Wednesday, July 26, 2017

HAS CHEMTURA/LANXESS THROWN IN THE TOWEL ON REMEDIATING THE ELMIRA AQUIFERS?



The June 2017 Chemtura/Lanxess Progress Report came out a few days back. I've been waiting expectantly for many months to see the long anticipated and long overdue off-site groundwater expansion project come on-line. Well it finally has sort-of. Four wells namely W6, 7, 8, & 9 initially were supposed to triple the off-site extraction of contaminated groundwater. That was the plan back in November 2012. This plan by Chemtura/CRA came six months after CPAC and then Woolwich Council formally announced their lack of confidence in the current plan and pumping rates.

Essentially Chemtura and the Ministry of Environment then denied and decried CPAC and the Township's media releases and position that the 2028 off-site "cleanup" wasn't going to happen. They did this almost up until they turned around in November 2012 and announced that independently Chemtura and their consultants had determined that more had to be done to achieve the 2028 cleanup. That "more" was to TRIPLE the rates of off-site groundwater pumping and treating.

Such hypocrites and liars! They think that nobody is going to remember down the road their misstatements and bullshit. Well I remember and I am recording. As far as the TRIPLING of pumping, well that has long ago slid into a DOUBLING of the pumping rates. Of course no explanation and no rationale for the change. Afterall they are professionals and qualified experts and all the rest of the corporate horseshit that polluters and their corrupt regulators hide behind.

Of the four wells previously mentioned, one has started pumping namely W6. That would be one well albeit in two aquifers namely W6A and W6B. Hold your breathe and wait for it. More than four and a half years later this well pumped during June at a rate of 1.4 litres per second. This is in comparison to 64.3 litres per second for all the other off-site wells. Doesn't quite seem yet to have doubled much less tripled the pumping rates.

Is it possible now that both Chemtura/Lanxess and the M.O.E. have publicly admitted that they can't achieve the promised 2028 cleanup of the Elmira Aquifers, that they are going to coast? They've thrown in the towel? The whole thing has been a sham from the start? It wouldn't surprise me in the least. The Ontario M.O.E. will of course do whatever it takes to save face for themselves.

No comments:

Post a Comment