SIGNIFICANCE OF CHEMTURA'S EAST SIDE DIVERSION

Based upon the suspected timing of the construction of the Stroh Drain it is likely that Uniroyal's liquid wastes had already flowed for decades onto the Stroh property before the Drain was built. Therefore it is unlikely that the idea of the Stroh Drain was first and foremost to be a conduit for toxic liquid wastes to bypass the Uniroyal/Chemtura property and any ongoing monitoring on that site or of the Canagagigue Creek through their property.

I do not know who specifically and exactly built this Drain. It does appear to connect far further south with some natural springs near the border between the Stroh and Martin farms. This natural spring then flows around the man made swimming pond on the Martin property and discharges into the Canagagigue Creek further downstream past most routine monitoring on and just below the Uniroyal/Chemtura site.

The Drain presumably was at least partly or perhaps even mainly initially considered to be a method to drain the very wet, low lying areas both between and on both properties. This large area collects both surface water runoff from both properties as well as has a very high water table which appears as surface water on both properties during the year. That said according to topographical contours the very lowest surface areas are about 20-35 metres east of the Chemtura/Stroh property line, on the Stroh property.

Environmentally I would believe that dissolved contaminants from the Uniroyal/Chemtura site in the Stroh Drain discharge downstream into the Canagagigue Creek. Hence these contaminants while bypassing the creek on the Chemtura site nevertheless end up back in the creek anyways. Not much environmental significance for life forms in the creek however possibly a huge human health significance as well as wildlife significance for those exposed to the surface waters of the Stroh Drain. Also there is the moral culpability factor. Did Uniroyal Chemical initially believe that the low lying areas on the Stroh property could act as a "sink" hence absorbing and holding their hydrophobic persistent organic pollutants (POPs)? Or was this completely above and beyond their thinking? Did Uniroyal Chemical aid or assist in the construction of this Drain in any fashion at all? What was their motivation if so? These are all questions that not only have gone unanswered to date but thanks to the intervention of morally (at least) corrupt politicians we haven't even been able to ask.