HISTORY REPEATS ITSELF BOTH AT TRAC AND WITH WILMOT TWN. & WATERLOO REGION

 

I TOLD THE LIARS & DECEIVERS AT CPAC BACK AROUND 2005 THAT THERE WAS  CHLOROBENZENE DNAPL OFFSITE BY THE HOWARD AVE. WATER TOWER - They denied it then, now they admit to the chlorobenzene and "residual" DNAPL.

WATERLOO REGION PLAYED DECEPTIVE GAMES WITH WILMOT'S WATER BACK IN THE 1970s. They initially denied it, then admitted it. They are doing the same thing all over again.

Parents stop lecturing your children to stop lying. Clearly we are always going to need politicians and clearly they are always going to lie to us. If your child likes to lie then nurture that skill and hope for the day when they lie to further your interests versus the public interest.

Today's K-W Record has the front page story and headline titled "Former Wilmot mayor watches history repeat itself". Clearly back in the early 1970s the City of Kitchener had absolutely no problem robbing Peter of water to quench Paul's thirst. This continued until Wilmot stood on their hind legs and gave the Kitchener bullies whatfor. Agreements were made including that the Region would pay any Wilmot residents' costs required to drill deeper wells due to Kitchener drawing them down. 

Similar bullies, polluters, politicians and long compromised regulators (MOE/MECP) have infested UPAC, CPAC initially, RAC, TAG and TRAC, all alleged public consultation bodies.  I presented very strong evidence to the Chemtura Public Advisory Committee prior to 2007 that actually suggested that what Uniroyal's consultants had found was likely DNAPL (Dense Non Aqueous Phase Liquid) made up of chlorobenzene and other contaminants.  As with pretty much all conclusions regarding contamination and cleanup it was based upon hard evidence actually provided by Uniroyal and corporate successors own, client driven consultants. In this case it was published in their monthly Progress Reports and examined a surprising discovery found one hundred feet below ground surface in well OW57-32R very near the Howard St. water tower. It has been vehemently denied for decades despite pumping well W4 being installed right beside it in order to speed up the dissolution of the DNAPL as well as keep the dissolved plume from spreading further under Elmira. Shortly after pumping well W4 was shut down, perhaps a little prematurely, downstream pumping well W3(R) and nearby observation wells such as CH75 began exhibiting increases in chlorobenzene. Hardly ant surprise at all under the circumstances. Then in 2017 or 2018 Dr. Neil Thompson dropped the first bomb by advising that there was a lot more chlorobenzene in the Elmira aquifers than anybody had expected. By 2025 Jesse Wrighte of Arcadis Inc. advised that there were other sources of chlorobenzene located near the former Borg Textiles and the former Varnicolor Chemical. Allan Deal of GHD on behalf of Lanxess, also less than a year earlier, had advised as per the Minutes of a September 2024 TRAC meeting that nearby residual DNAPL was now dissolved. OH MY GOD BUT THE LYING BAST*RDS JUST CAN"T TELL THE TRUTH EVEN WHEN IT'S BITING THEM IN THE *SS.  Residual DNAPL is the tail if you will of passing free phase DNAPL that is no longer continuous as in a "pool" of DNAPL.

This deceit, lying and manipulation of the truth has been the never ending story of the Elmira Water Crisis and our politicians not only have failed to call the polluter (Uniroyal/Crompton/Chemtura/Lanxess and regulator (MOE/MECP) on it but  have enabled them throughout the last 36 1/2 years.

 

VOICES FROM THE PAST: ESTHER THUR, KEN REGER & SUSAN RUPERT

 Obviously I can't include everybody. One obvious voice who is still going strong from his moving to Elmira in the mid to late 1990s is Dr. Henry Regier who was mentioned in last Saturday's Blog posting. Another name which I've seen recently in some old newspaper clippings is Dr. Murray Haight who was involved both with CEAC (Citizens Environmental Advisory Committee) as well as assisting the MOE with matters at Uniroyal Chemical I believe mostly in the 1990s although it could have been longer. 

Esther advised both citizens and the Environmental Appeal Board (EAB) in 1990 or 91 about conditions here in Elmira possibly for many decades prior to the start of the 1989 Elmira Water Crisis. She also advised that Uniroyal's fumigations in the old days were so severe that they even sent employees such as her husband Ed home from work (Roxton Furniture) for the day.

Ken Reger had worked for several years at Uniroyal Chemical and he too testified at the EAB as to what he saw both at work and in the Elmira area including wildlife suffering from the effects of Uniroyal's environmental negligence. This included muskrats, groundhogs, carp and others. He referenced the old municipal damp (M2) on the Uniroyal property which had both barrels and likely dioxins in it from the company. 

Susan Rupert, co-founder of APTE with Sandra Bray and Esther Thur, got right to the heart of the matter asking the EAB to expedite Uniroyal at least starting the process to remediate all the damage they had caused. She would be appalled to know today that not one shovelful of downstream contaminated sediments, creekbank soils or floodplain soils has been removed to date and in fact the company have played the cleanup game to the point of buying a Risk Assessment that had the brass and nerve to suggest that there are no unacceptable downstream risks. Likely it is true that the bought and paid for bureaucrats and other alleged "experts" who will never live or work along the downstream Creek feel no "unacceptable" risks to themselves or their families.    

DR. HENRY REGIER AGAIN ADVISES ELMIRA BE DESIGNATED AS AN "AREA OF CONCERN" WITH AN ACCOMPANYING REMEDIAL ACTION PLAN

 

Currently by request I have forwarded Henry's latest report titled "A Road Not Yet Taken with Elmira's Contaminants" dated April 23, 2026 to both the Waterloo Region Record and the Woolwich Observer. Here right now I am merely going to describe some of Dr. Regier's ideas and suggestions, not reproduce his exact report without his express permission. Sorry about that but upon request I can always go to him and ask if I can provide the report to whomever asks for it. It is only six paragraphs on one page but it has a world of value in it.

 Dr. Regier refers to politicians solving problems by the Wand method which stands for Work Around with Non Disclosure. My interpretation is this basically means somewhat paying off victims of bad behaviour but on the understanding they keep their problem and solution to themselves. Now at the same time Dr. Regier suggests that there were formal mechanisms set up through the GLWQA (Great Lakes Water Quality Agreements) to address contamination affecting the Great Lakes. These mechanisms included Areas of Concern (AOC) and Remedial Action Plans (RAP).

Strangely enough at the very same time I am wondering about a bit of a coincidence.  Just today I have been approached on a matter dealing with who and how has the Elmira remediation been undertaken. Basically a little bit similar to Dr. Regier's title of "A Road Not Yet Taken with Elmira's Contaminants".  Dr. Regier does however refer to Elmira's version of a Public Advisory Committee as a deplorably weak version of a RAP process. He also takes a shot at local (Elmira) polluters and their enablers by suggesting that avoiding the GLWQA  RAP method was a major success for them. 

Dr. Regier ends on a hopeful note by suggesting that even now it is not too late for Elmirans to change roads and get onto the GLWQA route with their specific RAP methodologies.

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ONE SIDED TRAC MEETINGS FOR DUMMIES, FELLOW TRAVELLORS, CO-OPTEES, AVERAGE JOES AND EVEN INTELLIGENT, HONEST FOLKS

 

TRAC is the result of a thirty year metamorphosis (1992-2022) of public consultation from a citizen run, citizen oriented, open to all interested parties and individuals to a polluter/politician totally controlled and membership vetted body whose real purpose is to restore credibility and trust to a grossly broken system. That system not only includes an underfunded MOE/MECP, a series of corporate successors to Uniroyal Chemical but also political aberrations of democracy from the municipal, regional, provincial and federal levels. Imagine what used to be a town council monopolized by Uniroyal Chemical employees who used to decide which local industries were approved for industrial disposal in old fashioned dumps without any  modern leachate controls or even normal restrictions on chemical and toxic wastes. Normal restrictions that is for landfills/dumps located appropriately away from residents much less located right here in town (i.e. M1, M2, First St. Landfill, Bolender Landfill etc.).

This metamorphosis has been partially successful simply due to the time involved.  Most citizens have jobs, families and homes as the major part of their responsibilities.  Hence having anyone still actively involved for nearly thirty-seven years is almost unheard of.  There is only one such who has not been the recipient of various forms of consideration including permanent guaranteed lifetime attendance at both private and public meetings and that is myself. Other forms of consideration include editing work from Conestoga Rovers (Uniroyal consultants) and or in the case of a former councillor, expense paid trips around North America to attend conferences for which she was and is totally unqualified for.   

I must add that there have been and still are local Canadian citizens residing here in Elmira and nearby who contributed greatly in years past. Some of them still contribute as they are able and thank goodness for that. Like myself, those who have paid attention, are appalled by what passes for public consultation today.  Woolwich Township are in total control of the process with the responsible polluter (Lanxess Canada) being their only source of information and data. Well to be correct Lanxess and their various client driven consultants such as GHD and WSP. All reports, all data, all speakers are at the choice of Woolwich Township. Yes this is the same political body who sat back for decades and said and did mostly nothing as Uniroyal Chemical turned our Creek into a sewer and poisoned their residents with grossly contaminated water all the time denying there was a problem. 

Can you imagine if I was allowed to speak to either Council or TRAC for even 5% of the time that is allotted to Lanxess, the MECP or GHD?  Can you imagine if other citizens not affiliated with TRAC or Woolwich were given even an hour or two to speak publicly to either body? Nor can I because currently we aren't even allowed to so much as ask a simple question at a public TRAC meeting. I live here and I pay taxes and I find your deference and one sided protection of the polluter from criticism to be dishonest, cowardly and contemptible. 

 

SPECIFICS ON LAST THURSDAY'S TRAC MEETING

 

TRAC does not stand for Totally Rotten and Corrupt. That would be unfair to almost all the citizen members on this Woolwich (with Lanxess approval) appointed committee. I expect that with perhaps only one or two exceptions they all joined hoping to contribute to a better and quicker cleanup. Now in regards to Lanxess and the MECP my acronym for TRAC is totally accurate. 

Yesterday I suggested that even Sebastian was giving the benefit of the doubt to Lanxess and their consultants far too often. I also advised readers that I had to that point only watched the on-line video (Woolwich website under Council & then Council Calendar) for the first hour and a quarter. Well I finished the rest of the video later in the day (just over two hours) and guess what? That buggar (said affectionately) Sebastian up and digs his heels in on two important points namely NAPLS/DNAPLS and the effluent criteria for NDMA at the south end of Elmira (i.e. well E7).  Lanxess and GHD pushed back hard but Sebastian, bless him, dug in his heels and insisted upon the information he had. Now the other two parties have decided that maybe they do need to check this out which is good. It could be a miscommunication by Lanxess in a report or it could be more insidious. We shall see.

Here are the results of Joe Ricker's analysis of four plumes mentioned yesterday. NDMA concentrations in the Municipal Upper (MU)  Aquifer has been greatly reduced to .086 ug/l (micrograms per litre) or parts per billion. The drinking water standard is .009 ug/l. Therefore going on thirty-seven years since the wells were shut down in 1989, NDMA is still nine and a half times greater than it's drinking water standard.

NDMA concentrations in the Municipal Lower (ML) Aquifer have also been greatly reduced to .81 ug/l. This  is NINETY times greater than the drinking water standard.

Chlorobenzene concentrations since 1989  (pumping didn't start in the Elmira Aquifers until 1998) in the Municipal Upper (MU) Aquifer have also been greatly reduced to 120 ug/l  (parts per billion). The drinking water standard for chlorobenzene is 80 ug/l therefore chlorobenzene, the allegedly easier compound to remediate, is still 50% higher than the drinking water standard.

Chlorobenzene concentrations since 1989 in the Municipal Lower (ML) Aquifer have also been greatly reduced to 144 ug/l.  This is 1.8 times higher than the drinking water standard of 80 parts per billion.

Hadley Stamm (Lanxess), bless her pointed little head,  reiterated a major revelation from approximately a year and a half ago when she stated that Lanxess believes that there is another source of chlorobenzene to the Elmira Aquifers. HALLELUJAH !  While Lanxess and friends including the MECP do not feel the public are worthy to know whom that is, my guess is still Borg Textiles or Varnicolor Chemical. If it is Varnicolor then jail time would be appropriate for MOE/MECP officials complicit in that coverup. Yours truly has been advising a second source of chlorobenzene since approximately 2004/2005 since discovering free phase DNAPL (now also recently admitted) in OW57-32R beside the Howard St. Water Tower.

All the guilty parties are heavily involved in drafting a communications strategy in order to explain away their remediation failures over the last nearly 37 years. Likely they will focus on groundwater and try to avoid the total non-cleanup of the downstream Canagagigue Creek.

Thanks to Sebastian we have a tacit admission from Lanxess that likely there are still free phase DNAPLS on their property. This is hardly a surprise to those of us who have followed the decades long  DNAPL coverup closely. Joe Ricker (WSP) and Lou Almeida (GHD) who both know where their bread is buttered, of course leapt in to minimize the possible harm to their client, which only clarifies their conflict of interest opinions.  

Geoff Moroz (Region of Waterloo) impressed me with his factual, no nonsense approach. He made it clear that even Uniroyal/Lanxess's treated groundwater effluent was high risk water and should not be used without extreme care and much better testing. He referenced emerging contaminants such as PFAS  (poly fluorinated whatever?) and as well made it clear that Lanxess's treated discharge effluent currently to the Creek is NOT being sampled for the full suite of possible contaminants. WOW! 

For those paying attention that reminds me of APT Environment's phrase from three and a half decades ago that the proposed cleanup of the aquifers should be called  PUMP & DUMP. They may have forgotten since.

TRAC MEETINGS ARE SO MUCH LIGHTER, BRIGHTER, FUNNY AND FRIVOLOUS

This of course is ideal for the responsible polluting company Lanxess Canada and as well for their alleged regulator the MECP (not the Ministry of Enhanced Corporate Pollution - not in name at least ). Now today I listened to approximately the first hour and a quarter of last Thursday's TRAC meeting with the very smooth snake oil salesman Joe Ricker (WSP) taking the lead. He supposedly does plume analytics which a skeptic (knowledgeable realist) like me views as part public relations and part comedy set. In this presentation he is partially assisted by Hadley Stamm of Lanxess who never saw a presenter that she didn't want to interrupt. 

Mr. Ricker analyzed four plumes in the Elmira Aquifers namely the MU  (Municipal Upper) NDMA plume, the ML (Municipal Lower) NDMA plume, the MU chlorobenzene plume and the ML chlorobenzene plume. Right off the bat this is leading us down the garden path as is fully intended by the guilty parties. Of course no mention of DDT or Dioxins in the Elmira Aquifers and certainly no mention of benzene, toluene, xylene, aniline, carboxin, benzothiazole, mercaptobenzothiazole, chlorophenols, polyaromatic hydrocarbons or a myriad of other solvents. I mean really all of these others contaminants absolutely affect the drinkability of the groundwater right along with NDMA and chlorobenzene. But really TRAC is more of a celebratory party rather than a dirge. No one is mourning the  wildlife that have suffered and died much less the human beings who have contracted various cancers from Uniroyal/Lanxess toxins in the air, soil, ground and surface water. That would be gauche don't you know.

Almost every second sentence is a brag about decreasing toxin concentrations of only TWO toxins. Nothing is mentioned about the status of all the other toxins. Nothing is mentioned about how very far away even the two are from drinking water standards, in both aquifers. These meetings are feel good, lets pat ourselves on the back not for any kind of successful resolution but for having deflected appropriate public approbation. Frankly I can't stomach either the company's behavior nor the MECPs. There is not one hard core citizen activist on the committee willing to rock the complacency on view. Perhaps Sebastian is the closest but he too is far too willing to always give the professional B/S artists the benefit of the doubt.

It is this complacency and glad handing that has allowed Lanxess and predecessors to change the channel and the story from a disgusting, polluting corporation killing local citizens to a supposedly successful  (it is not) environmental cleanup story.   

1982 LETTER FROM MOE TO UNIROYAL TELLS ALL

 

This above letter was written on May 5, 1982 and published in the Elmira Independent on February 19, 1991. It is the Ontario Ministry of Environment telling Uniroyal Chemical in Elmira that among other things both their Upper and Municipal aquifers on their site are heavily contaminated plus the municipal wells in the south end of Elmira (E7, E9) are in the same Municipal aquifer as is beneath the Uniroyal site. Furthermore there is a direct hydraulic connection between both locations. Uniroyal and the MOE had seven and a half years from this point to 1) tell the public the truth  2) take drastic steps to avoid the shutdown of Elmira's south wellfield (E7, E9) in November 1989.. 

A  LEFT CLICK ON THE NEWSPAPER ARTICLE SHOULD MAGNIFY IT FOR YOU. OTHER METHODS MAY ALSO ASSIST.