THE ELMIRA CLEANUP SHAM CONTINUES

Today's Elmira Independent carrys a brief article titled "Cleanup Criteria". I tried to link to it but all I could get was a February 13/14 story by Gail Martin titled "CPAC requests Ministry to clarify cleanup criteria". Today's article indicates that George Karlos, the assistant director for the West Central Region of the M.O.E., has advised the Chemtura Public Advisory Committee that the process for specific cleanup criteria has been started.

This of course is over half way through the alleged thirty year cleanup. The off-site pumping started more than fifteen years ago (summer of 1998) and is supposed to be completed in just over fourteen years (2028). Strange isn't it that nobody promoting this fiasco thought to deliver hard criteria. These criteria aren't just the actual Ontario Drinking Water Standards for all contaminants. Steve Martindale (M.O.E.) has confirmed that which I've known for years namely that municipalities in Ontario routinely draw drinking water from contaminated sources. Contrary to Steve's claims that they would only draw water upgradient from contamination; both in Waterloo and Cambridge they draw industrially polluted water from the Middleton Wellfield (Cambridge) immediately beside Trichloroethylene contamination (Canadian General Tower) and the William St Wellfield (Waterloo) downgradient of Sunar and Canbar TCE contamination. In West Montrose whose source water is badly contaminated with Coliform and E.Coli bacteria the Region of Waterloo simply chlorinate/chloraminate the daylights out of the source water in a desperate attempt to disinfect it. Toxic by-products of this disinfection include Trihalomethanes and NDMA.

So here in Elmira we wait with bated breath for the latest water outrage. You know and I know what's going to happen. Eric Hodgins, the designated denier for the R. of W. has already advised CPAC that the Region will be in no hurry to startup Elmira's wellfields even if they are given the green light. He's talking environmental assessments and five year monitoring plans looking for contaminant rebound after the pumping and treating stop. This is primarily bullshit as neither he nor we know how desperate the Region will be for water in 2028. Between climate change/global warming and God help us a long proposed Lake Erie Pipeline or not, Elmira's water may be desperately needed. In that case all the idiotic authorities will begin pumping water regardless from Elmira's aquifers. They will make excuses such as Steve's that the remaining contamination is down gradient or they will proclaim a breakthrough in water treatment technology making contamination moot. In other words our politicians and authorities will do exactly what they do best. They will lie like dogs to the public.