THE LANXESS SITE CONTINUES TO LEAK LIKE A SIEVE

Newsflash folks. "The cleanup is a sham." I first publicly stated that on a banner on the roof of my car around 1995. The "cleanup" while helping was never intended to actually contain all of Uniroyal Chemical's toxic contaminants on site. Part of their strategy is to let dilution, mother nature, time, and minimal pumping and treating allowing off-site leakage to do its work. Contrary to the November 4, 1991 Control Order instead of complete hydraulic containment in all aquifers what we have is complete leakage off-site in all aquifers. Same thing goes for the off-site hydraulic containment. Sure they are collecting NDMA, chlorobenzene, toluene, benzene, phenols, MBT, BT, and so much more at their off-site pumping wells but they are also leaking those same contaminants outside of Elmira via all their aquifers. This is an intended saving of money as these lower concentrations will eventually be diluted and there will also be some natural attenuation of these lower strength toxic wastes as they continue to migrate southwards.

The same thing goes for the Canagagigue Creek. The Uniroyal/Lanxess site continues to discharge small quantities of chemicals via the MISA (Municipal Industrial Strategy for Abatement) pipes which allegedly discharge surface water but in fact have never stopped discharging contaminated groundwater which infiltrates the sub-surface pipes. The shallow groundwater from the 3/4 of the site that is uncontained by the UACTS (Upper Aquifer Containment & Treatment System) continues to discharge untreated into the creek.

The most recent May Progress Report indicates a litany of Uniroyal chemicals which have higher concentrations downstream in the creek (sample location SS+925) versus upstream (sample location SS-110). They are Toluene, front and centre followed by m,p xylenes, MBT, aniline, BT, NDMA, and NMOR. All the timelines ever suggested by Uniroyal and approved by the Ontario Ministry of Environment have been nothing but hot air. Words are wind for both our large polluters and for their alleged regulator.