DIOXIN/DDT "SINK" DISCOVERED OFF THE CHEMTURA PROPERTY ?

The evidence is fairly convincing that the partners in pollution Chemtura/CRA/M.O.E. have gotten away with a significant red herring over the last twenty-three years. They have long advised that the Dioxins from 2,4,5-T wastewaters all conveniently ended up in two abandoned gravel pits called GP1 & 2. They have claimed that overland travel via seepage, overflow and stormwater from the eastern pits and ponds all ended up several hundred yards southwards. Allegedly they ploughed furrows to assist the wastewaters travel south rather than westwards directly towards the Canagagigue Creek. This story always was somewhat sketchy as these same wastewaters then discharged anyways via groundwater into the Creek which makes a nearly 90 degree turn eastwards and is immediately south of GP2. Or in the alternative if they could travel several hundred yards overland to GP1 & 2, then why couldn't they travel an additional 50-100 feet overland into the creek?

Last summer a one foot scraping of the topsoil in GP1 was supposed to remove the bulk of the Dioxins which are the unwanted contaminant mixed with 2,4,5-T. Uniroyal produced Agent Orange for the U.S. military in the mid to late 60's by combining 2,4-D with 2,4,5-T. Of course last summers project was a set up from the start with the original test pits only dug to the water table (.5-2 metres). Then the bulk of these test pits had exactly one soil sample taken most commonly from the top .5 metre of topsoil. Nevertheless the results were staggering by any measure. With a human health criteria of 36.6 parts per trillion (ppt), Dioxins were found at 50-80 thousand ppt. in these shallow soil samples. Further soil excavation is scheduled for late this summer as three, 100 foot square areas with elevated Dioxin concentrations have been found after last summer's "scraping".

Meanwhile each and every time our Ontario Ministry of the Environment have decided to test for both Dioxins and DDT downstream in the creek they've found them. The mid 90's, 2002-2003 and then 2012 and 2013 have all come up with concerning levels of either Dioxins or DDT or both. These tests are both in the creek sediments and in the floodplain soils. These two chemicals are persistent and bioaccumulative. Benthic organisms in the creek uptake them from where they move up the foodchain. Cattle downstream can ingest them when grazing on the floodplain. The results in Vietnam of aerial spraying by U.S. planes along the Ho Chi Minh Trail have been devastating on local human populations including genetic damage, mutations and cancers. While creekbank excavations and stabilizations have taken place along the Canagagigue where it flows down the centre of the Chemtura property; this same diligence has been sorely lacking in Chemtura's south-east corner for the two gravel pits (GP1 & 2).

The real kicker is this. Based upon topographical maps and study it would appear that the three allegedly responsible parties including the M.O.E. have been playing fast and loose with the facts. These eastern pits when overflowing would flow only partially southwards with components also going east and west. More disturbing is that the southward component discharges into a wetland which then absolutely does not primarily drain southward. The lowest point of land is south-east on the neighbour's property. The bulk of the overland flow of water, solvents and Dioxins/DDT would have ended up in this very lowlying wetland area off-site. At some point in time a drainage ditch was dug for the purpose of assisting in draining the entire lowlying area. It's discharge point is several hundred yards further south through neighbours' properties, into the Canagagigue. While the entire premise of overland travel, unconfined by pipe or hose is tenuous at best; this close examination totally destroys its' credibility.

The final straw is the one that truly shocked me. Aside from the water, solvents and Dioxins/DDT allegedly flowing straight through the wetlands on Chemtura's property due south and ignoring the surface gradient which goes south-east is the not so minor matter of an elevated ridge of land along the entire north-east side of GP1. GP1 is shaped like a teardrop tilted to the left. Hence the north-east side is the direction that the allegedly incoming liquids are approaching from. This ridge of land is two to three metres higher than GP1 and everything else around it. Even if the wetlands weren't already draining the bulk of liquids south-east, this ridge protects GP1 from incoming surface liquids and in fact deflects them along its' edge again south-east and off the Chemtura site.

If there's one thing I've learned over twenty-five years of being a whistleblower and exposer of self serving junk science; it is that the responsible authorities already know all the dirty little secrets. They've been hand in hand most times with the polluter in covering up the truth. I see no possible way that the three partners in pollution could not have known all of this for a very, very long time.