaile Nicholson said in a news release.

Effective immediately, Domtar’s mill is targeting 500 cubic feet per second at Baring as the minimum flow until further notice. Adjustments will be made upstream as needed to conserve water. Attempts will be made to maintain minimum flows per current guidelines at all of the other reservoirs.

Domtar’s mill is an integrated pulp and paper operation, producing premium specialty papers including color copy, inkjet, laser opaque, copy paper and northern hardwood market pulp. It has been at its current location since it opened as St. Croix Paper in 1906. Domtar employs 555 people at the mill.