Pulp mills discharge significant amounts of wastewater which have the potential to affect water quality in receiving waters. The Alberta-Pacific Environmental Impact Assessment Review Board has been established to examine the potential water quality impacts of pulp mills in the Peace and Athabasca River systems. Alberta Environment has monitored water quality in these rivers for a number of years and has carried out assessments of the impact of existing pulp mill effluents on river water quality and aquatic biota. It is the purpose of this document to outline the monitoring done to date, to summarize the findings of these assessments regarding pulp mill effects, and to indicate the direction of future river monitoring and assessments.