CONCEPTUAL SITE MODEL (CSM)

I indicated yesterday that Dr. Thomson from the University of Waterloo referred to CRA's picture of the CSM as a cartoon. It is very possible that Dr. Thomson was not being derogatory or critical with that statement. In fact while I have long been aware of errors in CRA's "cartoon" in fact it has nevertheless been helpful to me in my understanding of the stratigraphy of the Elmira area.

My understanding from the meeting was that Dr. Thomson is looking for comments and feedback from both TAG members and the general public regarding his CSM. Hence I have this morning sent him an e-mail with a few small corrections regarding statements in his text .

These corrections most likely are due to certain reports that Dr. Thomson had not been provided with by either Chemtura/GHD or the Ontario M.O.E.. There have been over the decades some really shabby data and reports and occasionally there have been some real gems that have assisted in understanding exactly what has happened at Uniroyal/Chemtura and throughout the Elmira Aquifers.

As a general indication I will advise that past DNAPL investigations while disgusting in their attempts to exclude informed and non co-opted citizens have produced some good maps showing things like "windows" through various aquitards. I am doubtful that this specific information was provided to Dr. Thomson.

I will also comment that the statement on page 12 of his report indicating that the source of the extra 1,900 kilograms of chlorobenzene released into the natural environment is unknown is probably hooey. It very likely is unknown to Dr. Thomson but both Uniroyal/Chemtura and the M.O.E. have known exactly who's responsible from the get go. The so called 5 man Investigation Team sent to Elmira in early 1990 by Jim Bradley, then provincial Environment Minister was a sham. Their "investigation" was superficial and they did not want to get conclusive evidence of other sources. I was an employee of Varnicolor Chemical at the time and believe me neither I nor other knowledgable employees were ever interviewed nor questioned. Furthermore the M.O.E. already had three years of groundwater testing telling them that Varnicolor were spilling and or dumping yet it was all glossed over.

Then of course there were our local textile industries of which Borg were known to have been sending high strength toxic wastes to the Elmira Sewage Treatment Plant. Not to mention chlorobenzene found in the Howard St. storm sewers heading for the creek in the early 80s. Thank you Dave Brenneman (Woolwich CAO) for your lack of cooperation a few years back when I was investigating that.

Sanyo Canada is still a mystery to me. NDMA concentrations in groundwater spike right beside them. Coincidence or not? The fact is that Sanyo deserve a decent, real investigation if they are innocent, just to so prove that.