BISHOP ST. COMMUNITY UPDATE March 2016

I received a copy of Issue #4 Community Update March 2016 last week. It is positive and upbeat with good news regarding the progress of the air and groundwater remediation in the residential community between Northstar Aerospace & GE Canada on Bishop St. southwards towards the Grand River. Nary a sniffle for the dead nor still walking wounded of this ongoing environmental war in Ontario.

Their Pump & Treat system removes 100,000 litres of contaminated groundwater per day and treats it to the barely acceptable levels normally approved by the Ontario Ministry of the Environment. It is then discharged into nearby storm sewers to drain into the Grand River. This system will be containing (hopefully) the worst areas of contamination and stopping them from adding to the previously contaminated groundwater throughout the Bishop St. community. Presumably that groundwater will slowly drain into the Grand River over the next decade or so.

GE Canada used a system called ISCO or In Situ Chemical Oxidation to treat the Trichloroethylne (TCE) on their property. Unlike in Elmira it appears as if they did it better in Cambridge with their injections of potassium permanganate. Here in Elmira they used company consultants without obtaining further professional and unbiased expertise.

Both ground and surface (Grand River) water monitoring is ongoing as well as monitoring of seeps into the river. Seeps are simply groundwater appearing at the ground's surface on or near the riverbanks and discharging into the river.

Indoor air levels of TCE are slowly decreasing and fewer homes are actively requiring indoor air treatment and removal of TCE. This route of exposure is the one that has done the greatest damage to human health in the community. Our system is so corrupt and protective of polluters and regulators that no one has been properly held accountable for this totally preventable environmental disaster.

Sincerest appreciation goes to the Region of Waterloo, Public Health and the M.O.E. with honourable mentions to Northstar and GE Canada for rewriting reality and history and turning this into some kind of environmental victory. The dead, their families and those whose health has been permanently damaged will however withold applause.