"THE CLEANUP IS A SHAM" - IS THE GLASS HALF FULL OR HALF EMPTY?

 

Way back in the mid 1990s I put a large sign on the roof of my car which read "The Cleanup is a sham". Now I was mostly referring to the ongoing (and still going) DNAPL scam and sham. I honestly back then had no idea of the perfidy, ruthlessness and lengths to which our authorities were willing to go to protect their own as**s versus those of their constituents. 

Thirty years later I understand that my criticisms were in fact understated and muted but they were based upon the facts that I had at the time.  Here is the perspective of where we are today versus in the 1990s. The Canagagigue Creek has been studied , sampled and monitored to the point that we know that PCBs, mercury, DDT and dioxins/furans are in Creek soils (creekbanks), Creek sediments (Bottom of the Creek) and in fish tissues all above health standards. Other than mercury the chemicals involved including PAHs (polyaromatic hydrocarbons), DDT, dioxins/furans and PCBs are all Persistent Organic Pollutants (Pops).  Nothing has been remediated or removed from the approximately five miles of downstream Creek from Uniroyal/Lanxess all the way to the Grand River just south of West Montrose.

Small areas on the former Uniroyal site have been excavated such as RPE 4 & 5 on the east side of the Creek. The only real improvement in my opinion is the Elmira aquifers. As miserable and relatively cheap as Pump & Treat is, it does appear to have substantially lowered the concentrations of NDMA , chlorobenzene and presumably all the other solvents etc. in the aquifers. The issue for me and other unbiased but informed citizens is the bulk of liquid contaminants just upgradient on the Lanxess site. If the company sells or cuts and runs and the on-site pumping stops then we are in BIG trouble. Already they are cutting back on on-site pumping and the majority of twits on TRAC are saying nothing. Either they don't know or they don't care or both. 

Trust the Ministry of Environment (MECP) to step in, in that case, is the mantra of our politicians and other  self-serving crooks and fellow travellors.  Absolutely not. The MECP got us into this mess and they have never done their duties appropriately here in Elmira, Ontario.  Lying to and misinforming the public is NOT supposed to be their mandate but as practice makes perfect they have indeed approached perfection.