STEPPING BACK AND LOOKING AT THE BIG CHEMTURA PICTURE

In the spring of 2012 CPAC passed their Resolution rejecting the current "cleanup" process for the Elmira Aquifers. shortly afterwards to my surprise Woolwich Township Council endorsed CPAC's Resolution. A couple of months later the Ontario Ministry of the Environment (M.O.E.) announced a new initiative to sample Canagagigue Creek sediments and soils for Dioxins and DDT, downstream of Chemtura (Uniroyal). They refused my request for a Work Plan in advance and indeed their sampling was guaranteed to make comparisons with the 1996/97 sampling almost impossible. They announced their initial results in November 2012 almost at the same time as Chemtura announced that they had decided to drastically upgrade their off-site cleanup of the Elmira Aquifers . Chemtura claimed they would triple the volumes of off-site pumping AND do source removal via chemical oxidation in two locations west of their site.

One year after that announcement we have no increased pumping and we've been advised by another CRA junk science report that the chemical oxidation won't work west of Chemtura's site. Hmm! Meanwhile more testing was done by the M.O.E. and again there are high results especially for DDT downstream of Chemtura in the Canagagiue. Keep in mind that these two rounds of tests while finding problems were not used to improve the removal of Dioxins and DDT from Chemtura's south-east corner (GP1 & 2) this summer.

Now the M.O.E. are dangling the carrot in front of CPAC for yet more testing of sediments and soils in the "Gig". This is supposed to be a more comprehensive set of testing. Interestingly the M.O.E. through assistant director George Karlos insisted again that CPAC formally request or at least agree to the M.O.E.'s testing. Talk about distraction and diversion. The off-site cleanup is stalled and the M.O.E. are waving a flag downstream to attract CPAC's attention. Once again rest assured that the M.O.E. won't produce a Work Plan in advance that would allow meaningful input from CPAC as to which locations, what depths, what chemicals and what season these samoples will be taken. Furthermore rest assured that whatever data is found downstream will absolutely not be used by the M.O.E. to force more on-site cleanup from Chemtura. Like it's counterpart reports; the latest M.O.E. report will be so amateurishly planned and written that they will be full of holes allowing Chemtura and their consultants CRA to stickhandle right around them.