ONE MORE REGIONAL (Waterloo) DRINKING WELL SHUT DOWN DUE TO INDUSTRIAL CONTAMINATION

As serious as this is, it is the blatant lying to the citizens which makes it even worse. Are our governments so deeply in bed with business, industry and corporate power that they have become their media relations team? Apparently the answer is yes. We all know that the Ontario Ministry of the Environment run interference for polluting companies in an effort to protect them from outraged citizens. Up here in Elmira it's not even questioned anymore. Whether it was Varnicolor Chemical or Nutrite, the coverups ranged from subtle to outright blatant lying and even tipping off the polluter about upcoming actions against them.

Northstar Aerospace has caused incredible pain and sufferring in the Bishop St. community of Cambridge, Ontario. Just because our medical authorities are unable or unwilling to directly link premature deaths of residents living in Trichloroethylene (TCE) contaminated homes to Northstar does not excuse or exonerate them. Similarily with the numbers of cancer cases amongst the residents. This coverup of Northstar's culpability relates to TCE vapours entering homes and poisoning the residents.

Well P6 is located in the Dumphries Conservation Area downgradient of Northstar, in the Bedrock Aquifer. For many years it made zero sense hydrogeologically to me that it was not contaminated. I believe a few years back the well was even overdrilled for the purpose of putting the well screen deeper (ie. lower) into the bedrock formations. This would possibly have delayed incoming dissolved TCE contamination only. Last spring when the Region of Waterloo's Annual Drinking Water Reports were published I saw that there were no results for 2012. The Region merely repeated the 2011 results. Strange.

Back in the mid 90's The Region had contamination problems with wells K70 & K71 downgradient from Safety-Kleen in Breslau. These river infiltration wells had low concentrations of multiple chemicals found immediately behind the Breslube/Safety-Kleen site actually on the Forwell gravel pit property. As P.C.B.s had also been found in the shallow groundwater behind the Safety-Kleen site it seemed a no brainer to shut those wells down which the Region did. The public reason however was a dilly. Apparently this particular part of the Grand River has the world's toughest bacteria. Despite there being other river wells along the Grand, both upstream and down, these wells were closed and remain closed due to bacteria problems.

Back to P6 in Cambridge. Currently there is an Environmental Review Tribunal underway attempting to find responsible parties to continue the cleanup of TCE contamination in the groundwater, both on and off the Northstar and G.E. properties, on Bishop St. Here are the facts supplied by the Ontario Ministry of the Environment (M.O.E.). The on-site (Northstar) pump and treat system is NOT sucessfully containing the dissolved TCE on site. The reason is because it is only pumping the shallow aquifer not the deeper bedrock aquifer. Secondly the M.O.E. hydrogeologist believes that free phase TCE has moved off the Northstar site and is in the bedrock aquifer downgradient. This free phase TCE is known as DNAPL or dense non aqueous phase liquid. It behaves similarily to mercury found in a broken thermometer in that it gravity flows downhill. It dissolves exceedingly slowly and can contaminate groundwater above drinking standards literally for centuries. Again groundwater pump & treat systems can not stop the spread of free phase DNAPL. Finally the M.O.E. admits that the Interim Remedial Action Plan (IRAP) had three objectives one of which was "to limit the potential impact of dissolved TCE and its' natural breakdown products to the drinking water supply well P6...".

There has been no doubt in my mind after reading numerous hydrogeological reports years ago that drinking well P6 was toast. The only question was when and what excuse the Region and or M.O.E. would use. Quoting Phil Shewen of the M.O.E. "this well has been off-line for approximately two years due to maintenance issues.". That is unadulterated B.S.. The only question left is how many chemicals and for how long were they in drinking well P6 before the plug was pulled. Local residents were exposed to TCE fumes in their homes for years. Were they also exposed to TCE and more in their drinking water?