INDUSTRIAL LANDS EQUAL SOIL & GROUNDWATER CONTAMINATION

Today's posting is mostly a comment about how times and perceptions have changed. The Waterloo Region Record carried an Opinion piece yesterday from Luisa D'Amato titled "Multiplex report is the best gift ever". There are two references in her Opinion piece that really grabbed my eye. Twice she refers to "the land has previously been used for industrial purposes" and then "the ...site is on clean land (ie. not used for industrial purposes)". She then goes on to explain that the cost of cleanup of former industrial lands could be prohibitive.

I and many others involved in industrial pollution and contaminated soils and groundwater have long been aware of the propensity for many of our former Region of Waterloo area industrial and manufacturing operations to have given less than lip service to sustainable production. To this day the likes of Jeff Merriman (retired) and Chemtura (Uniroyal) like to claim that in ground, uncontained toxic waste disposal in the 50s, 60s and early 70s was the way that things were done. Yes it was but everybody with half a brain knew that they were saving money on proper waste disposal while buggering their neighbour's and downstream residents.

Therefore to have knowledge of past polluting manufacturing being likely sources of serious environmental contamination is a wonderful thing. Luisa while knowledgable in a number of fields, to my knowledge, has not been involved at the Record with contaminated sites etc.. Therefore perhaps that manufacturing (especially past) is equated with pollution is a good thing and demonstrates an ever growing knowledge base.