Well as expected it started slowly and boringly. Somewhat to my surprise it actually got a little better. In fact generally speaking there was less bull**** and more fact than usual. What happened? I even found Hadley's (Lanxess) droning much less offensive (likely because there was less of it and she didn't seem to be forcing her two cents in where it wasn't needed). Then to my utter astonishment there was a reporter present. It was not a reporter from the Woolwich Observer but from the K-W Record!. Even more astonishingly it was Terry Pender the reporter that I had to take to the National Media Council for his May 1/25 article about Vietnam and Agent Orange. O.K. last but not least Susan Bryant from the comfort of her home made a comment that I agreed with regarding downstream residents (farmers) having decades of high exposures to Uniroyal contaminants.
In no particular order Hadley made a few concessions if you will. Yes she downplayed the level of dioxins in the environment and how ubiquitous (common) they now are with sources other than Uniroyal Chemical. However she did admit that higher than background levels of dioxins/furans downstream are indeed from past Uniroyal discharges. She wouldn't go so far as to suggest that some are still coming off the former Uniroyal site however she did seem to be angling towards looking harder for them along the creekbanks on site including the east side creekbanks! Well Well?
Somewhat disconcertingly she repeatedly said something about not taking a risk or not exposing the company to risk in regards to further testing of sediments and soils along the Creek. She stated that the HHERA (human health & Ecological Risk Assessment) claimed that there were no downstream "unacceptable" risks hence I'm wondering if she is trying to stickhandle by doing more sampling but somehow any bad results don't count against Lanxess's position or cleanup. Those comments should have been clarified at the moment but yours truly like the rest of Elmira residents may not ask questions or speak at TRAC according to her majesty Queen Sandy.
Luis Almeida also made some comments that were decades overdue but which I had figured out a long time ago. He conceded that the off-site pumping wells were indeed placed in positions in the Municipal Aquifers where contaminant concentrations were highest. Now isn't that interesting especially as contaminant plumes generally have highest concentrations nearest their sources (Uniroyal) and decrease with distance from those sources. Hmm.
We learned that the EAB (Environmental Appeal Board) which was replaced by the ERT (Environmental Review Tribunal) has also been replaced by the well disparaged OLT or Ontario Land Tribunal. The OLT by the way originally was known as the OMB or Ontario Municipal Board and was reviled for its bias in favour of developers versus property owners. All in all clearly just a pro business, pro powerful and wealthy board put in position to go through the motions of unbiased and balanced weighing of the public interest versus that of private individuals. This whole discussion was in regards to the MECP's (Min. of Environment) new ECA or Control Order taking over after the 2028 deadline has passed and failed.
The discussion of the Control Order seemed to focus on the extent of diffusion of contaminants from the aquifers (sand & gravel) into the less permeable aquitards (silt & clay). The presenter stated that he was showing us why remediating large, dilute plumes takes a long time to do so. Indeed his Figure on the screen did show extensive diffusion below the Municipal Upper aquifer into the aquitards below which allegedly are now back diffusing into the aquifers as their concentrations of contaminants decrease.
Hadley, Luis and Sebastian got into a discussion of times now believed required to achieve drinking water standards. Hadley advised that if they stick with Pump & Treat technology that decades more will be required hence they are looking at other technologies.
Not bad, it only took CPAC until early 2012 to tell the Ministry, the Township and Chemtura that their pump & treat couldn't cut it and it's only taken another thirteen years for the guilty parties to admit the same. These delays have always been intentional hence talk now about improvements carries such little credibility.
Spoiler Alert: Likely more discussion here tomorrow on this TRAC meeting but as suggested in yesterday's post little or nothing promised much less done regarding "HOT SPOT" removals downstream in the Creek.
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