Thursday, November 30, 2017

CHEMTURA (LANXESS) OCTOBER 2017 PROGRESS REPORT



The treatment systems have had a couple of changes and additions to them in regards to the new wells that have come on line. There is a new "Trojan Ultraviolet (UV) Treatment System" for well W9 as well as new "Wigen Granulated Activated Carbon (GAC) Equipment" for new wells W6A/B as well as for old wells W5A/B and W4. At the moment the miniscule new volumes from W6A/B and W9 don't require this new treatment but allegedly when their pumping rates increase they will.

The target pumping rates for on-site wells PW4 and PW5 have actually decreased over time. Many years ago Jeff Merriman of Chemtura/Crompton advised us that on-site pumping wells would increase their pumping rates to 6 litres per second. He did this to help sell the bogus Optimization Plan. This did not happen formally although on occasion those pumping rates were very close. Now I notice that as of page 2 as well as figure A.2 that the target pumping rates for PW4 and PW5 were reduced to 4.7 litres per second last year. This makes little or no sense unless of course your goal is to continue to externalize your costs by shifting your 100% share of on-site costs to the 50% only share for pumping off-site groundwater costs. Smooth! The taxpayers are paying the other 50% share.

Table A.5 indicates treatment system shutdowns. There are several "communications errors" responsible for numerous hours of shutdowns. Why?

Table C.2 concerns the surface water in Canagagigue Creek. Mercaptobenzothiazole (MBT) concentrations in the creek are ridiculous both upstream and downstream. The upstream may very well be due to leakage from the Bolender Park landfill although I am confident that the Ontario M.O.E. have studiously avoided any effective monitoring for Uniroyal signature chemicals that were dumped in the Bolender Park landfill back in the 1960s.

Table D.1 advises us that Light Non Aqueous Phase Liquids (LNAPLS) are still at thicknesses greater than one foot, floating on top of the water table. Again Jeff has advised us in the past that Chemtura can not find a way to excavate or pump it out. I do not believe that in this day and age that very shallow LNAPL can not be removed if the will to do so exists.

Lastly Table E.1 tells us that Chlorobenzene and NDMA are still at ridiculously high concentrations way above drinking water standards off the Chemtura/Lanxess site. Some of these wells are a few hundred metres away from the site. If all the NDMA and Chlorobenzene came from Uniroyal and if they had stopped off-site migration back in the early 90s as was ordered and claimed, I believe those concentrations would be much lower by now. This is to the further shame of the so called "responsible" parties.

2 comments:

  1. Alan you reference pages and tables of a report so where are they otherwise your article is just a rant?

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  2. The report is known as the Lanxess Monthly Progress Reort and was mandated by the Ontario M.O.E. in their 1991 Control Order. It can be obtained through either the M.O.E. or Woolwich Township. Also I receive a hard copy each month. Other options include an e-mail Attachment which is likely what the M.O.E. or Township would send you.

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