PETROLEUM TYPE "SPILL" INTO THE GRAND RIVER

Ho Hum another "spill". Maybe a real spill and maybe not. Uniroyal/Chemtura had the "pink spill" of mostly toluene back in 2004. They didn't get around to mentioning it right away even after the Elmira Sewage Treatment Plant was knocked out of commission by it. Their spill got into both their sanitary sewer line and into the creek.

The Waterloo Region Record have suggested the substance is a petroleum type product which could include either gasoline or diesel fuel. They have also described it as like used motor oil. All these substances are hydrocarbons which are simply chains of hydrogen and carbon combined. Based upon the photo in the Record combined with the information that the product is floating on the surface and we have a classic LNAPL product. LNAPL stands for Light Non Aqueous Phase Liquid and it is totally typical of the behaviour of these hydrocarbons which are lighter than water (ie. their density is less than 1) and thus they float. LNAPLs are much easier to clean up than DNAPLS which sink (Dense NON Aqueous Phase Liquid). An example of this was found in the St. Clair River in the 80s referred to as the "Blob". I'm going out on a limb here and via memory I believe it came from Dow Chemical in Sarnia.

Kitchener, the Region and the M.O.E. are all on the job. That is a good thing sort of. The bad thing is that when they catch the culprit, whether it was done by accident or otherwise, they will most likely negotiate with them. Cooperate, pay all the costs of the cleanup and never do this again and we'll lie to the public and say we couldn't determine the source. The Region and the Ministry of the Environment (M.O.E.) especially are notorious for avoiding blaming guilty corporate parties. Now of course if it's just a little commercial or industrial operation are all bets are off. They will be made an example of.

To date we are advised that they not only know the municipal storm sewer which discharged into the Grand but also where a private storm sewer connects with the municipal one. There are various non intrusive technologys available to follow a sewer line back to its' source. Of course the M.O.E. have the legal right to go on private property in search of a source of contamination which is leaving someone's private property. In this case it's been discharging into a source of the community's drinking water namely the Grand River. Any excuses that they don't have this right have all been heard up here in Elmira and they are lies.

Today's Record article is titled "Region says water supply safe from spill". The good news is that it probably is but what about the ongoing, small leakages from both industrial concerns still along the river plus old, former landfills. Many of those compounds are unidentified and untested for. Still happy drinking your tap water?