PUBLIC MEETING RE: STRANGE ST. WELLS (KIT.)

I attended the Public Information Centre at Westmount Public School on Glasgow St. in Kitchener last evening. "Pablum for the masses". Those words just now jumped into my mind. I'll get back to them. This public meeting was disappointing on a number of levels. Once again yours truly was the only member of the public present (7 pm.) with only two other names before me on the sign-in list. Secondly was the lack of handouts ie. hard copy/ written information. Thirdly I was disappointed by the superficiality. O.K. maybe that's a little strong as I understand that not all of us have a burning desire to know the details of our drinking systems. Or at least we don't until something goes wrong.

The Strange St. wells today are not the same wells that our forefathers drank from. It is the oldest wellfield in Kitchener and they've been drilling up Glasgow St. towards the Westmount area for some time. This is good because despite my specific question to a Regional hydrogeologist present; he claimed there were no issues with "organics" responsible for wells K12 and K17 being shut down. This is similar to the Region's claim in 2006 at open houses in regards to treatment being added at the Middleton wellfield (Cambridge) for Trichloroethylene; that they did not know who was responsible. That is pure unadulterated BULLSHIT.

The following organics were found at Well K12 in the 80's and 90's: Trichloroethylene, Trichloroethane, Toluene, Phenolics, Xylenes, Ethyl Benzene, pyrene, anthracene, and fluoranthene. It appears that rather than clean up the source or add improved treatment, it's simply easier and cheaper to lie and drill new wells.