CHEMTURA PUMP & TREAT (DUMP) CONTINUES TO FAIL

The March 2012 Chemtura Progress Report came out yesterday. I'm seriously beginning to wonder when they are going to throw in the towel and honestly rename it the Monthly Failure Report. The UA or Upper Aquifer (shallow aquifer) had hydraulic containment problems allegedly due to what CRA refer to as creekbank storage effects. This is not to mention of course that the UA containment system even on a good day is only hydraulically containing the south-west quadrant of the groundwater discharge to the creek. The other three quadrants discharge directly to the creek. The pumping rates are also down for the MU (municipal upper) aquifer which is supposed to contain that aquifer from leaving the Chemtura site and then further contaminating the rest of the Elmira aquifer.

The real disaster continues to be the off-site pump and treat system. It has always been sub par compared to CRA's computer modelled required pumping rates needed to clean up the Elmira aquifers. I predict that the day will come when Conestoga Rovers and the Chemtura site will be the classic case example of the failures of hydraulic containment (ie. pump & treat). I further predict that University level courses dealing with environmental issues will point and snicker at the illogic and stupidity of trying to clean up heavily contaminated sites using pump and dump (oops pump and treat) technology. In the recent past Chemtura have sucessfully pumped their off-site system for three months while failing to achieve their own pumping requirements fourteen times! Some of these below required pumping levels are at least close but many others are not. Over the long term since off-site pumping began in 1998 the story is equally horrid. They have sucessfully pumped the off-site wells for a total of two years since 1998. Out of a possible fourteen years of off-site pumping they've achieved two successful years and fourteen below their targeted pumping rates. Oh and by the way we are now into year fifteen and they have horribly failed in January, in February and again in March 2012. Not even close so far this year.

Keep in mind how your Ontario Ministry of the Environment (M.O.E.) have responded to this: They have said NOTHING and they have done NOTHING! At least they are consistent in their protection and shielding of our favourite local polluter.