WHAT ARE THE SLIMY, SCHEMING TWITS DOING?

 Well let's see now. Firstly they are not committing to pump, pump and more pump. Oh no just because they bragged, lied, boasted, lied,  shouted, lied about the wonders of hydraulic containment for twenty -five years (1991-2016) they aren't attacking our contaminated aquifers with even a tiny fraction of the pumping they themselves deemed necessary. They started cutting back on their costs back in 2016. They had never really hung in for long periods and achieved the pumping they said they could much less the TRIPLE and later DOUBLE the off-site pumping they (Chemtura/CRA) determined was necessary in November 2012. How can any honest person involved in this fiasco have the slightest respect for the dirty polluter, their impotent regulator and or the consultants working for them? The answer is simple. Honest people do NOT have the slightest respect for PROFESSIONAL LIARS and their fellow travellors such as the RMOW, Woolwich Twn,. GRCA. I expect that after watching their behaviour since 1989 I would gag having to sit with those filth.

O.K. so what are they committed to doing?  How about rewriting history, making excuses both old and new and generally patting each other on the backs and saying "What swell fellows are we!". I mean look at what they've accomplished.  They've reduced cleanup costs to the absolute minimum and less even as their failures have become more apparent. They have made a bunch of incompetent twits at TRAC believe in themselves. I am of course referring to Allan Deal and Luis Almeida of GHD amongst them. Oh I nearly forgot. The dishonourable and corrupt Ontario Ministry of Environment are rewriting the Control Order or whatever name they are giving their optional, only if you feel up to it, suggestions certainly not orders or commands. This new document will mostly be discussed in private between Lanxess and the MECP (Ministry of Enhanced Corporate Pollution) although there will be some token once over by TRAC at the very least for appearances sake.. 

Finally the guilty parties will do some more studies. Just imagine almost twenty-seven years ago (August 1998) they started pumping the off-site municipal aquifers.  CPAC has known since early in 2012 that they didn't have a hope in succeeding and actually briefly had Woolwich Twn. support on that matter. A mere nearly thirteen years later Lanxess Canada feel the need to examine other proven cleanup technologies. 

WHY THE HELL ARE WE LEAVING THE LYING, CORRUPT PARTIES (FOXES) IN CHARGE OF THE HENHOUSE ?   

ARE WE ALL REALLY THIS STUPID OR DO WE NEED TO DO SOMETHING MORE CONCRETE?

K-W RECORD HAMMERS CHEMTURA/UNIROYAL IN OCTOBER 2016

 

The front page story on October 21, 2016 was titled "Chemtura starts offsite chemical probe". It was followed by a Record Editorial on October 28, 2016 titled "Get serious about Elmira cleanup".News flash K-W Record: Uniroyal and successors have never been serious about cleaning up Elmira. It's all been for show and for appearances.  It's now eight years later and what has been done? Not a single shovel full of contaminated downstream soils and sediments have been removed from the Canagagigue Creek.  Our aquifers are not only admitted to being still well above drinking water standards for NDMA and chlorobenzene (& likely other chemicals) but all guilty parties are dancing a jig of joy for their public relations acumen and how their false and pathetic excuses are being lapped up. Perhaps that's why they call them lapdogs rather than watchdogs?

The so called chemical probe on the east side Stroh property was just one more sham among many. Fifteen centimetres or 5.9 inches is how deep those swine sampled the soils. Despite this they got tons of hits above health criteria.  They sampled perhaps 15 metres eastwards from the Uniroyal property line with Stroh. 

As far as the Record's Editorial let me ask them this. If Chemtura's and the M.O. E.'s  cleanup wasn't serious eight years ago what the hell is it now? A JOKE, a FARCE, a SCAM ? All they are doing right now is smoothing and fine tuning their excuses as to why they are still decades away from restoring the Elmira Aquifers to drinking water standards. I and a few other CPAC members have been telling the media and the corrupt Ministry of Environment for decades as to what needed doing and they have only been listening to the company's bought and paid for experts (QPs) as well as a few co-opted semi citizens on the Woolwich hand picked committee who have benefited personally from giving concessions to the polluter. 

Come on K-W Record WE STILL NEED YOU TO DO YOUR JOB!   

WOW AND WE THINK THAT WE HAVE A CRISIS HERE IN CANADA

 

"Trudeau must go, " "Trudeau and the Liberals have lost the confidence of the House" etc. etc. etc.  True or not I would suggest that Canada's problems fade into obscurity next to say Israel's, Syria's Russia's and the Ukraine. If the resignation and following critical letter by a senior Cabinet Minister signal the end of Justin Trudeau then what on earth does the detonation of a bomb in the heart of Moscow targeting a senior Russian General do? General Kirillov was the head of the Nuclear, Biological and Chemical authority and the Ukraine are publicly taking "credit" for his assassination. He had been accused by the Ukraine of using chemical weapons in the war there between Russia and the Ukraine. 

Then we learn that Israel, all of course in the name of Israeli security, are now occupying lands inside Syria. First they destroyed the Syrian Air Force via bombing and now they have troops stationed on and past the Golan Heights contrary to a treaty they signed along with Syria and the U.N. around 1974. Apparently ridding themselves of Hamas isn't enough nor is seriously damaging Hezbolah. This has been followed by incursions into Lebanon, Syria and possibly even Iran.    

Does any of this even in the slightest explain why Canadian politicians and authorities appear so slow and sloth like in their response to environmental problems from destroyed groundwater to climate change? Does this explain why the Canadian government are hell bent on scapegoating legal Canadian firearms owners for the governments own failures to stop gun smuggling across the U.S. border or to remove illegal firearms from the hands of street gangs in Toronto? 

Maybe Canadian politicians lack the imagination to be really bad buggars or maybe they are just better at hiding their foulest of deeds.

RECENT EXCELLENT SUPPORTING DOCUMENTS

 

Sebastian at least for the moment seems to be sticking to his membership with the Totally Rotten And Corrupt Committee (TRAC). Despite that error he is however producing some excellent critiques of Lanxess and GHD's (consultants) nonsense and ever wishful thinking masquerading as science.

In his December 5/24 critique to TRAC Sebastian takes issue with GHD's undying optimism that despite gross pumping failures and shutdowns , all is well hydraulic containment wise.  Sebastian states "In the monthly progress reports, GHD has a note at the bottom of the average daily pumping rates table stating: "...the Target Average pumping rates is set at 90% of the set point rate. GHD recommends that Lanxess maintain the target pumping rates greater than or equal to these rates."  The combined on-site pumping rates are now below the 50% mark and have been for months." 

So GHD writes one thing for public consumption (progress reports) but tells TRAC the absolute opposite. God how I despise professional liars.

Secondly Sebastian responded to GHD's nonsense about the  low lying "Gap" area draining Uniroyal Chemical toxins onto the Stroh property. Oh my Lord to have to deal with those GHD second string (literally) twits yet again. Sebastian stated "Let me just add that this response by GHD is typical.  The answers appear superficially plausible but do not have the details to support their always optimistic conclusions (to the company at least). There is a continued absence of professional detachment and of a critical disposition on the part of GHD which has gone on far too long as far as groundwater remediation in Elmira is concerned. We deserve better."

Meanwhile mayor Shantz and Woolwich Council continue to cover their eyes and ears and hold their nose while supporting this sham of a cleanup in Elmira. Our media have also grossly failed us. Where is the Elmira Independent when we so desperately need it?

OUR GOVERNMENTS ROUTINELY INDEMNIFY LOCAL CORPORATIONS AGAINST ADVERSE SITUATIONS

 

Two examples are obvious and neither was in the public interest. Safety-Kleen were indemnified against additional contamination found behind Breslube in Breslau in order to get Safety-Kleen to buy the company. The problem was there was a lot of contamination between Breslube and the Grand River in both the soils and groundwater. It included LNAPLs (oils) floating on the surface of the groundwater as well as lots of solvents, some chlorinated. There were also PCBs mixed in with the floating LNAPLS.  This contamination was serious enough to eventually shut down the two municipal wells close to the river known as K70 and K71 (K  for Kitchener). Of course the Region has failed to come clean with the public about this.

The second example has to do with the sale of Varnicolor Chemical to Phillips Environmental who wanted to keep the company going as a solvent recycler. The Ministry of Environment had a Control Order insisting on a full aerial and VERTCIAL examination of sub-surface contamination.  Gosh though Phillips were a little worried about the vertical examination and balked. Next thing you know  that cleanup condition is gone. This was about 1993 or 94. Guess what? To this day there are still Varnicolor Chemical solvents deep in the Municipal aquifer underneath the site. The MOE gave Phillips an Indemnity that they didn't have to go looking for the deep contamination that eventually we found was indeed there. 

Three bodies made separate deals with Uniroyal Chemical back in the 1990s allegedly for costs that they had incurred from Uniroyal's contamination. The Region of Waterloo may have gotten $40 million for their pipeline costs, lab costs etc. but it likely came with strings attached. Or maybe the $40 million was both costs and a bribe. Maybe it depends upon how you look at it. Regardless the Region backed off on DNAPL s just like the Township and the MOE. These last two also had their own agreements. We know that the MOE agreement was a sweetheart agreement that saved Uniroyal hundreds of millions of dollars in cleanup costs for both DNAPLs as well as "new" contamination found. In exchange for settling over the summer of 1991 the Ontario MOE were not publicly humiliated at the renewed Environmental Appeal Board hearings in the fall of 1991. In fact those hearings were shut down. The Township also settled for costs with Uniroyal but you can bet the farm that Uniroyal squeezed them but good probably in regards to "friendly" public consultation only.

This folks is how our governments deal behind our backs with corporate big shots flexing their financial muscles.

WEIRD ELMIRA/UNIROYAL HISTORY BY GERRY THOMPSON ON ROB DEUTSCHMANN'S PODCAST

  This particular Podcast (Old Grey Mare) is an hour long and was transmitted on May 14, 2022.  Full disclosure I had a small bias in favour of Rob Deutschmann based upon his persistent kicking sand in the WRPS and their stupid "civilian" Board's face. Gerry Thompson, former CAO of Waterloo Region, I doubt I've ever met although I have a tiny bias regarding his perceived closeness to Ken Seiling (in my eyes). 

The very early question from Rob to Gerry was why the Ministry of Environment (MOE) had not found NDMA much sooner than 1989. Oddly Gerry hummed and hawed but never said what the public had been told namely that the MOE had never tested for NDMA before. Personally I've always believed that the MOE lied about that (and so much more) and maybe Gerry forgot or he simply didn't want to repeat the lie.

Gerry also responded to a question about the MOE 's behaviour and actions thusly: "The MOE talk but do nothing."  Furthermore he said that "...the MOE has neither the ability nor the will to do anything...". Gerry also suggested that Uniroyal burying drums was "probably illegal".  Now by this time I'm wondering if this interview done in May 2022 was past Gerry's prime however he certainly sounded confident and sharp with his words.

Oddly Gerry hinted that the other parties to the legal action for costs seemed to be primed and ready to go. He suggested that Uniroyal already had Conestoga Rovers (hydrogeological consultants) on board as well as a number of Bay St. lawyers. My comment is that it's almost as if they'd been waiting for the MOE's announcement for months.

Gerry also suggested that initially it was thought that NDMA could be absorbed through the skin hence showers and baths were dangerous. Later on Gerry felt that this characteristic of NDMA was found to be false. Now that is not my recollection however that one I'd prefer to check out properly before calling Gerry nuts or wrong. By the way by this time in the podcast I'm really enjoying Gerry's comments but I've repeatedly  screamed in frustration at my monitor because of Rob's constant interruptions. His comments are not remotely as interesting as his guest's are but O.K. by the end of the podcast his interruptions had become less egregious.

Regarding dealing with Uniroyal and David Ash Gerry stated  that "they argued over everything..." and that David was a company man.". Now at one point Rob said something about "early detection" of NDMA which made absolutely no sense in the context of this whole interview.

Now this next one by Gerry is a whopper and one reason over the decades that I've lost respect for the Region of Waterloo. Gerry said that the contamination into the "Gig" was greatly reduced before "it could begin to migrate into the watershed (Grand R.)". Sorry Gerry but Uniroyal's toxic crap had been flowing down the Canagagigue Creek and into the Grand River since the mid and late 1940s a whole four decades before it was allegedly "discovered" in the Elmira south wellfield (E7/E9). Also the hydraulic containment of the aquifer discharging into the Canagagigue didn't begin until 1997.  Therefore more than fifty years for the dissolved contaminants as well as the undissolved but attached to sediments DDT and dioxins to also migrate a measly five miles downstream. 

Another huge problem for me is Gerry's claim that NDMA was a by-product of  herbicide Agent Orange production.  My knowledge is that NDMA was a by-product of  a couple of different Uniroyal product groups such as ADAM and another which escapes me at the moment. Probably what Gerry was thinking of was dioxin (2,3,7,8 TCDD) was a toxic by-product of Agent Orange .

Gerry did O.K. even for someone so closely involved in the crisis thirty plus years ago. If he did zero preparation for his podcast then the errors are somewhat explainable. Otherwise not so much. Fortunately there are still a few citizens around who can hold the history true.

 

WOOLWICH TWN./COUNCIL KNOWINGLY ALLOW & PROMOTE FALSE TESTIMONY AT THE TRAC COMMITTEE

 They do this by having the likes of Joe Ricker, Luis Almeida and Allan Deal speaking as mouthpieces for Lanxess Canada.  On another note, Sebastian I saw you working hard to get the truth out at last Monday's TRAC meeting.  You are opposed by professional, albeit sloppy liars as well as Woolwich officials (mayor, councillor(s?), Tiffany ($$$) ). I see absolutely no one on TRAC assisting you. Are they all that stupid, uninformed, corrupt, apathetic or are they under some kind of career duress? TRAC have two names namely Technical Remediation Advisory Committee or my preferred one of Totally Rotten And Corrupt. It is time Sebastian and you know it.

Further lies, drivel and bullsh**  from Monday's TRAC meeting include Tiffany's suggestion that the ridge is only 1/2 a metre high.  Nice try there. Go read the topographical contours and you will find it is higher. Also the contour lines have been conveniently altered off-site on the Stroh property.  Susan Bryant, decades ago, in  a fit of moral outrage stated that Uniroyal/Chemtura "adjust the science according to their needs". This is what they've always done and continue to do. Both Luis and Jason Rice of the MECP stated that there are no issues with the lack of data on the east side (Stroh property) and with the exceedances of DDD and 2,3,7,8 TCDD found in the Stroh Drain . Those dioxins were approximately 30 times greater than the federal sediment criteria for 2,3,7,8 TCDD. Allan Deal also categorically claimed (at least until he reverses himself) that dissolved concentrations of chlorobenzene will always keep increasing if there is DNAPL nearby. Horse manure. Sometimes maybe but the solubility of chlorobenzene is low especially in multi-mixtures of  dozens or hundreds of solvents etc. Mr. Deal then turned around and said that if the dissolved chlorobenzene concentrations are decreasing then there is no DNAPL nearby. Again horse manure! It all depends on other factors including well placed pumping wells beside the sub-surface free phase DNAPL pumping 24/7 over a period of years. That will lower dissolved concentrations of chlorobenzene while it still exists sub-surface as a DNAPL (dense non aqueous phase liquid). Mr. Deal's last comment may open a window into his incredibly bad understanding of DNAPLS. He claimed that his definition of Effective Solubilty is the presence of other solvents that may increase or decrease solubility. Wow what I've read and been told is that there are a few co-solvents out there, but not many, that can increase a chemical compound's solubility. Overall the more chemical compounds dissolved in groundwater drastically reduces the solubility of either chlorobenzene or whatever particular one you are looking at. Mr. Deal is a plain and simple DNAPL DENIER along with Luis and other self-serving semi-credentialed individuals.

All the parties who signed on to this conspiracy to pretend to clean the Elmira Aquifers and Creek should burn in hell. That includes citizen co-optees both the well known ones and the lesser so. Their presence engaging with the enemy is reminiscent of collaborators during the war. They did it for self-serving reasons and profited from it to their shame, then and now regardless of the magnitude of the issue (i.e. war vs. environmental degradation). Many human beings have at best a tiny moral compass and many of them rise to positions of authority (Donald Trump). 

Meanwhile Allan Deal and others venture their opinions on hydrogeological matters beyond their knowledge or scope. They have been indoctrinated to believe that their opinions have merit. They DO NOT. In fact their opinions are always HIGHLY SUSPECT. Produce relevant, not cherry picked evidence at all times. Your word and opinions are biased, bought and paid for and far too often inaccurate and misleading.