EAST SIDE SURFICIAL SOIL & GROUNDWATER INVESTIGATION

Besides surficial soil samples taken at a depth of .15 cm (6 inches), soil samples were also taken from test pits excavated along the eastern property border between Chemtura and their neighbour. While the test pits were 1 metre deep the soil samples were taken from.35 m (>1 foot) below ground surface . Also groundwater samples were taken both at wells (new and old) along the eastern border as well as further south closer to GP1 & 2 as well as the southern property border.

The DDT surficial soil samples exceeded both the on-site human health criteria as well as the lower Table 2 criteria (agricultural) for the samples taken from the extreme north end of the eastern border all the way down (400-500 metres) to below the most southern pit known as Retention Pit East 5 (RPE-5).

Several wells had exceedances of the Ontario Drinking Water Standards (ODWS) including OW7-3, OW7-6, OW28-5, OW36-5(R), OW69-13 and OW178-5. The worst one tested was OW36-5(R) with six parameters exceeding the ODWs. These parameters were 2,4,5-T, 2,4-D, 2,4,6-Trichlorophenol, 2,4-Dichlorophenol, NDMA and Benzene. Benzene has a ODWS of 5 parts per billion (ppb) and tested at 3,500 ppb. NDMA was the most common contaminant exceeding the ODWS with four different wells exceeding the .009 ppb standard.

DDE a breakdown product of DDT also exceeded the Table 2 standards in at least a half a dozen different surficial soil samples. At a very superficial glance it would appear that the worst soil contamination is at the surface and indeed that point is being pushed by GHD (Conestoga Rovers). Unfortunately I have found a number of examples of typical CRA science and hence when one examines both their methodology, their sample points and their clever wording; it appears that some scientific bias may be evident. I will go into this further in upcoming posts.