MORE ON LANXESS'S AUGUST PROGRESS REPORT

On-Site pumping well, PW5, has been below its' target pumping rate for nine of the last twelve months. If as we've been long advised that the only two on-site wells are necessary to maintain hydraulic containment of the contaminated municipal drinking aquifer on the Uniroyal/Lanxess site, then why has this been allowed to continue? The fact that the company are bragging about slightly higher off-site pumping only exacerbates the problem as we've also been advised for decades that when the off-site pumping is increased then the on-site needs to be as well or hydraulic containment on-site is lost thus allowing on-site contamination to escape.

Table A.1 is the usual monthly listing of wells shut down for various periods of time during the month. Reasons/excuses include maintenance, power failures, breakdowns,cleanings, inspections etc. etc etc.

Table A.4 displays the concentrations of various contaminants in the Upper Aquifer Containment & Treatment System. The prize winners are chlorobenzene at pumping well UA560I (1,400 ppb), toluene at UA500I (2,200 ppb) and at UA560I (4,000 ppb). Other contenders are MBT at 3,700 ppb, Aniline at 650 ppb, and Carboxin at 1,300 ppb. All of these concentrations indicate how horribly contaminated the site itself remains despite decades of pumping and treating. Unfortunately this was not unexpected. Pump & treat alone is for cheapskates and irresponsible corporations with captured regulators (i.e. MOE).

Appendix B lists the various MISA (municipal industrial strategy for abatement) outlets to the Canagagigue Creek. Some are improved over time but others continue to leak contamination into the Creek. To my mind MISA is simply one more assist to the corporation via the old axiom...dilution is the solution to pollution.

Table D.1 displays ridiculously high concentrations of both NDMA and chlorobenzene off the Uniroyal/Lanxess property on the west side at monitoring well CH44D. Perhaps legitimate testing on the east side might do the same. All our authorities have enabled the polluter to allegedly minimize the environmental damage to the company's neighbours and to the general community. Something similar to the former Varnicolor Chemical site in Elmira, just down the road from Uniroyal/Lanxess.

I expect coverage of environmental issues here in the Advocate to be spotty over the next several days. Not to worry.