WELLINGTON WATER WATCHERS (Guelph) CONTINUE TO HAMMER CORPORATE GIANT NESTLE

Today's Waterloo Region Record carries the following story written by Leah Gerber titled "New petition to Nestle circulating". Wellington Water Watchers along with Story of Stuff (?) have a petition available for signing at either "sumofus.org" or on the Story of Stuff website. Sorry that I can't make that clearer but I'm simply quoting from today's Record article (pg. A8). Apparently this petition is asking Nestle to give its' controversial North American wells back to the public prior to selling their North American water brands. These wells are located nearby in Aberfoyle, south of Guelph plus four others in the U.S. (Colorado, Florida, California & Michigan). ................................................................................................ Also it turns out that "The Haudenosaunee Confederacy Chiefs Council has made a claim to the Aberfoyle site". The Wellington Water Watchers believe that Premier Ford of Ontario and the Canadian federal government could look at this bottled water situation through the dual lens of reconciliation and watershed -level governance. Furthermore if Nestle refuse then possibly either the province or the federal government could buy the wells. .................................................................................................................. I have to admit that these plans are well outside my area of expertise. I do agree with the basic principle that water in the ground (aquifers) are owned by all Canadians and should be shared with all local residents. Water is a right and privatizing the resource is fraught with dangers and potential abuses. Whether Nestle has any corporate reason to cooperate I do not know. Whether either the provincial or federal governments stepping in and buying the wells would set some kind of precedent could be interesting. I'm doubtfull that they would do so yet believe that that precedent would be in the public interest. The problem is that the corporate friends of both governments might be quite upset and make that clear to them.

REVISIT 5 1/2 YEARS LATER TO "SANDY'S TEA PARTY, BITCH SESSION, PRETEND STAKEHOLDERS MEETING"

Wow the unbridled arrogance, brass and chutzpah of our elected politicians. Five minutes (figuratively) into her mandate as mayor and Sandy Shantz was convinced that she knew it all and could use her influence and authority to overide twenty-three years of collusion, deception, deceit and obfuscation by both Uniroyal Chemical and the Ontario Ministry of Environment (MOE) regarding the Elmira Water Crisis. The irony is that at the time she wasn't the legal mayor of Woolwich Township despite the election in the previous October. It turned out that both she and Councillor Mark Bauman were removed from office due to major violations of the Municipal Elections Act until a local friendly judge could be found to reinstate them. Wow so much for judicial independence. It's all about maintaining the status quo and keeping the local power brokers happy. ......................................................................................................... I posted here in the Advocate on May 8, 2015 with the title ""Alan Marshall In General, Including His Blog And His Conduct In Meetings"". That title was a quote from the "meeting minutes" of the private, by invitation only bitch session held by Sandy in the Woolwich Administration Building on April 9, 2015. That incredibly stupid bitch session was a carefully orchestrated gathering of Chemtura Canada, MOE, Woolwich Township and other local players (RMOW, GRCA) and two citizens with axes to grind. They (Pat & Susan) had been denied membership four and a half years earlier in CPAC by Todd Cowan's new Woolwich Council. This outraged them as they had promises and guarantees of lifetime prominence and presence at the table by Uniroyal, MOE and likely previous Woolwich authorities due to services rendered unto them by them. Deals (as always private) had been made and Todd Cowan's new administration did not feel obligated to uphold them. ................................................................................................................... And now the proof is out there for all to see. Mr. Cowan and his council werre correct in bouncing Pat & Susan and removing their influence and assistance to Uniroyal/Chemtura. Now we know that the cleanup of the Elmira Aquifers will not be complete by 2028 as mandated by the MOE and promised by Uniroyal/Crompton/Chemtura. They all lied! CPAC from 2011 to August 2015 told the truth and demanded greater effort from Chemtura. What CPAC got was more lies and pushback from all Chemtura's allies including their partner in pollution and deal making the Ontario MOE, Woolwich Township and more. The lying and deal making along with perverse public consultation continues with private, undebated deals between Lanxess Canada and the TAG Chair (re: Stroh property). ................................................................................................................. Being elected to office doesn't make anybody smarter or more honest. Smarter/more honest themselves or smarter/more honest than local citizens. A pleasant smile, personality and a good Mennonite name seems to be all that is necessary. Sandy's the proof of that.

AMMONIA, NDMA, CHLOROBENZENE IN ELMIRA AQUIFERS FROM NUTRITE, UNIROYAL & BORG TEXTILES???

Well even years after I understood the magnitude of the deception surrounding the 1989 Elmira Water Crisis, I did not think that I would be writing that above title here in the Elmira Advocate. It took approximately eleven years (1989-2000) for the public to understand that Nutrite who produced fertilizers had contributed large quantities of Ammonia to our municipal drinking water aquifers. This lack of knowledge was in large part due to the sweetheart deal given to Uniroyal Chemical from the Ontario Ministry of Environment (MOE). In exchange for Uniroyal assuming 100% of the responsibility for the contamination of Elmira's aquifers, the company was to have significant help (50%) from the taxpayers to clean up those drinking water aquifers. The Ontario MOE of course got off the hook and was able to avoid admitting that there were multiple polluters in Elmira who had contaminated our aquifers. Multiple polluters who did so under the noses of the MOE for decades. ........................................................................................... Uniroyal accepted 100% of the blame/responsibility for NDMA in the aquifers but even that is suspect. My vote goes to Varnicolor Chemical despite the MOE manipulating groundwater testing in order to avoid so proving. There was evidence produced at the Environmental Appeal Board (EAB) of exogenous production of NDMA under the correct conditions. Those conditions existed at Varnicolor Chemical including acidic soils courtesy of a tanker leak of sulphuric acid into Varnicolor's backyard. Also the precurser, dimethylamine, was dumped into the soils on site. While it is possible that only the small concentrations of NDMA found on site were legitimate, exogenous production downgradient was eminently possible but an intentional lack of both shallow and deep soil sampling avoided the proof of it. ............................................................................................... Chlorobenzene and Borg Texxtiles? Hmm. Yes Borg had their own dye shop. Yes they as a textile manufacturer certainly should have been very carefully examined but just like Varnicolor Chemical (early on) were intentionally not. Their location is why they are suspect as free phase DNAPLS were found across Howard Ave. just north of them and near the Elmira water tower. Specifically well OW57-32. Chlorobenzene concentrations in the early days exceeded 1% of the solubility of chlorobenzene indicating free phase DNAPL's presence. Also other evidence from OW57-32 indicated chlorobenzene in the free phase form being present. Both Dr. Neil Thompson (U. of Waterloo) and Ramin Ansari of Lanxess believe that there is another chlorobenzene source in Elmira. Now if Borg Textile didn't do it then the onus goes back on Varnicolor Chemical located across Howard Ave. from them. For this to be true then the Ontario MOE likely fudged the lab reports showing a lack of chlorobenzene in Varnicolor's shallow aquifer. That alone is worthy of a public inquiry.

JUST STICK A FRONT END LOADER BUCKET IN THE GROUND YOU BUGGERS

That was the message that Ron Campbell gave to Lanxess officials, albeit a little more smoothly, a few years back. He attended a TAG meeting, as I and a few other CPAC members did. The Stroh farm and gravity flow of Uniroyal wastewaters was the topic of discussion. As both the public and CPAC members are refused the right to speak at these meetings, Ron stepped outside the room to confront Lanxess staff who had already stepped out and were milling around. I, Richard and Dr. Dan ended up hearing the discussion. ................................................................................................ Yet again Lanxess are digging their heels in to avoid having to test an area that could have financial consequences and worse for them. The worse is TAG members asking some pretty interesting questions such as "If you knew about contamination on the Stroh property thirty years ago as your own reports indicate then why did you do nothing then and why have you so seriously delayed and avoided doing the obvious since CPAC reminded you about the problem in 2014?" Sebastian (TAG & CPAC member) has actually suggested that Lanxess have behaved as if they have been snake bitten by the Stroh property. They just don't want to go near it much less do a proper investigation/examination. ................................................................................................... Speaking of a proper investigation that does not mean the bullshi. 15 cm or 5.9 inches in depth soil sampling. Yesterday I reviewed the 2003 Human Health Risk Assessment (HHRA) and the results are very clear. There is not an obvious relationship between depth of soil testing and concentrations of contamiants whether solvents, DDT, dioxins/furans, lindane etc. In other words some concentrations of contaminants are highest within the top foot of soil and other concentrations continue to increase with increasing depth as in two to three feet or more. In fact the 2013 -2014 excavations at GP-1 are a prime example. Supplementary excavations occurred in the summer I believe of 2014 and they went down to remove contamination approximately six feet in depth. Other soil samples further north near and around RPE-5 have found heavy soil contamination eight feet below the surface. Despite this GHD and Lanxess say otherwise. The reason is $$$$$$$$$$$. Not a good enough reason when both human and ecological health are at stake.

WITHOUT SPEAKING OPEN TO ALL WITH SOMETHING TO SAY, THEN IT'S A SHAM

The guilty parties minded their p's and q's early on. There was both a critical mass of angry people in the early 1990s and also the meetings were all attended by the media. Sometimes multiple media attended. It was also nice to see early on some squabbling between the guilty parties themselves. Unfortunately when that squabbling slowed down is when we should have realized that the "fix" was in. Most of us however were not of the mind frame or lack of ethics to even think like that. The polluter and his fellow travellors and synocphants all were however. No honest citizen could even fathom the depth of lying and deceit to which these parties would descend. .......................................................................................... The guilty parties (including politicians) have now emasculated public consultation. They've done such a good job that even the many honest TAG members don't know what has been lost. They haven't been involved long enough to be able to compare what the citizens had to what little they have now. Undoubtedly the worst came in 2000 when Pat sucessfully convinced UPAC members to become a committee of council. What an abomination that was and is. Then 2015 of course was particularly egregious and the public and media failed to make a big deal out of it. The Elmira Indepnedent went out of business at the end of July 2015 and RAC and TAG came into being a month later. The Observer always were mostly hopeless albeit Councillor Merlihan did protest at Woolwich Council unsucessfully. .................................................................................................................... Citizens need multiple voices especially when dealing with professional games players and liars. Therefore when the pros divert citizens off course or even simply interrupt them and hijack the discussion; that is when other citizens present need to step in and halt the crap that's going on. Also keep in mind that the guilty parties always prefer running in packs. Having Township councillors present, bought and paid for consultants and multiple employees all willing to step in and mix it up requires equal numbers on the honest citizens' side. Rarely are there enough citizens confident and willing to speak, present at public meetings. Then of course also in the early days citizens gave far too much respect to the Ontario Ministry of Environment. They showed their true colours with their ongoing private meetings and deals with Uniroyal Chemical. Uniroyal played hardball and had the MOE over a barrel because of their incompetent monitoring and less than useless enforcement activity.Uniroyal were always happy to hide behind the MOE's umbrella.

UPCOMING VIRTUAL TAG MEETING NEEDS BOTH PUBLIC AND MEDIA ATTENDANCE

The TAG (Technical Advisory Group) meeting is scheduled for November 26, 2020 at 6:30 pm. It is my understanding that TAG (& CPAC) member Dr. Sebastian Seibel-Achenbach will be making a presentation (as in an appeal) to TAG members to reconsider their, in my opinion, hasty support of a private deal between Ramin Ansari and Tiffany Svensson (TAG Chair). The private deal was that in exchange for sampling some sediments in the bottom of the Stroh Drain, Ditch & Berm (SDDB) that TAG would agree that that was it. No more sampling whether groundwater or soils anywhere in that area. That private deal is an abomination in which Chemtura/Lanxess and CRA/GHD have colluded over the last six years to avoid accountability and accompanying financial responsibility for the probable "sink" of Dioxins/Furans, DDT and any other hydrophobic compounds that settled out into this low lying area (i.e. low ground surface elevation) on the Stroh farm. ..................................................................................................... One minor clarification. Back on September 11/20 here in the Elmira Advocate I suggested that TAG had delayed Sebastian's presentation/appeal until the December TAG meeting. In fact there has been some error and confusion in regards to the dates for RAC (Remediation Advisory Committee) and TAG but the latest information is that TAG is meeting on November 26/20 and RAC on December 10/20. ............................................................................................ That there was no public discusiion or debate at TAG on this substantive matter is to the shame of their Chair. Especially for newer members (Katarina, Dustin and Wilson) it can be extremely difficult to rock the boat and oppose a matter of which they can not possibly yet be familiar i.e. extent of east side contamination. Even for older members (5 years) such as David and linda it can be difficult to oppose something that is strongly recommended by the TAG Chair who is also a hydrogeologist. All this being said I expect the TAG members to pay acute attention to Sebastian's presentation on November 26. I also expect the TAG members to do their homework ahead of time and read the reports on Sebastian's already presented Bibliography (plus two more) when they receive them. Lastly I expect intelligent questions from those same TAG members to Sebastian after his presentation. Anything less will further damn what passes for public consultation here in Woolwich Township. ..................................................................................... P.S. To "attend" the virtual TAG meeting please e-mail Lisa Schaefer at lschaefer@woolich.ca

I MUST BE AN OPTIMIST TO STILL SEE ANY LIGHT WHATSOEVER IN THE DECADES LONG ELMIRA COVERUP - THURSDAY'S TAG MEETING

I've said it before and I'll say it again. There were in my opinion and others, dishonest schemers and manipulators present at Thursday night's TAG meeting. I need not name them right now. At the same time there were lots of both good and smart human beings present. Some of those I will name such as Katarina Richter, (Dustin was absent), Sebastian Seibel-Achenbach, David Hofbauer, probably (hopefully) newest member Wilson Lau. Geez now I'm up against it. I've admired and appreciated Eric Hodgins knowledge and experience for a very long time but dang if he isn't employed by the Region of Waterloo who have done both wonderful things environmentally over the decades and at the same time had to take direction from a bunch of neandrathals pretending to be regional councillors. Alright Eric you get the nod. Oh crap I almost forgot Linda Dickson. She's one of the good "guys". ............................................................................................. Agenda Item 3.2.1 discussed the Bibliography that Sebastian has given to TAG members. There are two additions to it which I trust Sebastian will pass along. This Bibliography is of technical reports from the 1980s and 90s which unequivocally advise that Uniroyal Chemical's wastewaters flowed onto the Stroh farm both via ground and surface water. These numerous reports include Figures showing the groundwater contours being higher underneath the pits (not surprising) and flowing to lower groundwater elevations on the Stroh property. Lisa Schaefer (Woolwich Township) advised that she has passed the Bibliography on to the Township but has as yet not received any reports back. Both she and TAG Chair Tiffany Svensson indicated that they will keep trying and will pass them on to TAG members as soon as they have them. I have earlier indicated my confidence in the Township providing these reports from their Archives as at least as good as zero to nil. Please Woolwich Twn. feel free to prove me wrong. ........................................................................................... Joe Ricker of Earthcon made an interesting presentation to TAG. Unfortunately his company does have a history with Lanxess which down the road might prove problematic for them. Hard to say. He showed various statistics and analytics regarding mostly the off-site Municipal Upper and Lower Aquifer concentrations of NDMA and Chlorobenzene over the last thirty years. The claims of reductions in 1) contaminated aquifer area 2) mass of contaminants present and 3) concentrations of the two compounds were certainly impressive. 1) if they are true 2) if they are even half true. My question is does Lanxess or the Ont. Min. of Environment really think (or care) that the older, experienced citizens believe a single word that they say anymore? ........................................................................................................... A point of clarification. Would you drink water contaminated with NDMA at 1,000 times higher than the Ontario Drinking Water Standards (ODWS)? Likely not. What if the water was only contaminated with NDMA ("a potent carcinogen") at thirty times the O.D.W.S.? Those are the alleged results that Earthcon, Lanxess and GHD are bragging about. Even if they are true the water is still poisoned for human consumption. That noise they are currently hearing is me clapping one handed for their results. .................................................................. The chlorobenzene percentage of mass removed is less than that of NDMA. It also travels slower in groundwater than NDMA. Thus while the NDMA plume has always been larger it has also been easier to remove from the groundwater than chlorobenzene and likely most of the other hundreds of contaminants in Elmira's groundwater. This concerns me as the entire inadequate pump & treat system may have secretly been predicated on removing NDMA first and foremost and to hell with some of the rest. By the way kudos to Ramin Ansari of Lanxess. He again has confirmed that Uniroyal Chemical was not the only source of chlorobenzene to the Elmira Aquifers. Hallelujah! I've been saying that for years. If the source was Borg Textile who are very near to free phase DNAPL found near the Elmira water tower, then shame on the Ontario M.O.E. for not finding it. If the source was Varnicolor Chemical (also very close to the water tower) then both shame on the M.O.E. and there should be serious charges laid for their falsifying results showing chlorobenzene as non-detect on the Varnicolor site. .......................................................................................................... Eric Hodgins (RMOW) advised TAG members that the Region of Waterloo will not get water from Elmira. Possibly for decades, possibly forever. Sort of makes at a minimum, Uniroyal, Crompton, Chemtura, CRA and the Ontario Ministry of Environment look like a pack of liars doesn't it? Between provincial regulations, known risks involved and unknown risks the Region will continue to monitor from afar. This reminds me of back in the 1990s when the Region warned UPAC (Uniroyal Public Advisory Committee) that if they kept ignoring the Region's position and advice then they would leave UPAC, which in fact they did. ............................................................................................................ Tiffany suggested that a 1/2 day or full day workshop might be an idea in order to explore the question of new goals, new understandings, new approaches to the Elmira Aquifers restoration. Several members seemed interested and presumably this idea may go forward. The biannual Biomonitoring Report was discussed and agreement was reached that while clam studies will continue, leeches will be discontinued due to ND. levels of chlorphenols for some time now in their tissues. .................................................................. TAG member Wilson Lau and Linda Dickson each presented different reports. Wilson discussed the Annual Environmental Report and that it was recommended that Sump s #2 and #38 should be repaired ASAP. This is necessary because otherwise they leak contaminated wastewaters into the ground. Linda discussed the August and September 2020 Progress Reports. Off-Site pumping well W9 still (after years of failure) is not operating nor is On-Site pumping well PW5. Linda advised that it has been shut down since June with a plugged line. Hmm I may have to doublecheck that. I know its' pumping rate has been reduced by a plugged line but I thought it was going at a reduced rate. Hmm. ..................................................................................... All in all a very civilized meeting which is the very low standard for success within Woolwich Township meetings. Lying, deceit, gilding the lily, delay etc. are all part of the package but heaven forbid anyone ever call a spade a spade and offend a polluter, bureaucrat, government employee or worse.

TELL ME IT ISN'T SO - MORE BACKROOM LOCAL WOOLWICH DEALS TO BENEFIT THE FEW AT THE EXPENSE OF THE MANY?

This may be a first in that I am about to reproduce verbatim here a Comment that I received on the Elmira Advocate two days ago. While I have an opinion as to the veracity of this Comment I am sure that some readers would take the opposite view. That said I am hoping that other informed citizens might step up and either politely corroborate or contradict the statements in this following Comment. I will confirm that I have followed this east side by-pass in the Woolwich Observer over the last several years with a growing sense of horror and shock. I also have had a very enlightening and respectful, one on one discussion, with a Woolwich Township employee directly involved in this matter. While I felt better immediately after that chat, nevertheless it just seems so contradictory and counter-intuitive to put the cart, once more in Woolwich, ahead of the horse. To designate and zone disputed (by those on the financial hook) contaminated lands for industrial/commercial development AND to build a highway (Elmira By-Pass) over these Uniroyal Chemical proven contaminated and only slightly cleaned up (5.9"/15 cm. deep) lands on a tiny sliver of the property is absurd to me. Something is very, very wrong and perhaps this reader/commenter's position is a possible explanation. ............................................... ............................................... ............................................... ............................................... Anonymous October 21, 2020 at 11:35 AM ......................................................................................................... It is very simple in fact. The shareholders of the Observer have development property in the north end of Elmira along with a few "very special others" with deep ties politically and along with Mr. Stroh they ALL want what they call a Elmira bypass to their properties in the north end. NOBODY has continuously advocated for this more than the Woolwich Observer. The Observer people have actually gone to great length to advocate and facilitate development in the north end and have obviously got into bed with at least two of the industrial gangs+ families. The whole Martin Lane neighbourhood expansion/future developments in the north end cannot happen without this coverup being dragged on till the so called Elmira Bypass is in place at which time the regulated hold provision will be released by official Woolwich Township Plan. Politicians and the local planners have all been coerced into going along with the coverup. This has never been about pollution or traffic problems on the main drag, they are using these real problems as a solution to their own sick development woes. Ironically the chemical company is saving tons of cleanup costs by just playing along with the local bullshit and the fact that the people who run things have too much to lose to turn against them. I am one of the neighbours and frankly this whole neighbourhood is either sick or corrupt or both!

BLATANTLY IGNORING THE OBVIOUS VIA LYING AND DECEPTION

Democracy here in Canada and elsewhere is under great threat. It is under threat by those who want their way and have the money to make it so. The idea that millions of citizens individually vote every four years or so and exert the will of the majority, frankly, is laughable at best and pathetic otherwise. Money buys advertising, media attention, and political parties. Money greases the wheels of everything. Only to a small degree are politicians and political parties constrained by elections. They have learned that they can manipulate the masses with relative ease. How else could a Republican Party in the U.S. long dominated by big interest, big money, big business convince so many middle class and lower voters that they the Republicans give a fig about the little people which is 95% of us? And don't think that I am a dyed in the wool Democrat. Just as in Canada where industry/business donate to both the Liberal and Conservative Parties; the same thing occurs in the U.S.. It's called hedging your bets to the point that the very well off know that their core interests will be taken care of regardless of which party wins the election. ....................................................................................... Exactly how bad is it? Well for example yesterday's post here ended with two reasons why smoking gun evidence regarding the contamination on the east side of the Uniroyal Chemical (now Lanxess) property is not public knowledge. I blamed both the media's lack of interest and local politicians and the other guilty parties dishonesty. To elaborate Uniroyal (then Chemtura) whined to Mark and Sandy Shantz in late 2014 that the then Woolwich Council appointed CPAC (Chemtura Public Advisory Committee) was picking on them. Poor babies. A multi national, multi billion dollar corporation was allegedly being picked on by a bunch of middle class, mostly professional local citizens of which a number were also senior citizens. Only one Woolwich councillor went on the record publicly to disagree with Sandy, Mark and Chemtura's plans to disband that CPAC. That to his credit was Patrick Merlihan. ........................................................................................................ CPAC was disbanded and primarily new citizens were appointed to the New TAG (Technical Advisory Group) committee. Some had a technical/scientific background and others didn't. As however is normal and usual, all the new folks gave the benefit of honesty and truthfulness to Chemtura (later Lanxess) until proven otherwise. Five years later that time is just about here. What the local politicians did was give Chemtura/Lanxess an additional five years of time by disbanding the 2010 - August 2015 CPAC who had taken Chemtura's and the Ontario MOE/MECP's measure and found them wanting. .............................................................................................................. The issue is the ongoing coverup by Woolwich Township, Lanxess, GHD and the MOE/MECP of the contamination on the Stroh (& likely Martin) farms. These guilty parties are masters of private, behind the scenes, self-serving deals which include exonerating each other from liability for incompetence, collusion and corruption. Unfortunately deals like this which are not hammerred out democratically and publicly, rarely if ever serve the public interest. ................................................................................................................. Elmira citizens as well as downstream residents have sufferred health effects. Government refusal to conduct a health study, again was to protect the guilty. Downstream wildlife both in and around the Canagagigue Creek have also sufferred. The evidence of environmental contamination is being distributed. Some TAG members will embrace the evidence and the truth, others will not. All the mentioned guilty parties will obfuscate, delay, deflect and do their thing. If necessary our local government (Woolwich) will disband either TAG entirely or turf "offending" members who have embraced the truth. What they will avoid at all costs is honest and true public debate with the media present to publish what is said. Covid-19 is helping these guilty parties by ending public meetings and holding virtual meetings. Especially virtual meetings where all attendees do not have equal speaking rights. .......................................................................................................... Chemtua/Lanxess have avoided proper soil sampling of the Stroh Drain, Ditch & Berm (SDDB) repeatedly via various strategies. They have literally skipped areas (the Gap) along their eastern border. They have also skipped the most appropriate area along the border while going further south into a higher elevation area to sample soils. This higher elevation area clearly wasn't the route of overland gravity flowing waste waters. They only sampled 5.9 inches (15 cm.) deep further north along the property line. To date they have completely refused to sample soils around the SDDB. They "justify" this via any lies, half truths or junk science whatsoever. They are blatant bullsh.t artists who only succeed with the support of their partners in pollution and political partners in deception.

MORE INFO ON MONDAY'S POST RE: TAG AGENDA ITEM 3.2.1

As mentioned in the comments section of Monday's post here in the Advocate, I have an honest and informed citizen attending today in order to examine and read numerous historical, technical references to the contamination on the east side of the now Lanxess Canada property (i.e. Stroh farm). I believe that a list of five of these technical reports has already been sent to TAG members. That of course is inadequate without those reports being made available, promptly to TAG members. I suspect that there will be much moaning, wailing and gnashing of teeth as designated Woolwich reps tearfully advise that they could not find this one or that one. Of course I've got a copy of them as does Woolwich Township, Lanxess, GHD, MOE/MECP, RMOW etc. ........................................................................................................... Therefore today I will be providing hard copy exerpts of the critical pages from most of these reports as well as allowing the citizen reader to see the original report and confirm for him/her self that indeed the copies are accurate. These copies include the front page of the report, Table of contents, text, figures and maps. They are not subtle. They are conclusions and facts determined by evidence and that evidence interpreted by professionals including hydrogeologists, consultants and others. Many of these reports are formal reports produced by agencies/government ministrys including GRCA, MOE/MECP, consultants to the Region of Waterloo, and private consultants on behalf of both local companies and governments. ................................................................................................... The evidence overwhelmingly makes clear that the polluter (Uniroyal Chemical), his consultants (CRA), and the Ont. Ministry of Environment (MOE/MECP) all have known about the contamination on the Stroh farm since the late 1980's and very early 1990s. In fact Uniroyal Chemical knew about it within a couple of years of the east side pits (RPE 1-5) being constructed (approx. 1950) as they were advised of the damage to Earl and Eileen Stroh's crops along the property boundary shared with Uniroyal. Evidence makes it clear that both surface water overflow as well as groundwater flowed south eastwards from these pits and some others constructed (BAE-1, RB-1 & 2) within a couple of feet of the property boundary. ............................................................................................... How is it possible that smoking gun evidence is not public knowledge? Two reasons namely 1) a lack of media interest 2) blatant and complete dishonesty by all the guilty parties including local politicians. Private deals were made not in the public interest and these parties don't want their collusion to be made public.

AGENDA ITEM 5. ON THIS THURSDAY'S TAG AGENDA

Item 5. on the first page of the Agenda is "Discussion on the Status of the Municipal Aquifer Post 2028". This "discussion" takes place on page 19 with six questions being presented presumably to be answered by TAG members, the vast majority of whom were nowhere to be found way back in 1989-1990 as some of them weren't even ten years old at the time. In other words these questions regarding the Elmira Aquifers are at best hypothetical issues for most TAG members including those with technical abilities and talents such as groundwater contamination. .................................................................................................... For example the first question is "Is complete remediation possible?. Dunh what a dumb question thirty-one years after the well shutdowns and after literally decades of every bought and paid for authority, consultant and politician telling Elmira residents that absolutely our drinking wells and aquifers could be restored. This question actually implies that we the public have been scammed and deceived essentially right up until yesterday. ................................................................................................................... For the record the answer is yes to that question however NOT under the process we've gone through for 31 years. In other words if the polluting corporate entity (Lanxess) and their bought and paid for consultants (GHD) are in charge of that cleanup then it won't happen. Furthermore our provincial regulator either needs to be shown the door or some form of public inquiry is required to determine exactly why the "cleanup" has failed to date with the MOE/MECP supposedly regulating the cleanup. .............................................................................................. Proper and complete cleanup requires more money and a ton more honesty. Those parties are incapable of both. The public as well as other professional authorities told Uniroyal Chemical, Conestoga Rovers (CRA), the Ontario Ministry of Environment and Woolwich Township what was needed throughout the early 1990s and they were ignored. Local and provincial politicians backed the polluter and their hired guns and the result three decades plus later is failure. Boo hoo ...who couldn't see that coming?

AGENDA ITEM 3.2.1 FOR THIS THURSDAY'S TAG MEETING

That Agenda Item is "Bibliography of reports relevant to eastside remedial activities". It is my understanding that the TAG Chair, Tiffany Svensson, requested TAG (& CPAC) member Dr. Sebastian Seibel-Achenbach to produce this list for the greater education and understanding of TAG members in regards to the very clear knowledge that has existed for decades regarding contamination on the Stroh (and Martin) farms immediately east and south of Uniroyal/Lanxess Canada. ...................................................................................................... These reports, both text and maps, paint a picture that demonstrates the inherent deception, incompetence? and corruption that has occurred regarding the Elmira Water Crisis for more than three decades. If it was only incompetence than the guilty parties (Uniroyal/Lanxess, Ont. MOE, Woolwich Twp. etc.) would have long ago, upon citizen insistence, reviewed these exact same professionally done documents and reports and voluntarily done a proper investigation. Instead they have denied, denied and denied all the while doing surficial soil sampling (15 cm/5.9 inches) only along the company's east side property line with the Stroh farm. They would have not wasted the last six years avoiding a proper investigation as well as removing the bulk of the citizens who discovered the problem. This removal was via the new contemptible rules around TAG /RAC which removed the citizens/public RIGHT to ask questions and offer comments. .......................................................................................................... Now we will see if spoon feeding TAG the proper documentation will result 1) in all of them reading it 2) in TAG insisting on greater and deeper soil sampling in and around the Stroh Drain, Ditch & Berm (SDDB). Keep in mind that none of the guilty parties have so provided this info to TAG and in fact let's see if Woolwich Twp. is even willing to share these reports with TAG. If not, these reports are all here waiting for the right folks to ask for them.

OTHER REASONS FOR THE LANXESS ADMITTED FAILURE TO ACHIEVE DRINKING WATER STANDARDS

First and foremost is the failure to do Source Removal. This Source Removal includes DNAPL removal both on and off-site particularly on the Yara property as well as behind (west) Varnicolor Chemical near the Elmira Water Tower. All parties, guilty or otherwise had/have full knowledge of this DNAPL. Also the failures in the placement of shallow hydraulic containment have also contributed to the failure of off-site cleanup in the Municipal Aquifer (MU). The shallow hydraulic containment was strictly placed in the south-west corner of Uniroyal Chemical leaving the north-west, north-east and south-east all hydraulically uncontained. Yes all three of these areas are contaminated and have and still do contribute to the toxic load in the creek which by the way recharges the Municipal Aquifer underneath it. Furthermore the Canagagigue Creek flows east and any recharging to the east MU is upgradient of the flow of the MU both southwards and westwards. There are historical reasons as well. Jeff Merriman (Chemtura) use to tell us that they would excavate a pit for example and stop digging when they no longer could see or smell chemicals. News flash: Longterm Uniroyal Chemical employees lost their sense of smell long ago. Otherwise they would still be working with running eyes, nose plugs and occasional nausea just like normal citizens sufferred on Duke St. from 1998 to 2000 inclusive. Hence all "cleanup" work done on site is suspect regarding what they left behind. This includes west side pits being cleaned out in the mid/late 1980s only to the bottom of the pits. There was no attempt to go deeper even though the various chemicals had all penetrated deeper to the MU even after the 1970 clay lining of the west side pits. .................................................................................................... The DNAPLS on the Yara site included MBT, BT, Aniline, Carboxin etc. These are generally considered to be Uniroyal signature chemicals and their presence in high concentrations in groundwater on the Yara site indicates to me that DNAPL gravity flowed from Uniroyal westwards onto their neighbour's property. Also chlorobenzene was found in high concentrations near the Elmira Water Tower and the choices of a source are slim. They include Borg Textiles (Howard Ave.), Varnicolor Chemical (Union St.) or DNAPL, again from Uniroyal, gravity flowing westwards towards OW 57-32 (water tower). .......................................................................................................... ISCO (In Situ Chemical Oxidation) was used successfully in Cambridge, Ontario (Northstar Aerospace)to breakdown and remove trichloroethylene, also a DNAPL chemical . I suggested its use back around 2006 and was ignored by all. Then around 2013 Conestoga Rovers attempted an amaturish (according to Dr. R. Jackson, 1st TAG Chair) pilot test beside Industrial Dr. which of course was unsucessful and to this date never reattempted. .................................................................................................... Interestingly Source Removal is a proven technology which works. My belief after three decades plus of factual fictions from all the guilty parties (including politicians) is that it is just fine with them not having succeeded with the cleanup. They've run out the clock with angry citizens from 1989 and they've saved themselves a ton of money.

PARTIAL REASON FOR UNIROYAL/LANXESS ADMITTED FAILURE TO REMEDIATE ELMIRA AQUIFERS

The September 2020 Lanxess Progress Report has been released. Groundwater continues to leave the Lanxess property by design and intent on the north-west property line. Way back when, Crompton or Chemtura managed to convince the UPAC committee of the day that it was O.K. to allow that leakage via the shutdown of pumping well PW1. The claim was that it didn't matter as the contaminated groundwater would eventually flow back onto the Crompton/Chemtura site and be collected by either PW4 or PW5. Not coincidentally Pat and Susan were running CPAC at that time and unsurprisingly in favour of the company's plan. Now of course we know that that contaminated groundwater was also diffusing into the aquitards off-site which now is a significant reason for the guilty parties to be unable to achieve the 2028 mandated deadline as those contaminants eventually back diffuse from the aquitards back into the aquifers. ......................................................................................................... What the September Progress Report confirms for us is that the pump and treat system is failing on at least two fronts. Firstly the on-site pumping well PW5 continues not to achieve its' Target Average pumping rate and secondly off-site well W9 which was supposed to be a major upgrade to the off-site pumping (13.6 l/sec) is still holding its' own at ZERO litres per second. All this of course is in relation to the long repeated Chemtura promises (Nov. 2012) of a TRIPLING of off-site pumping being necessary to achieve the 2028 deadline for cleanup. Yes the current off-site pumping rate with W9 at ZERO l/sec is slightly higher than the usual off-site pumping rate in 2012 but nowhere near either TRIPLE or DOUBLE. ................................................................................................. Why are citizens still sitting and talking to these lying a..holes? This is why CPAC (2011 - Sept. 2015) were adamant that both Chemtura and the MOE had to start being honest with them and the public. This is why we took no prisoners when we caught them deflecting, delaying and obfuscating. Public consultation is meaningless without good faith discussions and we were constantly shocked by the chutzpah, bulls..t and blatant drivel that they were peddling.

TAG MEETING NEXT WEEK

First of all the information (what there is to date) is in today's Woolwich Observer newspaper. It is a virtual meeting and will be held at 6:30 pm. on Thursday, October 22, 2020. TAG of course stands for Technical Advisory Committee and in order to "attend" one must register through the Support Specialist, Lisa Schaefer via either lschaefer@woolwich.ca or 519 6691647 Ext. 6112 before 12 noon on Tuesday, October 20th. .......................................................................................................... Following are the issues: 1) The Minutes of the last meeting (Sept. 10/20) are not yet out although soon will be. 2) Sebastian Seibel-Achenbach, a TAG member, requested an important item go on the Agenda at the last meeting and was advised that it would not be heard at this meeting but hopefully the next one. The item he wishes to speak to is sampling of soils in and around the Stroh Drain, Ditch & Berm (SDDB). Extremely informed and intellgent citizens such as CPAC (Citizens Public Advisory Committee) members are disgusted and appalled with both Lanxess Canada's refusal to do this testing as well as TAG's apparent to date willingness to go along with that. ........................................................................................................ There is in my opinion one other relevant issue. While TAG have a number of honest, intelligent, citizen members; they are impotent by intent of Woolwich Township, Ontario Ministry of Environment and Lanxess Canada. Their process around public consultation stinks beyond belief and they themselves have no authority whatsoever. They report to the RAC committee (bunch of status quo bureaucrats & politicians) who then ostensibly report to Woolwich Township Council. It is a bunch of know little, friendly folks who are there NOT to ever rock the boat. Lanxess and the Ontario MOE/MECP do exactly as they want and everybody is smiling, friendly and of no use whatsoever in promoting the public interest. Lanxess and the Ontario MOE thank you for your service to them and their long ago sweetheart deal.

OBSERVER PUBLISHES AN ARTICLE REGARDING UNIROYAL CONTAMINATION ALONG THE BORDER WITH THE STROH FARM

The article was published on January 28, 2016 and was titled "Chemtura, environmental group at odds over extent of contamination leaching off propertty". Essentially this was Chemtura Canada being in charge of their own "investigation" and folowing the script of their predecessors. In other words take literally years to do investigations that if planned properly and appropriately at the start could be completed within weeks or months versus years or decades. What Chemtura and their consultants did was to circumvent immediately sampling the Stroh property (their east side neighbour). They did this by sampling firstly on their own property within a few metres of the property line. The readings of contaminants were generally very high. Only after that did they claim that it was time to sample nine or ten metres onto the Stroh property albeit the northern half of it. To this day nearly five years later they still have not taken a single soil sample in and around the Stroh Drain, Ditch & Berm (SDDB) which is further south. ......................................................................................................... We were advised this summer that they would be taking some sediment samples in the bottom of that Drain. I said in the preceding paragraph that they had not taken a single soil sample, shallow or deep, around the SDDB. Of course for all we are privy to, in fact they may have done so but they surely aren't going to release that data to the public. ............................................................................................................. The Observer rather tactfully suggested that CPAC (Chemtura Public advisory Committee) "...was disbanded in favour of a new public advisory format...". In fact that is heavy duty bull.... . CPAC were disbanded by Woolwich Council (Sandy & Mark) in order to assist Chemtura to avoid their responsibilities to properly clean up the Elmira Aquifers and the Canagagigue Creek. This was done by bringing in a new group of citizens without any background as to the deceit and collusion involved in the Elmira cleanup over the last 26 years (1989-2015). What a great deal for a world class polluter in having your local politicians help you muzzle legitimate and knowledgable citizen input and public consultation.

PREMIER FORD (& THE P.C.s) TRUE COLOURS ARE SHOWING

Today's Waterloo Region Record carries the following article titled "Environment Assessment Act redesign going through despite opposition". It was written by Leah Gerber who has been doing the environmental beat for numerous months now. The timing around this Act is suspect somewhat as was the federal government's slam against legitimate gun owners, collectors, shooters and hunters. Trudeau and the Liberals pulled thier stunt on the back of the multiple murders down east (New Brunswick?) by Gabriel Wortmann. Months later we learn that Mr. Wortmann was a professional drug dealer and gun smuggler (from the U.S.). Hence many of his firearms were illegal and unregistered therefore yet again proving that the vast, vast majority of legal firearms owners in this country are law abiding citizens of absolutely zero threat to anybody. But they do make an easy target for governments trying to impress the ill informed masses. ............................................................................................................... The timing I mentioned above relates to the Bill (Bill 197) being introduced July 8, 2020 and receiving royal assent less than two weeks later (July 21/20). In so doing the province of Ontario circumvented the Ontario Environmental Bill of Rights which insists on proper notice and time for public comment prior to finalization. The hypocrisy includes the fact that Ontario (Premier Ford) used the April 2020 emergency Covid-19 regulations to remove its duty to consult with the public on environmental legislation. Nice tie in that one. Environmental legislation = emergency Covid-19 regulations ??? Bull fritters! .............................................................................................................. This is Premier Ford giving us a glance at the always pro business, pro development, anti labour and anti environmental mindset of the Progressive Conservative Party. Ideological idiots especially when climate change is here and is devastating.

OLD TRICKS CONTINUE FOR UNIROYAL/LANXESS CONSULTANTS

Today's post relates to the one done on October 1/20 describing Cynthia Doughty's critique of Lanxess and GHD on behalf of the Ontario MOE/MECP. Ms. Doughty referred to GHD's ongoing written claims that NDMA and other toxins' concentrations are attenuated with depth. Unfortunately GHD are very short of empirical evidence to back up their claims. I can hear them now debating with Cynthia: ... Lou: "See up here at the north end of the border between Lanxess and Stroh the contaminant concentrations are higher in the top 15 cm. than anywhere else". Cynthia: "Oh you took soil samples below that 15 cm. depth?" Lou: "We have zero results below 15 cm. in depth". Cynthia: "Then how do you know that contaminant concentrations decrease with depth?" Lou: "Come on! Zero is less than any of the numbers we have above 15 cm." ................................................................................................. Secondly Ms. Doughty accused GHD of using groundwater elevation levels and hence determining groundwater flow directions by readings obtained from groundwater wells that are screened across multiple hydrostratigraphic units. These groundwater levels for example obtained by a well screened in both the Upper Aquifer and the Municipal Upper Aquifer would give an elevation reading much higher than nearby wells screened solely in say the Municipal Aquifer. These false readings then can be used by fools or unscrupuless consultants to save their clients money. CRA may have done so with a well (CH 44?) on the Nutrite property decades ago which showed that groundwater levels on the south-west side were higher thasn on the Uniroyal site and thus Uniroyal's contaminated groundwater was not leaking on to their neighbour's property. It of course was false but saved Uniroyal money in much lower groundwater pumping costs. ................................................................................................................. Similarily during the Ammonia Treatment System (ATS) discussions I determined that one well (CH97) of a pair of matched wells (one on site and one just off-site) was drawing both Upper Aquifer and Municipal Upper water into it thus elevating the groundwater levels recorded. This again was the consultant guaranteeing that higher off-site groundwater levels than on-site "proved" hydraulic containment of the on-site aquifers. What a crock! .............................................................................................................. There are numerous tricks ansd scams that consultants can pull likely in all disciplines. Honesty and Integrity may be priceless but Dishonesty and a lack of Integrity all have their price.

POLEZNYI DURAK - "USEFUL IDIOT" -THAT SEEMS DIFFICULT TO ACCEPT

Pages 116 to 119 of the 2018 book titled "The Spy and the Traitor" written by Ben Macintyre are an eye opening into manipulation and seduction of one's principles. In this non-fiction thriller these pages refer to the relationship between a British politician and agents of the Soviet Union. While this book condemns the self-serving behaviour of the Labour politician it also suggests that he did not break the law. "He was not a Soviet spy. He had not betrayed his country. But he had taken direction and secretly accepted money from, while providing information to, an enemy power, a totallitarian dictatorship.". ................................................................................................................. The Labour politician was code named "Boot" by the Soviets. "BOOT was a peculiar sort of agent, who did not exactly fit the KGB definition. He did not conceal his meetings with Soviet officials (though he did not advertise them either), and since he was a public figure, these were impossible to arrange clandestinely. He was an "opinion creator", and therefore more an agent of influence (a term of art) than an agent (a specific term of espionage)". ................................................................................................................ After the 1968 invasion of Czechoslovakia "Boot" was downgraded from "agent" to "confidential contact" by the Soviets. He had been publicly intensely critical of the Soviet Union in the wake of the crushing of Czechoslovakian hopes and aspirations. So are there any local analogies to this situation? ................................................................................................................ I will lay out the facts and let you the readers decide for yourselves. Here in Elmira, Ontario we have two citizens who have received benefits from an American multi-national, multi-billion dollar corporation. Some of these benefits have included free accomodations and travel expenses around North America. This pair have also had private meetings with Chemtura Canada on their property. These meetings were referred to as the ACC or APT-Chemtura Committee and were not on behalf of the public as that was being done by the 2011-2015 Chemtura Public Advisory Committee (CPAC) under the chairmanship of Dr. Dan Holt. .................................................................................................................. Furthermore non-monetary benefits accrued to at least one of this pair as they have received both public awards (RMOW, GRCA) as well as public admiration from what appears to be their constant guaranteed access to Chemtura Canada, the Ontario Ministry of Environment and local councils. As far as being an "opinion creator" certainly both these citizens affected and led opinions and discussions on UPAC (Uniroyal Public Advisory Committee) and CPAC from 2000 until 2010 as the one was the Chair throughout that time. An "agent of influence" certainly applies to both of them. In my opinion both of them also took advice and direction from Chemtura regarding monitoring concessions given to the company by CPAC under the leadership of this pair. One could also argue that the establishment in 2000 of municipal control (i.e. Woolwich Township) over UPAC/CPAC was at the direction of Uniroyal to bring the company back to the UPAC table after they had departed in a huff over UPAC criticism of their failure to stop their air discharges in town. ............................................................................................................ The "....publicly, intensely critical of the Soviet Union" comment in the third paragraph is also interesting. From time to time both of these persons mentioned have publicly trashed Uniroyal/Crompton/Chemtura and the Ministry of Environment. The quote (poleznyi durak or useful idiot) in the title above was coined by Vladimir Lenin and refers to "...one who can be used to spread propaganda without being aware of it or subscribing to the goals intended by the manipulator." I am very doubtful that either of them were not aware of it (pro Uniroyal actions) and more confident that they were subscribing to the company's long term goals. That is my conclusion based on decades of first hand observation however you the readers may decide as you will.

WOOLWICH OBSERVER SERVES THE PUBLIC INTEREST REGARDING GRAVEL PITS

Today's Observer has both an article titled "Residents' group takes aim at Maryhill pit" written by Steve Kannon as well as an Editor's Point of View titled "Ford's word aside, gravel pit process has gone against public's will" also written by Steve Kannon. In my opinion both are excellent. The article mentions the Hopewell Creek Residents Association (HCRA) and their efforts to stop the proposed gravel pit (Capitol Paving) just outside the village of Maryhill. Former Woolwich Councillor and mayoralty candidate Bonnie Bryant, an HCRA member, suggested that overwhelming local opposition to a gravel pit should win the day and that this indeed was the recent message from Premier Doug Ford. ..................................................................................................... In the Editor's Point of View, Mr. Kannon lays out the sordid history of the province, Ministry of Natural Resources (MNR), Ontario Minicipal Board (OMB) etc. running roughshod over the public's wishes. This public are of course the local victims of all the well known and documented abuses, failures and negative consequences of living next to a gravel pit. It includes a failure of the owners and operators to follow the legislated rules concerning gravel pit operation and rehabillatation as well as a failure by our authorities (MNR) to enforce their own rules. ............................................................................................................... I highly reccommend reading both articles in their entirety. That said there is one only semi-related criticism that I have. Mr. Kannon states in his Editor's Point of View in regards to the province distancing itself from unpopular decisions that "Of course, this is done to allow the few to benefit at the expense of the many, the overriding reason for our political and economic system." Now while this claim about the overriding reason for our political and economic system might be contoversial especially with those on the right, I do not take umbrage with that. What I would simply like to do is remind Mr. Kannon and the Woolwich Observer that this point about allowing "...the few to benefit at the expense of the many..." also applies right here in Elmira. Mr. Kannon has highlighted the reality and the drawbacks of our political and economic systems. They certainly do benefit the few often at the expense of the many. How many Elmira residents have sufferred or died from air or water chemical exposures from Uniroyal Chemical and successors over the decades? How many shareholders of that chemical company have benefited financially from the contemptible waste disposal decisions of the past as well as of the contemptible minimal cleanup decisions of the present? Finally how many citizens and residents downstream, not just in Elmira itself, continue to suffer health effects from contaminated sediments and soils in and around the Canagagigue Creek?

"THE CLEANUP IS A SHAM"

The above title was on a large banner on the roof of my car in Elmira perhaps twenty years ago. Most likely it was parked outside the meeting location of CPAC or UPAC (Crompton/Uniroyal Public Advisory Committee). Another sign on my car that was parked outside the old arena on Snyder Avenue stated "Can Uniroyal mask chemical odours with horse manure?". The second banner was an intentional pun on horse manure. The horse manure could have been literal or it could have been Uniroyal Chemical's ongoing "poo poo del toro" -( Henry Regier) i.e. bull.... . Obviously that second banner was in regards to the plague of disgusting and dangerous odours from Uniroyal that engulfed parts of Elmira from 1998 until 2000. ........................................................................................................... I expect the first banner was in regards to the sham of DNAPL (Dense Non Aqueous Phase Liquids) investigation and cleanup on the Uniroyal site. In hindsight it certainly was prophetic. Twenty years later as we reinvent the wheel over and over again, things have become clearer despite successive new corporate owners of Uniroyal and despite successive new names for the Ontario Ministry of Environment (MOE/MECP). Actions speak louder than words and these actions include blatant lying and changes in direction with no discussion or notice to the various public advisory committees. This would include the November 2012 Chemtura promise to triple the off-site pumping and treating of groundwater in order to achieve the mandated 2028 cleanup of the Elmira Aquifers. It also includes Woolwich Council twice (possibly three times-Todd Cowan) removing excellent and dedicated volunteers from the committee of council monitoring and advising the public and the guilty parties about the cleanup of the aquifers, creek and the site itself. The 2008 and 2015 events occurred with the huge support/demand of Chemtura Canada and the Ontario MOE. Such incredible slimeballs, the pack of them. ....................................................................................................... Yet another action is Lanxess Canada's recent initiative to move the goalposts both further down the road and even to decrease the quality of the cleanup itself. In other words they want to, thirty-one years after the shutdown of the Elmira wellfields, to redefine what cleanup is. They would prefer not to have to achieve Ontario Drinking Water Standards (ODWS) in all Elmira Aquifer wells but only in those that might be located close to any hypothetical new wellfields in Elmira. Currently the Region of Waterloo hasve made it clear that they have absolutely no intentions of using Elmira groundwater as drinking water again at least until 2050 or 2060 and only then after they are convinced that the water quality is permanently restored. .................................................................................................................. Oh and going back to the second paragraph and Woolwich Council's horrendous behaviour with citizen volunteers who had been duly appointed to CPAC by the previous council, let me also mention that the latest "public consultation" reincarnation consisting of TAG and RAC started in September 2015, absolutely prohibits the public and all citizens attending in the gallery from so much as asking a single question. This is a complete turnaround and reversal of the process from January 1992 until September 2015 and was pushed by Chemtura, MOE, Sandy and Mark Bauman to their everlasting shame. ...................................................................................................................... What is the bottom line? The guilty parties (Uniroyal, CRA, MOE, Woolwich Council) never negotiated or discussed anything with the public, UPAC or CPAC in good faith. They made their private deal back in late summer of 1991 and everything since has been lies, dirty lies, obfuscation, deception and delay. The one and only purpose of public consultation was for green washing purposes and public relations. Current CPAC members know this and it should beg the question why for example, Susan Bryant, hasn't so advised the public from her pulpit. Perhaps she has ridden on the coattails of the decades long public consultation sham and benefited personally from it.

WHO DO YOU THINK YOU ARE FOOLING?

The public undoubtedly. At the moment. Possibly the media although I am more doubtful about that. They have covered too many conspiracies, coverups and political corruption over the decades/centuries not to know the score. How many do you think it takes to eventually get the truth out? Thank God I am not the only one. Political corruption, judicial corruption , environmental corruption. Even police corruption, bias and racism is being exposed worldwide through videos, cell phones and better communications. You dumb shits really think that you can keep Elmira under the radar forever? News flash, it's never been under everybody's radar. ................................................................................................ Nine CPAC members have been spreading the word for several years. Hard evidence exists, far more than you twits know. The recent Documentary that went world wide, "Toxic Time Bomb", by Sheba Films is but the tip of the iceburg. How do you think that you will not eventually be brought to justice? Police corruption and misfeasance have long been supported and maintained via the status quo. In other words by sitting politicians at all levels. Do you think for example our Waterloo Regional Police could have misbehaved as they have, both internally and externally, without the support of regionally (mostly) appointed civilian Police Boards? And by municipal and regional councils? Of course not. But those same politicians are running for the hills in the U.S. and our local politicos will abandon our Waterloo Regional Police Service here in a heartbeat when the public turn on them. Social revolution is afoot. ............................................................................................................ Photographic evidence of the Stroh property on the east side is far more extensive than you think. Undoubtedly you've seen a couple of photos on my 2 1/2 foot by 3 foot map of the east side of the Uniroyal property. That is nothing at all. What about soil samples? Both Lanxess/GHD and the Ontario MECP have refused to take them in the area of the Stroh Drain. Citizens have known about that Drain for the last six years and a very few long before that. .............................................................................................................. "Public" Consultation that refuses the public the right to either ask questions at RAC or TAG much less to correct glaring errors and falsehoods presented to new TAG members, is not public consultation. Muzzling me, CPAC (Citizens Public Advisory Committee) and the public can neither be rationalized nor sustainable. You are but one more fire, explosion, fugitive emission or worse away from the media jumping back on the bandwagon and paying attention to your dirty tricks and deeds. Your history is your worst enemy and you are overdue for yet another public relations fiasco. The September 2010 BLE-25 release was a highly visible, yet relatively innocuous toxicity-wise event. It cost the bulk of the old guard on Woolwich Council a four year removal from power and brought in a new Council, less enamoured with or indebted to Uniroyal/Chemtura. And the Citizens Public Advisory Committee was born, and remains.

IT NEEDS TO BE ASKED: HAVE CHEMTURA & LANXESS INTENTIONALLY FAILED OVER THE LAST EIGHT YEARS TO ACHIEVE THEIR OWN PROMISED PUMPING RATES?

Last Friday here in the Advocate I suggested that at times their results have been so poor for so long that I suspected that it was intentional. Keep in mind that the promise to TRIPLE the off-site pumping rates was given in November 2012 and has never even come close. Not by a country mile! Nor have they even DOUBLED their off-site pumping since then. Again not even close! Eight fricken years later! So are they beyond all imagination incompetent to the extreme or has the failure to follow through been on purpose? ............................................................................................................. I am currently looking at the August 2020 Progress Report. Off the Lanxess site pumping is close to 58 litres per second which would have been wonderful from 1998 until 2012 if they had been achieving that. Unfortunately they were not. While the Target pumping rates have changed over time, back then they were about 53 litres per second (all off-site pumping wells). They regularly did not achieve that old pumping rate. ..................................................................................................................... Allegedly Conestoga Rovers and Chemtura independently determined that they needed to both TRIPLE their off-site pumping AND utilize a form of source removal known as ISCO (In Situ Chemical Oxidation) to be able to succeed in restoring the Elmira Aquifers to drinking water standards by 2028. They have done neither and they haven't even come close to either. By the way their independent determination occurred approximately six months after CPAC and then Woolwich Township announced that 2028 cleanup wasn't going to happen under the current remediation. ............................................................................................................ Now Lanxess want to co-opt TAG (Technical Advisory Group) into legitimizing new goals. Lanxess want to get the intentionally powerless citizens committee to however endorse the company's new direction. This has been and always will be the purpose of citizen groups in Woolwich Township: i.e. give advice to be ignored when inconvenient and to be embraced and publicized when convenient to the local establishment including Uniroyal/Lanxess. ...................................................................................................................... P.S. The public in Elmira and Woolwich Township have been horribly ill served by the local newspaper's (Woolwich Observer) refusal to cover either public TAG meetings or public RAC meetings in the last five years. This is exactly how the MOE/MECP/some Woolwich Council members/Lanxess/GHD have been able to get away with their crap. They are flying under the radar and shame to the Woolwich Observer for permitting that.

"SOMETIMES THE WATCHDOG NEEDS TO BE OUTSIDE THE HOUSE"

This is an often times repeated comment from a current CPAC member. Something to that effect was espoused by Susan Rupert when she was leading APT Environment. Unfortunately the members listened to Susan B. and Sylvia rather than to Susan R. . Susan B. and Sylvia convinced APT members that they would have no voice if they refused to be a part of the proposed UPAC (Uniroyal Public Advisory Committee). In hindsight there is no doubt that the real purpose of Uniroyal Chemical and the Ministry of Environment's participation in that alleged "citizens' committee" was simply to delay, waste time and give the impression that citizens had input into cleanup decisions. They did not and that was guaranteed by the makeup of the committee from the getgo. Too many municipal councillors (Grace Sudden, Quentin Martin), too many former Uniroyal employees and too many ridiculous stakeholders such as the Waterloo Region District School Board and the Chamber of Commerce - all thorughly committed to maintaining the status quo. .......................................................................................................... All the CPAC members except Sebastian were too disgusted by the lying and deception of Sandy and Mark to agree to reapplying to the proposed CPAC after Sandy deceptively suggested that they didn't have enough applicants the first time. Bull...., there were a total of eight CPAC and SWAT (including me) applicants plus Susan Bryant and Pat McLean for a total of ten. Sandy merely lied knowing that after how she and Mark B. had treated the CPAC and SWAT volunteers both verbally at council and in writing at a private meeting in the Township building (April 2015), that most CPAC members would see through her bull... and know that they would not get appointed. ................................................................................................ Despite several good people on TAG that new (2015) committee also has zero chance of success. History has shown us that Woolwich Council's have long supported Uniroyal and successors to the point of fudging and lying at will in order to achieve their goals. In the current situation Lanxess are offerring the "opportunity" for TAG to help rewrite the goals for the cleanup. That is an abomination. A bare majority of TAG members have only been involved for five years with at least three others less than a year and a half. Historically they don't know what the heck is what. They certainly should not even be involved in an exercise which is intended to deflect away from the company and MOE/MECP cleanup failure to achieve Ontario drinking water standards throughout the Elmira Aquifers by 2028. The stated intent is to provide new attainable goals for the cleanup. Why exactly other than to a) share the blame when those too fail b) to push the cleanup date back for even more decades to ensure some form of success for the guilty parties....would TAG or informed citizens want either of those outcomes? This is simply one more diversion, deflection and delay being proposed by Lanxess Canada for self-serving reasons and of no benefit to the environment or the public.

CITIZENS & STAKEHOLDERS WILL HAVE THEIR SAY

The following letter has been sent this morning to CPAC (Citizens Public Advisory Committee) by yours truly. It is in response to the most recent attempt by Lanxess at rewriting history and avoiding the truth. It is polluter/regulator revisionism at its' best/worst. All guilty parties including some politicians have admitted that they can not achieve the promised cleanup of the Elmira Aquifers by 2028. Therefore this is an attempt to seize victory from the jaws of defeat. Defeat and failure is exactly what it is. Failure to clean up the Elmira Aquifers with the polluter constantly in control of that cleanup including having client driven consultants doing their bidding. Decades ago a hydrogeologist by the name of Dave Belanger advised that Uniroyal's proposed shallow aquifer remediation "...was the cheapest, least effective solution.". That process has continued to its' final conclusion: failure. That failure is totally the responsibility of Uniroyal/Crompton/Chemtura and Lanxess with able assistance from their impotent regulator now known as the Ministry of Environment, Conservation and Parks (MECP). ...................................................................................................... ............................................................................................ ................. MAKING A VIRTUE OUT OF A VICE ........ Oct. 1/20 ....................................................................................................................... Lanxess Canada would like TAG to advise them (and the MECP) as to what the new “goal” should be. In other words as the old goal, which is still nearly eight years away (August 2028), will likely not be met it should allegedly therefore be changed or abandoned . Says who? Anybody honest, honourable or credible? ................................................................................................ The question possibly could be “Should we change our goal?” Where the hell did the leap to yes we will change it and now let’s discuss that change come from? Go back to the last sentence in the first paragraph. The old “goal’” of restoring the Elmira Aquifers to drinking water standards was given to Elmira residents way back in the very early 1990s. It was also mandated by the Ontario Ministry of Environment in a Control Order which now is also up for discussion. Without what now appears to be lies back then, perhaps Elmira residents might have gotten a public inquiry into the failures, deception and collusion that allowed an American chemical company to destroy Elmira’s air, groundwater and surface water in the Canagagigue all while ostensibly being supervised by the Ontario MOE. ................................................................................................ Many years ago CPAC asked for clarification from both the MOE and Chemtura as to what the details of what drinking water standards would look like. We wanted to know whether that meant drinking water standards in all aquifers (Municipal Upper, Municipal Lower & Bedrock) and whether it also meant drinking water standards had to be met at each and every groundwater well in Elmira. We were met with silence and obfuscation despite consistently pressing them on the issue. ............................................................................................................ Back in 2012 it was CPAC who first advised Woolwich Township, the MOE and Chemtura that the path they were on absolutely would not result in achieving the cleanup of the Elmira Aquifers to drinking water standards by 2028. CPAC were met by howls of outrage from Chemtura (Josef Olejarz) and the MOE. Woolwich Township endorsed CPAC’s position and demanded improvements in the cleanup plans. .............................................................................................................. Lo and behold suddenly in November 2012, Chemtura and Conestoga Rovers claimed that they independently had just done a five year review and gosh and golly they weren’t going to make their promised and mandated 2028 deadline for cleanup. Jeff Merriman and other Chemtura representatives then promised a new cleanup plan. It consisted of both a TRIPLING of the off-site groundwater pumping AND the use of ISCO or In Situ Chemical Oxidation at hot spots in the Elmira Aquifers. Josef, Chemtura Jeff and the MOE all stated categorically that they stood behind their promises and cleanup and that whatever it took, they would achieve cleanup of the Elmira Aquifers by 2028. Still no commitment however as to what that final cleanup actually entailed. .................................................................................................................. Later that promised TRIPLING of off-site pumping became a promised DOUBLING of the off-site pumping with no explanation of the change. Then in 2015 after a totally new change in Woolwich Council, less Mr. Flip Flop (Bauman), CPAC were on the chopping block due to a manufactured crisis by both Sandy Shantz and Mark Bauman. CPAC were suddenly the bad guys because we had held Chemtura’s and the MOE’s feet to the fire and insisted upon less verbal drivel and more honesty in their dealings with us. Those two parties boycotted CPAC meetings while all the while refusing to tell CPAC what was going on. That was left to Sandy and Mark who piously advised that CPAC members were too hostile, aggressive and loud for the tender sensitivities of big, burly MOE bureaucrats. Keep in mind that many of these CPAC members were senior citizens with and without doctorate degrees. Others were professionals in the environmental field. Throughout these actions and after Sandy replaced CPAC with RAC and TAG (Sept. 2015) Chemtura and the MOE kept on insisting that they would do whatever was necessary to achieve drinking water standards in the Elmira Aquifers by 2028. Until they suddenly didn’t. Now oddly they have never even come close to DOUBLING the volume of off-site pumping in the Elmira Aquifers. Also they have never come close to implementing ISCO as promised. Dr. Richard Jackson, TAG Chair, took them to task publicly at TAG meetings for their amateurish attempts at doing a pilot test of ISCO and their subsequent failure. He advised them to obtain competent professional help. It wasn’t by far his only criticism of the efforts of Conestoga Rovers. .................................................................................................................... Chemtura and Lanxess’s efforts have been pathetic regarding increasing (often regarding even maintaining) the volume of pumping and treating of the groundwater in the Elmira Aquifers. At times I have felt that it was intentional, almost as if they had a different agenda than the public were being told. Now it seems that they do. They want a gimme, a mulligan, a free pass. Now suddenly it’s just all too difficult for them. Eight years to go and they’ve thrown in the towel and they would like Elmira residents and TAG members to give them a break. Both the company and the MOE/MECP have resisted all citizen efforts at Source Removal, both off and on their own site. The company have reneged on almost every promise they’ve made. And they want us to reward them for their dishonesty and failures. They would also like us to be a part of their dishonesty and failures by helping with a new goal. ............................................................................................................... I say that we tell them, the MOE/MECP and Woolwich Township that the old goals still stand. I say that we call them out loudly and publicly for their decades of deception and dishonesty. We must not reward them for their nasty and pathetic behaviour. We do not agree to pretending that their vices have suddenly become virtues. Either stand by their public promises or don’t but we must not be a part of this latest scam in any way. .................................................................................................................... Alan Marshall CPAC and EH-Team member

AGAIN CYNTHIA DOUGHTY (MOE HYDROGEOLOGIST) RAPS KNUCKLES & SPANKS LANXESS's CONSULTANTS (GHD)

It of course does not happen often enough that any credentialed experts get up on their hind legs and tell off the polluter and their hired guns (i.e. consultants). It was done occasionally in the past by Bob Hillier and Jaimie Connolly, both hydrogeologists with the Ontario Ministry of Environment (MOE/MECP). Unfortunately while their comments were mostly (but not always) shared with the stakeholders and citizens, nevertheless these experts were only occasionally in attendance at regular UPAC and CPAC meetings thus their comments and criticisms were soon buried beneath the ongoing verbal and written onslaught produced for the benefit of Uniroyal/Crompton/Chemtura and now Lanxess Canada. Nowadays we see even less of them as not even their employer (MOE/MECP) regularly attends TAG meetings. It's a disgrace. ..................................................................................................... Ms. Doughty's report is dated September 23/20 and is a serious critique of GHD's May 21/20 "Supplemental East Side Offsite Groundwater Investigation...". In other words it was supposed to be a groundwater investigation of Lanxess's east side neighbour, the Stroh farm. Of course it was no such thing in reality as GHD to this date still have not constructed monitoring wells throughout the southern half of the property nor have they sampled the soils to even determine the most rudimentary understanding of what aquifers or aquitards exist in the area of the Stroh Drain, Ditch & Berm (SDDB). On top of this criticism of mine Ms. Doughty included several of her own. ..................................................................................................... My first concern is that no one has provided Ms. Doughty with Table 3.1 from the 1991 Environmental Audit which is a fairly serious list of the various chemicals and toxins buried in the east side pits and ponds. This is clear from her comment on page 2 (of 7) namely "Detailed information about the historical waste management activities is not available." Holy crap Batman but is there exactly zero corporate memory now within the MOE/MECP as to what has gone on in the past? Boy is that ever convenient for both them and Lanxess Canada. ................................................................................................................ Ms. Doughty mentions the fact that GHD can not even properly use the long known abbreviations for 2,4-D and 2,4,6-T appropriately. That said I find it odd that they are focused on 2,4,6-T when the issue has always been 2,4,5-T not 2,4,6-T. I wopuld like to see some explanation for that. Is it simply an intentional bait and switch of some sort? Ms. Doughty also seriously questions repeatedly, GHD's claims that site-related contaminants are attenuated with depth (i.e. lower concentrations with increasing below ground surface depth). She also clearly denies GHD's position that aquifers on the east side are of limited extent and discontinuous (pg. 4). ................................................................................................ Ms. Doughty makes her skepticism very clear regarding GHD's groundwater flow directions as they are using groundwater elevations from wells installed across multiple hydrostratigraphic units. In other words they are using water elevations for example to show flow direction in the Upper Aquifer (UA) from wells that are screened across both the UA and the Upper aquitard (UAT). This is a no-no. Also the presence of NDMA further to the east and cross-gradient versus down gradient is appropriately questioned by Ms. Doughty. Finally she has a number of concerns that are not answered by GHD in regards to wells OW7d, OW7-12 and OW7-29 and their NDMA concentrations. ........................................................................................................ By page 6 Ms. Doughty is asking why a number of apparently other deep wells were not sampled by GHD. She also clearly condemns GHD's claim that NDMA is being "attenuated" (decreased) as sampling crosses the property line between Lanxess and the Stroh farm. She also makes clear that the purpose of this investigation was not only to determine current contamination on the Stroh farm but also future contamination originating from the Lanxess site. Lastly she would like a better identification of all wells that are completed within multiple hydrostratigraphic units. Her Summary on page 7 categorically states that "The 2020 report has not pulled together the lines of evidence to adequately demonstrate delineation of site-related contamination on the adjacent property...". In other words GHD you get a F (failure) for your efforts to date. Well said Ms. Doughty. Now lets see what the MOE/MECP brass whom she reports to unfortunately will do with this.