HOW HAVE UNIROYAL CONTAMINANTS ENDED UP 240 METRES EAST (CROSS-GRADIENT) ONTO THE STROH FARM

The title of the report written by GHD on behalf of Lanxess Canada (formerly Uniroyal) is "Supplemental East Side Off-Site Groundwater Investigation". It is dated May 2020. The contaminants tested for in groundwater, both shallow and deep, are NDMA, 2,4-dichlorophenol and 2,4,6 trichorophenol. Oddly, GHD appear to be using the acronym 2,4-D which I've always understood to mean 2,4 dichlorophenoxyacetic acid, a herbicide whose raw material is 2,4 dichlorophenol.

Not only were wells drilled along the Lanxess/Stroh border but they were also drilled 240 metres eastwards along the roadway which runs from Church St. (Hwy #86) southwards towards the Stroh home. These wells were OW 190-8, OW 190-29, OW 189-8, OW 189-24 and OW 188-6, OW 188-22. Another well OW191 was drilled closer to the Lanxess/Stroh border.

The three contaminants were all produced whether intentionally or unintentionally in the case of NDMA. Both 2,4-D and 2,4,5-T were mixed together to produce the infamous Agent Orange used in Vietnam as well as in Ontario and New Brunswick. Exactly why GHD chose 2,4,6 trichlorophenol versus 2,4,5 trichlorophenol, I am not sure. All three contaminants were found in groundwater both shallow and deep in the wells along the road into the Stroh farm. The direction of groundwater flow, both shallow and deep, is primarily southwards albeit somewhat westwards as well. It does not on the face of it make much sense to be found 240 metres due eastwards, especially fifty years AFTER Uniroyal Chemical's overflowing east side pits (RPE 1-5) were no longer in use.

These pits definitely did overflow onto the Stroh farm as well as gravity flowing southwards towards the Martin farm and the Canagagigue Creek. One thought I have is that perhaps the volumes flowing eastwards were even greater than I had imagined. Another unworthy thought is that perhaps there was intentional dumping further east or even onto the farm north of the Stroh farm. It is worthy of pursuing which means it is highly unlikely to happen. Lanxess and GHD are certainly capable of coming up with their own self-serving story to "explain" away this contamination so far off the accepted flow directions.