Washington’s Department of Ecology is taking another look at a wastewater spill from Port Townsend Paper Co. after a former millwright submitted photos and videos that appear to show a much larger discharge than the mill reported. The spill occurred Nov. 20, 2025, when wastewater and pulp escaped through a hole in a pipe and flowed into Port Townsend Bay. The mill reported to regulators that about 150 gallons spilled over roughly 25 minutes. John Tippins, a veteran millwright who said he witnessed the aftermath, estimates the discharge lasted much longer and was far more extensive. Ecology did not initially investigate beyond reviewing the mill’s report. The agency is now evaluating Tippins’ evidence and has shared it with an assistant attorney general, according to an email from a regulator. The department has not said whether it still considers the mill’s estimate accurate. Tippins’ video shows murky water and fibrous material coating shoreline rocks. He said the tide had begun washing away the material before he and coworkers found and patched a hole in the pipe. The mill’s report included a photo showing a small stream of clear fluid, while images Tippins later provided show a thicker, faster flow. Five experts who reviewed the material questioned the 150-gallon estimate. Depending on assumptions about the pipe and flow, two experts estimated the discharge rate could have ranged from 120 to 2,100 gallons per minute. If the spill lasted the 25 minutes cited by the mill, those rates would imply roughly 3,000 to 52,500 gallons. Tippins said the spill may have continued for several hours, but the duration has not been established. The company stands by its original assessment. Port Townsend Paper spokesperson Randy Coté said managers had not seen Tippins’ additional evidence before submitting their report and that the company provided Ecology with the photographs it had at the time. Senior vice president Brian Peterson said the company’s estimate was based on available images and its knowledge of the facility. Coté also acknowledged that senior managers did not interview Tippins before the report was filed. Because regulators did not investigate at the time or test the water afterward, the substances released and any effects on fish or wildlife are unknown. Ecology spokesperson Andy Wineke said untreated wastewater can reduce oxygen in the water and contain harmful particles, but determining the impact of this spill would depend on its size and composition. Tippins said he raised concerns with mill managers before contacting regulators and public officials. The mill suspended him after he challenged the report at a meeting in July and fired him in early August. The company says his termination followed unrelated performance issues and was not retaliation for protected reporting. Tippins is seeking whistleblower protections; U.S. Rep. Emily Randall, whose district includes the mill, said she is looking into the matter and connecting him with resources. The dispute comes as Washington’s pulp and paper industry faces heightened scrutiny. Port Townsend Paper employs about 300 people and produces roughly 1,000 tons of paper, containerboard and pulp daily. In September, Ecology fined the mill $734,000 for a series of spills earlier in the year, including two releases of chemicals into the mill’s wastewater lagoons. The agency had issued a $20,000 penalty for a 114,000-gallon bay spill the previous year. The broader industry has also drawn attention after a chemical tank failure at a Longview mill in May killed 11 workers and injured eight. University of Washington occupational health professor Marissa Baker has criticized a regulatory system that relies heavily on companies to report incidents, noting that inspectors have limited resources to follow up on every disclosure. For Tippins, the dispute is about the bay and the community where he grew up. “This is your bay. This is your town,” he recalled telling a former colleague. “This is my bay. This is my town.”