CHEMTURA'S TREATMENT SYSTEM

Yesterday's Elmira Independent carrys a very large story regarding the workings of Chemtura's groundwater treatment system titled "How Chemtura's treatment system works". Some of the technical information is interesting and informative however I view the whole exercise as a bit of propaganda by Chemtura. They currently are the recipients of a substantial amount of attention from the Chemtura Public Advisory Committee (CPAC). This attention/criticism is in regards to the alleged 'cleanup" of Elmira's groundwater by 2028. I was the first to publicly state that this was not going to happen under the past and current regieme of pump and treat. That and my insistence upon honest DNAPL investigations versus the self serving and client driven investigations we have had for years got me kicked off of the old CPAC. What we finally have on our new CPAC are a combination of common sense and expertise without the ties to the old Woolwich Council and the 1991 sweetheart deal. The smart experienced people on the old CPAC were long ago co-opted and the newer inexperienced ones didn't have the experience and were following their lead. Perhaps in time some of the old CPAC members who blindly followed the lead of the woefully ignorant Chair and her sidekick will recognize that they were being led down the garden path. Whatever individuals' motivations; secrecy, undermining honest colleagues and intentionally misleading the public earns you no respect in my eyes.

I am the first to agree that simple counting of heads in support does not guarantee truth and accuracy. I am also the first to agree that this whole cleanup/non-cleanup has been ruled by politics from the beginning. It was a crisis to be "managed" by municipal, regional and provincial officials and "manage" it they did from start to finish. Unfortunately it was not managed with the public interests being first and foremost. Surprisingly it was managed by the politicians for the interests of politicians, bureaucrats and industry being foremost. Imagine that! This management included a process of co-opting some of the spokespersons who stepped forward in 1989/90. It has been so sucessful that they are now aligning themselves with Chemtura/M.O.E. against the new CPAC Resolution. This is contemptible but at least we now know who's side they are on and where they really stand.

Source removal especially of DNAPLS is the route to go. Pat Mclean and her sidekick heard this clearly from Drs. Cherry and Parker over five years ago. The new CPAC have heard it from Dr. Krantzberg, the U.S. EPA and the knowledge of the two professionals on CPAC. Sheer bloody common sense tells us that source removal is the best way to go. Pump and treat was cheap, non invasive and politically acceptable at the time. It was NEVER acceptable to the public or honest representaives thereof.