Some of Altria's footprint is easy to see: the huge white Manufacturing Center next to Interstate 95, the sleek silvery Center for Research and Technology in Richmond's downtown Virginia BioTechnology Research Park, the corporate headquarters in the former Reynolds Metals building in Henrico County.
Some are harder, like the purple swathes of pickerelweed that flower behind the Philip Morris USA Park 500 plant in Chesterfield County, where the company has spent $7 million creating an artificial swamp.
The pickerelweed -- along with acres of duck potato with its heart-shaped leaves, head-high bulrushes, neon-green duckweed and floating leaves of spatterdock -- are part of a 400-area-plus filter for wastewater.
Philip Morris USA uses 1.8 million gallons of James River water at Park 500 to make paper out of tobacco scraps and stems.
While it already has a wastewater-treatment plant that exceeds state permitting standards, the company built the swamp on an old pasture in 2008 as a way to soak up even more nitrogen and phosphorus before discharging water back to the James River. Both are nutrients that encourage algae blooms, which in turn deprive fish and other water-dwellers of oxygen.
"We wanted to reduce our footprint," said Tony Nobinger, who is in charge of the day-to-day operation of Park 500's water and wastewater plants.
The deer, rabbits and eagles patrolling the swamp for meals are a fringe benefit. -- David Ress
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