RECENT HISTORY REVISITED

October 31, 2013 : The title of the article in the Elmira Independent is "Chemtura runs into snags with in-situ treatment plan". This treatment plan was part of Chemtura's major announcement nearly a year earlier (Nov. 2012) when they were reacting to pressure from CPAC and also to Woolwich Council's support of CPAC's position regarding the failure of Uniroyal/Chemtura's Pump & Treat System to fully remediate the Elmira aquifers.

Chemtura announced that they would TRIPLE the off-site pumping (i.e. in the Elmira Aquifers) AND they would use some source removal off-site in various hot spots. The source removal was to be a process known as ISCO or In-Situ Chemical Oxidation. This is the same process that was used in Cambridge's Bishop St. community due to the Northstar and Rozell TCE and TCA contamination.

As an aside I had made a presentation to CPAC probably around 2009 about using ISCO in Elmira and I was totally shut down at that time by the MOE, CRA, Chemtura and the old Chemtura Public Advisory Committee (CPAC). Incompetent, arrogant, or simply corrupt they sure weren't ever going to take advice from the public or local, honest citizens.

Well Chemtura tried three different locations and settled by pumping well W3 on Industrial Dr. between Sanyo Canada to the north and the former McKee Harvestor to the south. As described by Dr. Richard Jackson a few years later, Conestoga Rovers botched the testing of ISCO in this area. Dr. Jackson expressed amazement that they hadn't obtained expert advice from companies who used this process regularly.

All in all it was just one more public relations exercise to give the impression that the company and their consultants were exploring all options to get the cleanup on track. Of course the Ontario Ministry of Environment held Chemtura's hands throughout this scam and made no serious criticisms of the whole process. This is but one reason why Dr. Jackson included the Ontario MOE in his overall criticism of the handling/mishandling of the Elmira and Creek cleanup.