REVIEWING THE VARNICOLOR LOT 91 COVERUP IN ELMIRA

I have examined contaminated sites and their various technical reports for nearly thirty years. These have included of course Uniroyal Chemical, Varnicolor, Nutrite here in town as well as numerous sites in Kitchener, Waterloo and Cambridge. I've also read a few reports on contaminated sites in Guelph. These technical reports have been primarily hydrogeological reports and while Uniroyal certainly by a wide margin has the most it wouldn't be inaccurate to suggest that I have read probably several hundred reports in total. A few have been in regards to surface water investigations including sediments and soils and some have focused on air emissions.

Absolutely none, including Uniroyal Chemical have ever had the concentrations in soil of toxic contaminants that exist on the former Varnicolor Chemical Lot 91 site at the extreme east end of Oriole Parkway. Absolutely none have been examined less with more talk from the Ontario Ministry of Environment. Drums have been excavated with and without solvents and PCBs in them. Tanks and tankers have been removed from the site with and without solvents in them. We have been told by various consultants as well as the MOE that everything is contained on the site and is slowly by natural attenuation being cleaned up. The technical reports Conclusions may say that as well. Their hard data, facts, logic and common sense say otherwise.

Dumping of liquid toxic wastes took place on this site. Likely far in excess of two thousand drums of used solvents and still bottoms were intentionally drained on this site. Still bottoms are the liquid sludge which is the waste product remaining after dirty solvents have been run through a still to remove contaminants. Yes some source removal, as in drums and tanks were removed. Large scale soil removal or soil cleaning has not occurred. Natural attenuation is simply code for dilution. The MOE are permitting the contaminated groundwater to flow both into Landfill Creek and then into the Canagagigue Creek as well as allowing it to flow into the Elmira drinking water aquifers where maybe it is eventually pumped and treated. Maybe. Eventually. If we're lucky.