IN-SITU CHEMICAL OXIDATION IS A FORM OF SOURCE REMOVAL (CHEMTURA)

ISCO is currently being used in Cambridge in the Bishop St. community due to the environmental damage and negligence of Northstar Aerospace as well as the Rozell/G.E. site nearby. The idea is that injecting chemicals with large amounts of oxygen in them will chemically breakdown chlorinated hydrocarbon solvents into carbon dioxide (CO2) and water (H2O). The hope is that at Chemtura in Elmira, that it will also breakdown NDMA which while not having chlorine in it, nevertheless is also a hydrocarbon with some nitrogen included. Chemtura according to this week's Elmira Independent, in an article titled "Chemtura starts work on in-situ remediation", are beginning both field and lab studies this summer.

Editor Gail Martin incorrectly states that ISCO is part of a "new, aggressive cleanup strategy that was unveiled last November, after the company updated it's computer modelling of Elmira's contaminated aquifer.". This story is part of the public relations spin that Chemtura/CRA are putting on their response to CPAC's Resolution from over a year ago stating that Chemtura's/CRA pump and treat cleanup was not working and simply would not restore the aquifers by 2028 in Elmira.

Gail does accurately indicate the concern that CPAC and myself and others have with the proposed tripling of the off-site pumping rates. In a nutshell, talk is cheap. Chemtura/CRA historically have failed over and over again to achieve their own computer modelled pumping rates yet now they confidently advise they can reliably achieve a tripling of those same rates. Chemtura are world class in the art of puffery; not so hot in actually doing what they promise.