CONSULTANT RECOMMENDATIONS WOOLWICH HAVE EITHER IGNORED OR DELAYED FOR YEARS

This past weekend I decided to reread the ten Conestoga Rovers Reports starting in 1983 and extending through till 2016. They are painful reading due to the appearance of incompetence, mischance and poor planning/design. What seems readily apparent is the incorrect installation depth of the gas probes that were part of the 1984 gas collection system. By this I mean that the holes in the vertical probes that were intended to allow landfill gas (methane) to enter the probes both for measuring and for pumping out were installed too far below the ground surface. As a result groundwater was continually entering these probes and either blocking the flow of gas into them and or giving inaccurate pressure and concentration readings. While I can appreciate that groundwater levels rise and fall seasonally nevertheless having the holes too far down the probe has resulted in botched monitoring results from the very beginning.

Other problems abound. Allegedly probes either disappeared under surface water or were destroyed somehow by surface traffic. Many others simply could not be found. This seems bizarre to me as my understanding was that Mr. Paleshi had fully cooperated with the Township throughout the decades. While gas migrates more readily in the winter time according to CRA (2010) there has been all of two monitoring rounds in either December, January or February over the last thirty years. The impression I am left with is that 1) there are/were little or no gas probes operating past the borders of the landfill that would permit one to confirm methane migration. A couple may or may not be past the perimeter around the current #86 garage and buildings. The three that were built north past the perimeter of the landfill on the then Martin Pet Foods Plant were only monitored once in 1983 and had extremely high methane readings. After that they either disappeared, were ignored or destroyed. 2) Consultants aren't terribly keen on outdoor monitoring in cold weather. Yes snow is a factor if you haven't clearly marked your gas probe locations but really the excuses wear thin after thirty years of monitoring and constantly saying we couldn't find the flush to the surface gas probes. So the question is why are 99% of probes if not all of them still only on the landfill site itself and why has the monitoring been done both during high groundwater periods as well as during the warmer months when methane gas is more likely to discharge upwards through the surface of the landfill versus migrating laterally?

While I am very confident in my abilities to recognize junk science and heavy duty bullshit in technical reports, I am hesitant to bluntly accuse CRA/GHD of so doing intentionally. I am completely confident in believing that any impartial landfill gas expert without bias or financial incentive to fudge his results; would be as appalled by these reports as I am. The biases in regards to monitoring locations and monitoring frequency are blatant as I advised Woolwich Council in my fourth Delegation (Sept.19/17).

The ongoing failures by Woolwich Township to follow their consultants recommendations are also shocking. I have now counted an even half dozen serious recommendations that Woolwich have either totally ignored or have only reacted to literally years after the fact. Woolwich have totally compromised the integrity of these reports simply by not reacting promptly when their consultants have clearly and firmly advised them of the serious requirement to do something. This includes regular, monthly monitoring, indoor air monitoring (High St.), new gas probes promptly for the east end, increased daily hours of operation for the gas blower (pump) as well as full disclosure to both current and future owners of property in and around the west end of the landfill. These either complete failures or responses literally years or decades later are shameful and unacceptable.

Also of concern to me is what appears to be changing criteria or focus. Yes even though the west end by the earlier Paleshi's garage and wrecking yard has been their focus, something is amiss. The last couple of reports suddenly seem to be as concerned with volatile organic chemicals (VOCs) as with methane. It appears to me that the Township may have instructed their consultants to build a case against the new owner of this very old wrecking yard. My understanding is that the Township did not inform him of the methane gas problems while he was considering buying this site from Paleshi's. In fact it seems quite clear from their 2015 report that they thought things were just hunky dory along the west side of the landfill. They were ready to put the whole problem to bed once and for all. Guess what? After once again sitting on their hands and doing nothing for five years (2010-2015), after huge gas readings on the east side and much lower readings on the west side (Paleshi's/#86 auto recycling) they got shocked by enormous readings yet again on the west side starting in September 2015. Oops! Back to the drawing board. Woolwich have grossly mismanaged this project from start to finish. Their current hardnose, unreasonable approach to discussions with Mr. Rattasid put all of us to shame. That they have either a hidden agenda or some other inappropriate goals seems more and more obvious.